The Barefoot Investor has hit back at claims he was a “right-wing jerk” for advising a landlord with multiple property investments not to feel guilty about her success.
Scott Pape received a letter last week from a woman named Lina, 27, who owns a house in Brisbane, Queensland, and several investment properties.
Lina attributed her success to following Mr Pape’s investment tips, but said her friend did not support her by calling “all landlords and shareholders scum”.
Mr Pape said Lina had no reason to feel guilty about her success and put down her negative friend for behaving like a five-year-old child.
His response sparked a wave of outrage a week later, when self-confessed ‘bitter and twisted Greens’ voter Felicity wrote to him to accuse him of promoting greed.
“We all thought you were a nice guy who cared about people, but you let the Grinch in,” Felicity wrote in a letter published in the newspaper. Barefoot investors column on Sunday.
Scott Pape (pictured) advised multi-investment owner Lina not to feel guilty about her hard work and encouraged her to continue building her wealth despite ridicule from friends
“You told Lina to keep climbing the ladder of success, leaving her friends in the dust, and crushing Greens voters like me on her way up.
“Good job, you right-wing jerk. Your words matter.”
Felicity added that Mr Pape should have encouraged Lina to share her happiness and suggested she could donate to charity.
“The least you could have done was to give Lina an idea of how to share some of her happiness, for example by donating to charity,” she wrote.
“But instead you told her it’s okay to be greedy despite the hardships of others.”
Mr Pape defended his advice and questioned Felicity about her suggestion that Lina donate to charity.
He argued that Lina should not feel guilty for working hard and achieving success, nor should she need to donate money to get rid of her guilt.
“Flick, you sound bitter and twisted: do you really think Lina should feel bad about working hard, saving and getting ahead in life?” Mr. Pape responded.
“And that she should donate some money to wash away the ‘guilt’ of her hard work?
‘There’s absolutely nothing wrong with going crazy and achieving success… as long as you don’t believe you’re self-made.
Lina explained that she felt guilty about owning multi-investment properties during a housing crisis, adding that her friend labeled all landlords as ‘scum’ (stock image)
Mr Pape faced backlash for his comments, with one woman branding him a ‘right-wing jerk’
Mr Pape added that being a good person is much more important than the amount of money they have collected and claimed Felicity was the one who was ‘green with envy’.
“Look, no one should have to apologize for their success,” Mr. Pape wrote.
‘In the end, it’s not about the size of your bank balance, it’s about the fact that you are a kind, considerate and empathetic person.
“And in that sense, I think you’re the problem. You look green with envy!’
Lina explained in her first letter to Mr Pape that she felt guilty about owning multiple investment properties during Australia’s cost of living crisis.
“My best friend says that ‘all landlords and shareholders are scum,’” she wrote.
“I want to build wealth for my family and future children, but I am sad to move forward when others are left behind. Can I please get some advice?’
Mr Pape congratulated Lina on her success and claimed her friend seemed frustrated with her own financial security.
He added that the friend was swearing like a “five-year-old” and advised Lina to be nice but if she continues to find new friends.
“We may all live in the richest country in the world, but there is a growing divide between the ‘haves’ (homeowners) and the ‘have-nots’ (renters) that is sowing deep-seated resentment,” Pape wrote.
“However, calling people names is the way a five-year-old sees the world, and it will lead to her becoming a bitter and distorted Greens voter.
“If this was a playground tiff, I’d tell you not to take it personally and try to be kind to your girlfriend when she’s going through a rough patch.
“But if she continues to use you like a cat uses a scratching post, I’d say it’s time to move on and find new kittens to play with.”
Rental vacancy across Australia was 1.1 per cent in April – up 0.1 per cent (stock image)
The total number of rental vacancies across Australia reached 33,177 properties in April – an increase of 0.1 per cent on the previous month, according to SQM Research.
In the past 30 days to May 12, asking rents in the capital and nationally recorded a softer increase compared to recent periods, with asking rents rising by just 0.5 percent.
The increase represents one of the slower increases in market rents since the national rent crisis began in 2021.
Managing Director of SQM Research Louis Christopher said the rental crisis is far from over, despite vacancy rates falling slightly in April.
“The immediate outlook is that vacancy rates will increase somewhat over the winter,” Christopher said.
‘This is normal seasonality at this time of year, so you have to be a little careful reading these increases.
‘Nevertheless, it could provide some relief to tenants who continue to experience inordinate difficulties in finding longer-term rental properties across the country.
‘The full year outlook remains the same, in that we expect vacancies to be generally tight in 2024, driven by a decline in residential completions relative to continued growth in demand.’