Three Wishes

Why Wishing Is No Substitute For Financial Planning

Saly A. Glassman

“Be careful what you wish for.”

We heard this as children, but we did not have the context to contemplate how it could have useful meaning for us. This lesson is about understanding consequences and taking responsibility, which we could easily have dismissed as “adult issues.” After all, didn’t we blow out the candles on our birthday cake and “wish” for something special? No one told us to “be careful,” just as we were savoring our birthday “wishing” moment!

My favorite fairy tale for this lesson is called The Three Wishes. If you’ve never heard the story, it goes like this.

A woodsman and his wife are living in the forest, and they’re down to their very last cent. ...

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