"By the way, Mike. Are you sure you want to take control of the family estate now?" After catching up on life, Dennis asked about his biggest worry.
It was over a million dollars in assets. In an era where the average monthly salary was only two or three thousand, it was a colossal sum.
Dennis was genuinely concerned whether a kid who had just turned sixteen could handle that kind of money.
After all, stories of the "poor suddenly becoming rich," squandering their fortune, and ending up destitute were all too common.
Moreover, the proposal to let Mike take control of the assets early as a favor came from the higher-ups at the welfare agency.
If it were up to Dennis as his guardian, he would have preferred to wait two more years until Mike was more mature before handing over the assets.
"I really need that money now for seed capital..." Mike answered firmly.
Hearing Mike's response, Dennis sensed a greater ambition.
This was exactly the situation he feared most...
Mike was now essentially a "trust fund baby." As long as he didn't mess around, he could live comfortably as a wealthy man.
Conversely, if Mike used this money for venture capital or something similar, he could very well lose his entire principal.
Thinking of this scenario, Dennis frowned and was about to try and dissuade him.
"Alright, Dennis. Mike still has an estate back home. And with us watching over him, nothing bad will happen..." Kelly gently nudged her husband.
This gentle wife also understood Mike's intentions.
But she looked further ahead. Mike, owning fixed assets, had the capital to take risks.
The worst-case scenario was simply Mike squandering the liquid inheritance and then returning to be a farmer on his own land.
"Okay, since you want to, I'll take you to the notary office tomorrow to help you claim the inheritance." Dennis wasn't stupid. He looked at Mike and said seriously, "But I still have to remind you, you are still too young. It's best not to spend that money recklessly."
"I understand~" Mike nodded, accepting the concern.
After discussing the inheritance, the dinner table returned to its previous warm atmosphere.
Next, Mike's praise for the delicious food made Kelly, the housewife, smile happily.
The next morning, true to his promise, Dennis took Mike and staff from the welfare agency to the local notary office.
After identity verification, tax payments, and a series of other procedures, Mike successfully received his massive inheritance of over 1.2 million dollars.
In the current United States, assets of over a million dollars were enough for anyone to step into the wealthy class.
For Mike, with this principal of over a million, he was confident that in this era, he could quickly become a multimillionaire, or even more, squeezing into the ranks of capital.
"Mr. Mike, if you need it, the welfare agency can provide you with a financial team at any time to look after this money for you." A staff member from the welfare agency approached Mike after he received the inheritance.
A professional team of financial advisors to manage wealth for the rich was very common in the US.
It was considered a standard method to ensure the interests of the wealthy.
The welfare agency, intending to curry favor with Mike, naturally considered things very comprehensively for him.
"Thanks, but no need. I have my own plans for this money." Mike politely declined the welfare agency's kindness.
"Alright, if you need anything, you can contact us through Dennis at any time." The welfare agency staff didn't insist further.
After expressing their goodwill, they left the notary office first.
"Millionaire, how does it feel now?" Beside him, Dennis, who walked out of the notary office with Mike, asked jokingly.
"Feel? I feel like I smell of money all over..." Mike exaggeratedly spread his arms, making an intoxicated expression.
"Alright, we know you're rich now." Seeing Mike's childish behavior, Dennis smiled and shook his head, then asked, "So, big tycoon, where do you want to visit next?"
Because of Mike's affairs, Dennis had taken two days off from the welfare agency.
Now they still had plenty of time to stroll around town.
"Accompany me to check out the farm." Mike suggested.
As far as he knew, his family's farm wasn't small. Excluding the corners and edges unsuitable for crops, there were about ten hectares of good fields.
Not long after, a pickup truck drove into a small farm on the outskirts.
A neat vineyard came into view.
It was the season for grapes to bear fruit. Bunches of small green grapes on the vines looked very delightful.
"Master Quinn, Mr. Dennis, you're here." A man in his fifties who looked like a steward came up to greet them.
"Uncle Kenya, you look as spirited as ever~" Mike smiled and greeted him.
Kenya was an old hand at the farm, working for the Quinn family since Mike's father's generation.
Moreover, this old man's son and daughter-in-law were also helping out at the Quinn family farm now.
It could be said that this family was considered "one of their own" by the Quinn family, the kind absolutely worth trusting.
"Thanks to the young master's blessings, these old bones are still tough..." Kenya, sporting a neat beard, had a hearty smile.
Afterward, the old man took Mike on a tour around the farm. At the same time, he introduced the recent situation of the farm.
seeing his own farm with his own eyes gave Mike many ideas.
The grapes in this farm were mainly used as raw material for brewing wine.
Harvested once a year.
In Mike's view, this operating model could be improved by changing the crops to create more profit.
For example, changing the low-economic-benefit vineyard to grow more valuable cotton.
In between, crops like fennel and corn could be interplanted.
Even if they continued to grow grapes, they could refine the grade of the wine during the brewing process.
Starting from quality and storytelling, create a unique wine brand.
With the brand effect, surrounding land could be acquired.
Developing according to this model, if successful, could definitely create a major farm owner.
It was just a pity that Mike had no intention of staying at the farm to grow it bigger and stronger.
After all, the development prospects in the stock market were currently better than the farm economy.
As for Mike's ideas for farm development, he could mention them to Kenya later.
Kenya had received news early on that Mike was coming back.
Therefore, after leading Mike around the vineyard, he took everyone to the manor inside the farm and brought out last year's ledger.
"Uncle Kenya, go ahead with your work. I'll call you if I need anything." Mike said with a smile as he took the ledger.
After Kenya left, Mike briefly flipped through the ledger. After confirming there were no major issues, he didn't look further.
"Dennis, I want to give you some shares of the farm. How about twenty percent?" Putting down the ledger, Mike stated his idea.
This was also his way of giving back to Dennis's family for taking care of him.
Actually, Dennis and his wife's work at the welfare agency was more of a charitable nature, so their wages weren't very high.
Comparing horizontally, Dennis and his wife's income was much worse than the Cooper family's.
The only difference was that Dennis's family had no children, so the financial pressure wasn't that big yet.
But having no children now didn't mean they wouldn't in the future.
Rather than waiting for Dennis's family to be financially strapped after having children, it was better to bind him to the farm.
Give him a legitimate reason to look after the farm, while also increasing the family income.
"No, this farm is what your parents left you. I can't interfere." Hearing Mike's proposal, Dennis refused without thinking.
"To be honest, Uncle Dennis. I probably won't come back here often in the future. The farm needs someone I trust to help manage it..." After explaining his reasons, Mike continued, "The twenty percent shares are my compensation to you. If you don't feel comfortable taking it, you can also set aside a part to donate to the welfare agency to help improve the lives of the children there."
Twenty percent of the shares would be at most twenty thousand dollars a year. Mike felt it was very worthwhile to use this money to maintain the relationship between Dennis and the welfare agency.