Business Quote by Robert Green Ingersoll
“I have little confidence in any enterprise or business or investment that promises dividends only after the death of the stockholders.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Lecture on Capitalism, 1885
The quote warns against schemes that delay returns until investors die, implying such promises are dubious and exploitative.
In simple terms: Beware of investments that pay only after you die.
Key Takeaway
Avoid delayed‑payout promises.
Themes
finance
ethics
investment
risk
greed
Mood
cautious
skeptical
Type
advisory
warning
When to use this quote
- retirement planning
- estate planning
- venture capital
- insurance
- pension funds
Key Concepts
speculative bubbles
mortality risk
intergenerational wealth
Questions to Reflect On
- Do you trust long‑term payout promises?
- What safeguards can protect against delayed returns?
A Different Perspective
Such promises may hide unsustainable business models or fraud.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)
