"New Money or old money?" He asked the question with the directness only a 15-year-old could get away with. I looked him over uncertain of what he would consider the better answer. His school was peopled with Jamaicans who had known nothing but comfort and privilege, generations of wealth had bonded them, an they did not intend to be insensitive, their naiveté of anything else offends. In this moment I realised that 'old money' was out and 'new money' was the money to have.

I grew up hearing "nouveau riche" uttered with hushed disdain. Bling, BMWs and boisterous behaviour being the tell-tale signs that would divide the new rich from the more understated and refined old money.

My grandfather, who was the son of a mechanic, became wealthy from hard work and prudent investments. His bookcase was littered with books on etiquette, how to be a gentleman, public speaking and jokes. He developed all the skills to guarantee a spot on the 'society' invitation lists, yet, I suspect he was always just a guest.

Excellent bond

Old money still abounds, and when they gather they appear almost to have a bond greater than just a bankbook, they are almost like family. Generations of intermingling have formed a tightly knitted group referring to each other by first name and knowing glances that confirm that they are the same.

Looking on, you can only feel like an outsider. Yet, if I am to be guided by this 15-year-old, the pride associated with old money is to be challenged, if it is old then you didn't make it, you inherited it. The head start you were given in life is to be noted, and more credit is given to those who made it on their own steam.

The definition of an entrepreneur is "one who organises, manages, and assumes the risk of a business or enterprise", yet, if you inherit a business to a large extent, it was your forefathers who took the risk.

Drug money

Looking around, there seems to be very few successful self-made entrepreneurs and, certainly, it seems that what has replaced "new money" is "drug money". The line between the two is very faint as most people quite rightly question the almost obscene overnight wealth of some, wealth that is spent in a way that calls to mind the old adage, "easy come, easy go." Couple that with an obvious disregard for laws, and questionable business acumen and one can understand why the gossip starts.

So why is it that old money continues to flourish, hustlers are making a killing and the drug money is what keeps the economy afloat? Quite simple, our economic regime is set up in a way to sabotage any honest entrepreneurial spirit. Bank loans are only available and affordable to the already wealthy, so starting a business without old money or drug money is near impossible.

Crime

The tax regime is punitive to anyone who would like to expand their business with a full tax on all capital expenditure, despite the fact that you have forked out over half of your earnings all along and will continue to do so if you do manage to expand. If you manage to overcome all of this you have to contend with the crime that will without a doubt affect your business day in and day out.

Being a true entrepreneur in Jamaica is not really an attractive option without the assistance of some old money, drug money or corrupt money. Yet, those who achieve the status certainly do deserve kudos, and to encourage them and pave the way for others like them would certainly be the way forward for our economy. So I would have to agree that the money to have is nice clean new money!