Sometime in the year 2030. In a high-rise unit somewhere in Melaka. A daughter was bringing home her boyfriend for the first time to meet her parents. Specifically, the one who greeted both the daughter and her boyfriend was the father. The father was wearing his smart-spectacle which was powered by a tiny Intel chip. (It has processing power of a small supercomputer) He is able to search online by just entering the search box via his thoughts. The conversation follows:
Daughter: Pa, this is Charlie. He is my boyfriend who’s also my colleague.
Pa: Charlie, you are working in Company ABCDEF as a marketing manager. How’s your job thus far?
Charlie: Uncle, it’s pretty okay.
Pa: Pretty okay? The issue with ABCDEF is that this company has been suffering losses for the past 5 years and the staffs have not been receiving any bonuses and increments for the past 4 years. A marketing manager in ABCDEF is also 30 percent underpaid compared to a similar position elsewhere. Of course, there’s a potential for career growth but you have been in this same role for the past 6 years.
Charlie: I am also looking for a new job but at the same time, I am saving money to buy a property and that’s why I am renting currently.
Pa: Your credit score is pretty low though. May I know when would you be paying off your credit card balance? You have been paying the minimum amount for 12 months. Based on your current credit score, it is going to be hard for you to get your home loan approved. The rejection rate is at 84 percent currently for people with this credit score.
Charlie: Uncle, noted on your concerns. However I wanted to tell you that I love your daughter and I think love conquers all.
Pa: Based on the latest survey conducted on couples with low credit scores, the chances of a divorce happening is 38 percent within the first 24 months and within 5 years, it is as high as 65 percent. However, I am okay with this relationship.
Charlie: Oh, I got your approval? I am so happy!
Pa: Nope. Based on the available information, your father owns a majority stake in a public listed company and you are his only son. Legally, anyway. (SMILE)
Haha… Fathers, will you check out your future son-in-law? Okay, this is definitely an exaggeration but it’s not too far fetched because we put so many things online these days. From Facebook to Twitter to LinkedIn and anything social, the world can learn about us within minutes. (With a powerful APP, it may even take just seconds to produce a detailed report about us!)
By the way, with the way the young people are spending their salaries today, I think the chances of a similar conversation like the above is definitely there. Many are carrying huge debts because their financial awareness is low. Or they refuse to think about it… Just remember, your future father-in-law may just check you out first.
written on 10 June 2017
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0 Responses
Haha…..in realism however the Pa, a young retiree in his early or mid sixties, is usually not so IT savvy. To reach that IT knowledge and skill level, he has to attend many courses in Silver Academy, and with money that he does not have in retirement.
Haha. Fred, that father may be me. My daughter is uni stage at the time.