“He liked that you had a house fund and college fund set up. He suggested that we move a onetime payment into those funds from your most recent movie deal,” Dad shared.
“What about the money I get from things like this weekend?” I asked.
“Jack said to put it into your business account, and he’ll talk with Caryn and me, and we’ll decide where it needs to go.”
“I’m thinking I want to replace the Charger,” I admitted.
“In fact, you need to get two cars. The other one would be for Peggy to safely drive your son around.”
“I don’t think I want a minivan, but we might need something bigger that can haul a lot of people.”
Dad smirked at me. I think he was imagining some famous last words had just been said.
“What else did Jack tell you?” I asked, to get back on topic.
“Speaking of cars, he said to lease them. Same goes for boats.”
“What about motorcycles?” I asked and did a little bounce that gave away my excitement.
Dad didn’t take the bait.
“Mass Investments is a full-service wealth management company. Jack asked Caryn to send him over all our current insurance policies. From what he was talking about, we may be underinsured, now that you’re a celebrity.”
I gave Dad an impatient look, which made him smile.
“He suggested some funds that were performing well, and he’d put a portion of your money into a couple of them to diversify your risk. He then suggested that you invest in his company. You’d be a silent partner in Mass Construction and be able to take advantage of their Lincoln Park project. If the numbers he’s projecting are even close to accurate, you’ll do very well,” Dad said.
“What do you think? You saw his home; it’s a model they’re building. The homes are made to look like they’ve been there forever, so they fit in with the neighborhood. How have they done to this point?” I asked.
“Financially, very well. They have a short-term cash-flow problem. Jack said they need your cash to accelerate some projects and help avoid delaying others. Jack will send Caryn contracts people have signed to buy the homes once they’re built to show they have orders in the pipeline.”
“Why didn’t he go to the bank?” I asked.
“He did, but while he waited for their answer, he had to dig into his reserves. On paper, Jack looks cash poor. You know banks, they only want to loan you money if you don’t need it.”
“If he got himself into a bind, why would I invest with him?” I asked.
“Good question. Simple answer is Jack has a solid record. He opened his books to Caryn, and over the long haul, his business has made a lot of money. They had to pull out funds for some other things.”
“What other things?” I asked.
“Bev’s election is the main one. She didn’t expect a challenge but now finds herself in a real dogfight. She has a real problem with a police shooting from two years ago. A young black man with a checkered past had a knife. Add to that a police officer who has a history of excessive-force complaints, at least twenty over the last ten years. During the confrontation, the young black man walked away from the police. The officer shot him, the young man’s body spun around and was then lying on the ground. The police officer then shot him fourteen more times in fifteen seconds, unloading every round in his gun, killing the knife-wielder.
“From the investigation report, which was released in January, the first responder said there was no need to use that level of force. There was a recording where a Taser team was called to deal with the situation. There’ve been bipartisan protests denouncing the young man’s death. They’ve demanded changes in police and judicial procedure as well as the dismissal or resignation of city officials. Bev is one of the ones they want thrown out, even though she had nothing to do with it,” Dad explained.
“It sounds like the perfect storm for something bad to happen: an overaggressive police officer and a kid with a knife. I can understand why people are upset and why they would target the people in charge,” I said and thought for a moment. “Will this blow back on Jack and his business?”
“I’ll have Caryn check into it,” Dad assured me.
◊◊◊
After dinner, I got a call from my grandma.
“I volunteered you for something,” she began.
No one wants to be volunteered and told after the fact. If it had been just about anyone else, I would have had a negative reaction. But my grandma had moved into a farmhouse that was currently under construction and was watching my new farm. I owed her, and I think my response reflected that.
“Anything you want,” I said with forced enthusiasm, which she saw through.
“It’s not really that bad. It’ll give you some life experience,” she offered.
That’s about as appealing as being told you’re going out on a blind date and ‘she has a great personality’—code for ugly or big-boned.
“I didn’t say it was bad. What did I agree to do?” I asked.
