This won’t be funny. And this is no Weaky. This is about an unstable man that couldn’t handle the economic turmoil, despite being well off.
Karthik Rajaram was a 45 year old man that had done well for himself, with the exception being the most recent months. By all accounts this guy had many things going for him. He has an MBA from UCLA, one of the top schools for the degree in the country. He once made $1.2 million in a venture deal out of London and sold his house in Los Angeles at the top of the bubble, for a good profit. His wife was a pharmacist, another career that tends to pay better than average. They had 3 sons, the oldest working on his bachelor’s degree in business at the before-mentioned UCLA.
Though their new home was very large, they had rented it for the past few years. This perhaps helped them avoid the downfall of real estate in California. For whatever reason though, it wasn’t enough. Karthik had a history of “being passionate” so to speak and it looks to have gotten him laid off a few times. It looks like he lost most of the money he’d made in the stock market, and was facing some economic fall-out.
Karthik decided suicide was the best way out. It wasn’t enough to kill himself though, it wasn’t even enough to kill himself and his wife. No he killed himself, his wife, his three children aged 19, 12, and 7, and also his mother-in-law. All shot to death in various rooms in their home. There is no honor in killing yourself, but if you must, have the dignity to spare others from your insanity.
As I pointed out before, these people could easily have survived. Yes the expensive rental is over and you have to ditch the $40,000 SUVs, but they were young and educated. Declare bankruptcy, move to a cheaper area of town, and get new jobs. The mom was a pharmacist, even a Wal-Mart pharmacist will make $80,000+ a year. The average salary of a UCLA MBA is more than $100,000, I think they could start over and be fine.
I could do my normal speculation about materialism and bad investing, but that just isn’t right and won’t honor the memory of the innocent lives this man took. You and I won’t agree on everything, you might only read my sight because you downright hate me. But please understand that while I’m fascinated with money, I do not let it control my life. There are so many things to enjoy in life that don’t cost a dime. I know that no matter how bad things get, my family and my loving Sheconomist (that’s my girlfriend) will always be there. Rich and poor, money isn’t everything. Please take today to enjoy the aspects of your life that have nothing to do with money.
 By The Weakonomist |
The Weakonomist is the founder of Weakonomics. Clicking the picture of the puppy will tell you more about him. If you like what you're reading consider subscribing to the blog, following him on Twitter, and checking out the related posts below. Please consider a donation if you really enjoy Weakonomics. Also keep in mind that nothing I say can be construed as financial advice. |
