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revisit RISK AND REWARD

What happened to Tererai? Feeling the pull of family much you will earn and save
obligation, Tererai worked to support her family and each month—by this time
care for her husband. Adjusting but not abandoning her five years from now. List
risk-taking, she slowed her progress toward her master’s three wants you can spend
degree but still completed it. After her husband’s death, less on, or stop purchasing entirely, as a start
she began doctoral work on AIDS prevention in Africa. toward that reward.
Tererai checked off the last goal on the worn piece of
What risk may bring reward beyond your world? The
paper when she received her Ph.D. Now enjoying the
more financially secure you become, the more able you
rewards of financial stability and career satisfaction as
will be to put a few of your dollars toward rewarding
a program evaluator for Heifer, she continues to “work
those in need. Go to www.heifer.org and click on Our
for the causes of women and girls in poverty” (as she
Work, then on Our Initiatives. There you will see seven
wrote on the piece of paper that contained her original
areas where Heifer International intends to make a dif-
four goals).
ference. Choose one that you find important and read
What does this mean for you? You don’t have to have about what Heifer is doing. Then, make a commitment
begun your life in poverty in another country or have had to help out: Decide on an amount to give, and decide
five children by your early twenties to feel that you have a when you will be able to spare it, and put the donation
long road ahead to achieve financial stability. Let Tererai date in your planner (consider giving to an alternative
Trent’s story inspire you to take the calculated risks of focus- charitable organization if you prefer). In addition, con-
ing strongly on your needs and living beneath your means. sider contributing in other ways by clicking on the Get
Describe the financial status you want to achieve—how Involved button.

GLOBAL RI SK AND REWARD Precede Technologies, an Israeli firm, takes financial risks on ideas

that it believes will bring both problem-solving and financial
rewards. Pondering the worldwide and growing problem of
energy use and sourcing, Precede teamed up with a physicist to
develop Pythagoras Solar, a way of embedding solar cells in build-
ing windows. An office building with these windows installed
could literally provide its own electrical supply. Pythagoras Solar
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won the GE Ecomagination Challenge in 2011 along with a $100,000
prize, and is making the green building a reality.

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