Too Much Money? (1)

What should a business do with all its profits?

Hi, Uncle Bob.

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. Sandy and I have been really busy.

That's OK, Ben. I figured that meant things were going well.

As a matter of fact, business is booming. And be honest, I'm starting to get a little worried that I might become a victim of my own success.

What do you mean?

Well, the company is flush with money right now. I know that is't important to keep your money actively working for you, but I can't figure out what to do with it fast enough.

What are your options?

To be honest, I don't know. I know the big companies often use extra money to pay dividends.

That's true.

Sometimes they'll even buy back some of their own stock.

But your're not a big company, and you don't have any shareholders.

Exactly. That's why I'm at a loss about what to do.

There are lots of ways that smaller companies handle extra cash.

Give me some examples.

Well, one option is to pay down debt.

We don't really have any. We used our savings to start the company, and we've already recouped our expenses.


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Too Much of A Good Thing

Hi friends, have you ever had the problem that Ben and Sandy are having?
They are making so much money that they don't know what to do with it.

Well, I'm not sure I would call that a problem, Ken.
Having too much money? Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with that.
But this situation reminded me of an expression "too much of a good thing".

Ahh, yes. Too much of a good thing.
That means something pleasant becomes unpleasant because you have too much of it.

This phrase was actually coined by Shakespeare in the seventeenth century when he wrote the play "As You Like It".

Of course we can apply this expression to anything that might be bad for you when you have too much of it.
For example, we all love chocolate, right?
But too much chocolate can actually make you sick.

Perfect example.
So, moderation is key when we have too much of a good thing.
But Steve, I've always thought too much of a good thing is wonderful.

You're not the only one Ken.
"Too much of a good things is wonderful" is a purposefully humorous or irreverent variation of the traditional saying.

So the conventional message is reversed.

That's right.
The original saying is an appeal to moderation.
While the modified saying suggests people should enjoy themselves more and worry less.

Well, maybe on your birthday, you can allow yourself to be spoiled and pampered with whatever you want no matter how much of it there is.

Right, because too much of a good thing can sometimes be wonderful.


Grammar Gym
That's why I'm at a loss about what to do.
at a loss: uncertain
- Tony has never had to deal with such a problem - now he is really at a loss.
- When the patient wasn't getting any better after all the treatments, her doctors were at a loss.


Language Lab
boom v.
if business, trade, or a particular area is booming, it is increasing and being very successful:
- Korea's entertainment business has boomed in the last decade.
- Sales of the new product are booming in Asia.
boom n.
a rapid increase in growth or economic success
- The region is experiencing a boom in tourism.

flush adj.
abundant or plentiful, as money.
flush with
- The oil companies are flush with money due to the increase in oil prices.
if two surfaces are flush, they are at exactly the same level, so that the place where they meet is flat
- The cupboards aren't flush against each other.
flush v.
to become red in the face, for example when you are angry or embarrassed [= blush]

dividend n.
a part of a company's profit that is divided among the people with shares in the company
divide v.
groupings
- The company will pay a dividend of $1.00 for each share.
- This quarter's dividends will increase by 3 percent.

stock n.
[uncountable] the total value of all of a company's shares
- The boss owns 51 percent of the company's stock.
[countable] especially American English a share in a company:
- The company's stocks have fallen continuously for the last three days.


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