This episode of the Kings Hall podcast is brought to you by Backwards Planning Financial,

Alpine Gold, MaxD Trailers, Salt and Strings Butchery, Reformation Heritage Books,

Premier Body Armour, and by our supporters at Patreon.com. Compound interest is the 8th wonder of the world. he who understands it, earns it.

He who doesn't, pays it.

Albert Einstein.

Shoppers and employees alike at the Dummerston, Vermont,

JC Penny took little notice of the man sweeping the floors.

Ronald Reed, the store's janitor, was clothed not in the new clothes offered by the retailer,

but instead was dressed in faded flannel shirts and tattered jeans.

He was merely part of the background.

Ronald, or Ronnie, as he was known, grew up as an impoverished farmer. His childhood home was known. Grew up as an impoverished farmer.

His childhood home was described as extremely tiny.

He would walk, or if he was lucky,

would hitch hike to his high school that was four miles from the farm.

After graduating, Ronnie enlisted in the United States Army and served in World War II.

He was deployed in North Africa, Italy, and the Pacific Theater, where he reached the rank of technician fifth grade.

After the war, Ronnie returned home to Vermont and deployed his skills as a mechanic at a gas station where he pumped gas and

wrenched on cars for the next 25 years. On the surface, Ronnie was a good blue-collar

man. He married a widow with children and supported them well.

He even paid for his stepchildren's college education's. His wife tragically

passed away when he was only 49 years old and he did not remarry.

He retired from the gas station for one year

...