評論
打印
1. Critics often speak of “the rich” with none-too-subtle disdain, as if those at the very top of the income ladder are all dishonest people or as if becoming rich is difficult and means others must become poorer. While we would be the first to admit that some rich people are dishonest, we must add that achieving the status of “the rich” (defined, say, by having a net worth of $1,000,000) is not particularly difficult, contrary to popular wisdom. The rules for acquiring substantial wealth are few, simple. This fact suggests that becoming rich for most Americans is a matter of choice.
1、評論家們一說起（speak of）富人(the rich)往往帶有明顯的(with none-too-subtle)蔑視（disdain）。就好像收入高的層次的人們都是狡詐之人(dishonest people)，或者意味著成為富有階層不容易而且其他人(誠實之人)一定不如他們富有。首先我們承認有些富人不誠實，但我們必須補充一點(we must add)：與普遍的認識相反(contrary to popular wisdom)，達到富人階層(achieving the status of “the rich”)(它的概念應該是凈收入(net worth)一百萬美元)并不是特別難。獲取可觀財富的規(guī)則只有幾條，而且簡單。這就意味著對于大多數(shù)美國人來說想不想變富是一個選擇的問題。
2. One of the rules for being rich is to avoid frivolous temptations. That is easier said than done, and we do not necessarily recommend that all people should lead a pure and joyless life. We mean only to point out that the great majority of those four percent of Americans who have $1,000,000 in net worth get to where they are because they control their pleasures. For example, rich Americans buy cars that are on average only slightly more expensive than those less wealthy Americans buy.
2、變?yōu)楦挥械囊?guī)則之一是避免無重要意義的(frivolous)誘惑(temptations)。說起來容易做起來難(that is easier said than done)，而且我們也無意建議所有人都該過著平淡無味的生活(lead a pure and joyless life)。我們只是想指出那些占美國人口百分之四的凈收入達一百萬美元的大多數(shù)人之所以達到今天的富有，就是因為他們克制了自己的享樂。例如，富有的美國人買的汽車平均來講只是略好于那些不太富有的人的汽車。
3. Being able to save and accumulate considerable wealth is not automatic. People must have a reasonable income in order to save amounts that will make for wealth, which requires several auxiliary rules for achieving an income level that will allow for a minimum saving level. For most-those without the requisite luck, inheritance, special talents, or good ideas-becoming rich means getting an education. Few people who drop out of high school will be rich. The income of high school dropouts is about two-thirds that of Americans with a high school diploma.
3、能夠節(jié)省和積累可觀的財富不是自動的。要想省一定量的錢來足以積累成為財富，人們必須有適當?shù)氖杖?/span>。為達到能夠允許(allow for)最低節(jié)省錢的收入水平還需要幾個輔助規(guī)則（several auxiliary rules）。對大多數(shù)沒有必要的運氣、繼承的財產(inheritance)、特殊的天才或好想法的人們成為富有就意味著受教育。高中就輟學的人很少變?yōu)楦挥械摹８咧休z學人(dropouts)的收入是擁有高中畢業(yè)文憑(with a high school diploma)的人收入的三分之二(two-thirds)。
4. To have a good chance at being rich, though, most individuals (aside for the lucky ones) will need at least a college education, which just about will double their incomes over what they would have earned with only a high school diploma. A professional degree will result in an average annual income of about twice that of college graduates (or six times the income of a high school dropout). This means that those who invest in education do not have to save as high a percentage of income to become rich at retirement. However, in all probability, educated Americans will be richer at retirement simply because they will be able to save more along the way and because they are likely to be smarter and can achieve a higher rate of return on their savings.
4、但是要想有好機會變富有，大多數(shù)(除了幸運的)至少需要受到大學教育，與只有高中文憑的相比，大學的教育可使他們的收入翻一翻。大學以上的學歷會導致（result in）比大學畢業(yè)的年平均收入（an average annual income）增加一倍(或是高中輟學人的六倍)。這就意味著在教育上投資的人要想在退休時致富(to become rich at retirement)不必節(jié)省同樣高比例的收入。但是極為可能的是(in all probability 十有八九)受過良好教育的美國人之所以在退休時更富有是因為他們在過去的歲月里(along the way )積攢得更多，而且他們可能更明智(smarter)，獲取更高的存款的投資回報率。
5. The first auxiliary rule for becoming rich is to stay in school or, if out of school, go back to it. Of course, to stay in school is not enough and they will learn something worth the time and effort. It never has been easier to get an education. Public schools are free for the taking. College costs have been rising steadily relative to family income level for more than a decade. However, the rate of return on a college education has been rising as well, making the investment a good deal. Meanwhile, the cost of self-education has fallen with the multitude of sources of knowledge and information available on CD-ROMs and the Internet.
