There’s much we can learn from The Lion King, Disney’s 1994 classic. It’s a tale of redemption, of overcoming all the odds against you, about fighting for peace,…and about how you should never fully trust your brother, especially if they look evil and everything they say is said with a vague threat implied. But there’s something we shouldn’t take from the film, and that is: financial advice. Yes, a whole lot of mess could have been avoided had Mufasa just been a financially responsible parent. Alas.
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Investing in Property
‘Everything the light touches is our kingdom’, and thus implied, all yours Simba. Only, Mufasa didn’t actually invest in the land he was claiming was his; he just assumed it was his. That the zebras and giraffes didn’t put up a fight will not stand in the court of law. He should have acquired a deed to the land, which would have been very profitable. Also, the hyena hideout? We see a rustic getaway away from the heat, right in the heart of safari land. Imagine what that’d go for on AirBnb….
Securing the Family’s Future
For a guy with an obviously evil brother, Mufasa sure was pretty lax about securing the family’s history. Should he have put the time into looking for selectquote insurance? Of course he should. Instead, he was thrown from the edge of a canyon to his death and his family was left with nothing. His son has to spend his entire childhood hanging out with a meerkat and warthog. All because he didn’t have five minutes to spare….
Teaching Simba about Taxes
Mufasa didn’t teach Simba about taxes because…he didn’t have the foresight to think they might be useful! As king, all he had to do was enforce taxes, even a token gesture of taxes, and he might have spared his son his later hardships with the IRS (unreleased Lion King sequel – Simba and the Jury). If kids learn about taxes when they’re young, they can avoid the same fate as Simba. They’re a natural part of life, just like the circle of life they sing about so passionately during the film.
Not Working Hard
Mufasa and his family did have a pretty idyllic life when they were all alive, as did the other animals in the kingdom. But this would have eventually cost them: because it was wildly, recklessly unsustainable. To gain financial freedom, you have to be ready to work hard while you’re in the prime of your life, saving each and every week. Doing the bare minimum needed to survive – like Mufasa – will eventually cause financial difficulties.
One Thing He Got Right
We would be unfair on Mufasa is we didn’t give him credit for the one thing he most definitely got right. By teaching Simba not to have more than this share (in the scene where he explains how everything lives in tandem), he’s telling his son to live within his means, which is what all our children should know!
