There is a saying, 'If something looks too good to be true, then it usually is'. Cash Plus seemed like something too good to be true to me when I first heard about it, so I did what any rational person would do: I asked questions.
I was in St Maarten and seeking to find ways to invest a little money when I first heard about the investment scheme, so I checked the Internet and I talked to people and then I spoke to my sister, Opal, my own personal banker and financial guru. I am so glad I listened to her advice.
She told me that Cash Plus was a pyramid scheme that was bound to collapse. It was just a matter of time. She also told me that the banks were not out to get Carlos Hill, but that the scheme was unregulated and that banks were just complying with the laws of the land.
So, here is where I get a little confused. If I could do this, why didn't anybody else? Why didn't those who invested their money in Cash Plus do the same?
Valuable research
I found out that Hill had been jailed for similar schemes in the United States. I read that pyramid schemes have a limited life span and I also learned that you can never know when the bottom is going to drop out of the barrel. So, why would I then go ahead and put my money into this extremely risky venture? The way I see it, a fool and his money shall surely part', and that is what is happening here.
Sure, I believe that Government could have done more to protect people. They could have set the Financial Services Commission on Cash Plus when it just started up operations, they could have investigated Carlos Hill and shut him down when they found out about his past breaches. There are many other things they could have done, but they didn't.
However, I can't say I was surprised because the one thing I know about the PNP is that they may have claimed to put people first, but that is all it is - a claim. To be fair Omar Davies, former Minister of Finance, did warn people about investing their hard-earned money in these schemes, but I find people have selective hearing when it comes to heeding things the Government says. I also find that when they fail to heed the advice and get burned, they expect to be bailed out.
In any event, the people who were putting in their money needed to have exercised a greater sense of responsibility. I mean, Govern-ment doesn't need to tell you to put burglar bars on your home, and they don't need to tell you to make sure you don't leave your bank book lying carelessly around. These are things you should already know. So, in essence, those who got burned by Cash Plus really don't have anyone to blame but themselves.
Some people I hear griping on radio and all over have admitted that they had more than $1 million invested in the scheme and word on the street is that one guy had more than $40 million in Cash Plus. Now tell me, if you have $40 million to spare, why do you need Cash Plus? What about Jamaica Money Market Brokers, Dehring Bunting and Golding or Capital and Credit? Aren't they capable of turning over that kind of money fast enough to make it worth your while?
We have to stop this thing of only living for today, because as much as we would like to believe that tomorrow is not certain, it still comes, and we have to prepare for it. Investing in hare-brained schemes in which you are more likely to lose your shirt than becoming wealthy does not, with any certainty, prepare you for the eventuality of what happens next, and that is the harsh reality that Cash Plus' clients are living with now. And, when you're all looking for someone to blame, trying looking in the mirror first.
I was in St Maarten and seeking to find ways to invest a little money when I first heard about the investment scheme, so I checked the Internet and I talked to people and then I spoke to my sister, Opal, my own personal banker and financial guru. I am so glad I listened to her advice.
She told me that Cash Plus was a pyramid scheme that was bound to collapse. It was just a matter of time. She also told me that the banks were not out to get Carlos Hill, but that the scheme was unregulated and that banks were just complying with the laws of the land.
So, here is where I get a little confused. If I could do this, why didn't anybody else? Why didn't those who invested their money in Cash Plus do the same?
Valuable research
I found out that Hill had been jailed for similar schemes in the United States. I read that pyramid schemes have a limited life span and I also learned that you can never know when the bottom is going to drop out of the barrel. So, why would I then go ahead and put my money into this extremely risky venture? The way I see it, a fool and his money shall surely part', and that is what is happening here.
Sure, I believe that Government could have done more to protect people. They could have set the Financial Services Commission on Cash Plus when it just started up operations, they could have investigated Carlos Hill and shut him down when they found out about his past breaches. There are many other things they could have done, but they didn't.
However, I can't say I was surprised because the one thing I know about the PNP is that they may have claimed to put people first, but that is all it is - a claim. To be fair Omar Davies, former Minister of Finance, did warn people about investing their hard-earned money in these schemes, but I find people have selective hearing when it comes to heeding things the Government says. I also find that when they fail to heed the advice and get burned, they expect to be bailed out.
In any event, the people who were putting in their money needed to have exercised a greater sense of responsibility. I mean, Govern-ment doesn't need to tell you to put burglar bars on your home, and they don't need to tell you to make sure you don't leave your bank book lying carelessly around. These are things you should already know. So, in essence, those who got burned by Cash Plus really don't have anyone to blame but themselves.
Some people I hear griping on radio and all over have admitted that they had more than $1 million invested in the scheme and word on the street is that one guy had more than $40 million in Cash Plus. Now tell me, if you have $40 million to spare, why do you need Cash Plus? What about Jamaica Money Market Brokers, Dehring Bunting and Golding or Capital and Credit? Aren't they capable of turning over that kind of money fast enough to make it worth your while?
We have to stop this thing of only living for today, because as much as we would like to believe that tomorrow is not certain, it still comes, and we have to prepare for it. Investing in hare-brained schemes in which you are more likely to lose your shirt than becoming wealthy does not, with any certainty, prepare you for the eventuality of what happens next, and that is the harsh reality that Cash Plus' clients are living with now. And, when you're all looking for someone to blame, trying looking in the mirror first.