5、致富的第一條輔助規(guī)則是堅持修完學業(yè)，即使走出了校門也要回去。當然留在學校還不夠，還要(花時間和精力去)學習一些值得學習的知識。歷來受教育都不是件容易的事情。上公立中學免學費（public schools are free for the taking）。十幾年來(for more than a decade)，相對于家庭收入水平而言(relative to family income level)，上大學的費用一直在穩(wěn)步上升(have been rising steadily)。然而，高等教育的回報率也(as well)在上升，這使得投資劃算，成為很好的交易。同時，由于從CD-ROM和互聯(lián)網上可獲取(available)大量的知識和信息，自學的費用已經降低。
6. The second auxiliary rule for becoming rich is to pick your education carefully. Teachers will find getting rich tougher than engineers, given (prep. 考慮到) that the former (前者) can expect to earn half as much over their careers. History and music professors can expect to earn less than accounting professors. For that matter, history and music professors can expect to earn a lot less than their students who major in business.
6、致富的第二條輔助規(guī)則是要精心地選好所受的教育。考慮到(given)在工作期間(over their careers)教師的工薪預期是工程師的二分之一(half as much)，前者致富要更難。教歷史和音樂的教授預期要比會計學教授薪水少。正因為如此（for that matter），歷史和音樂教授預期要比他們的專業(yè)為商業(yè)的學生薪水少得多。
7. The third auxiliary rule for becoming rich is to marry someone with an equal or higher education, and then stay married. By itself, marriage seems to provide a stable institutional setting(環(huán)境；背景) that promotes greater earnings, which affords greater savings. Married couples not only earn more than non-married people, they tend to economize on the costs of running their households, allowing them to save and invest at higher rate. Moreover, the binding legal contracts at the foundation of marriages, which reflect their personal commitments to each other, give the couple an added economic incentive to invest in the joint assets of the union.
7、第三條致富的輔助規(guī)則是與受教育水平和你相等或高于你的人結婚，然后保持婚姻狀態(tài)。婚姻本身(by itself)似乎提供一個穩(wěn)定的處所，穩(wěn)定的處所又能促進掙更多的錢(greater earnings)，從更多的錢中抽得出更多的存款(greater savings)。結婚的夫妻(married couples)不僅比不結婚的(non-married people)掙得多，而且在家庭運轉的支出中，他們往往節(jié)省(economize)，使得他們省下錢來并以更高的回報投資。而且建立婚姻時有約束力的合法契約(the binding legal contracts)表現(xiàn)了他們對彼此的承諾(commitments)，在經濟上給雙方增加了向婚姻共同財產(the joint assets of the union)投資的動力(incentive)。
8. The fourth auxiliary rule is to be able to work and save for a long time. Alcoholics and drug addicts who are not yet rich are unlikely candidates for becoming so. They will be unable to work long and hard enough to earn the requisite incomes, and their careers will be full of instability, if they can even have careers. Most will drink, inject, or smoke up whatever incomes they earn; their suppliers undoubtedly will get rich at the expense of their customers-the addicts.
8、第四條輔助規(guī)則是有能力工作而且長時間積累。還未致富的(who are not yet rich)嗜酒者和吸毒者不太可能變?yōu)楦挥?/span>(be unlikely candidates for becoming so)。他們不能長久地工作而且難以掙回基本的收入，而且即使有職業(yè)他們的工作會不穩(wěn)定。大多數(shù)人(most)會酗酒、注射毒品、或把他們掙來的收入吸毒用盡(drink, inject, or smoke up)。毋庸置疑地是(undoubtedly)，提供給他們毒品的人將以顧客-吸毒成隱者為代價(at the expense of their customers-the addicts)而發(fā)財。
9. From our perspective, becoming rich is really a matter of choice. Opportunity to do so abound. Of course, recognizing that you can choose to become rich does not mean that you should. As we have noted, choosing to become rich requires sacrifices that many people quite rationally have chosen not to make. One can lead a life rich in satisfaction and accomplishment without becoming rich financially, and nothing we have written here is meant to suggest otherwise.
9、在我們看來（perspective n.觀點；想法），致富的確是選擇的問題。機會到處存在。(Oportunity to do so abound)當然意識到可以選擇致富并不意味著應該致富(that you should)。正像我們所見(as we have noted)，選擇致富(choosing to become rich)需要犧牲，很多人非常理智地(quite rationally)不選擇發(fā)財(not to make)。一個人雖然金錢上不富有(without becoming rich financially)，但可以生活得滿意而有成就。本篇所寫的內容無意提相反建議。
