The Soundest Financial Advice

Every day, the news screams out one word, ‘SCAM’. And the list keeps growing. Some scams prompt a cynical lift of the eyebrows (so what’s new?) while others provoke a gasp of incredulity (could anyone be so gullible?). One such is the so-called ‘Citibank scam’. One man was able to get the very wealthy (make that ‘extremely wealthy’) to part with sums running into crores of Rupees in order to fill up his personal kitty. The honey trap? Get richer, even quicker. Greed, one of the deadly sins, was hard at work!

Here is a true personal account that I read some years ago, one which caught my imagination and changed my outlook: A young wife and mother of three was finding it hard going to make ends meet, when her husband lost his job. With one chronically ill child and five mouths to feed, a mortgage to pay off and school fees to be met, her single income was insufficient to cover the costs. The family was in imminent danger of losing their home and the children their education. She prayed desperately for a miracle but none seemed forthcoming. Her parish priest, concerned at her very obvious misery, enquired into her circumstances. He offered her what seemed like a ludicrous piece of advice: give one tenth of what you receive to God. Here was someone who could not make ends meet. Where would she find one-tenth to spare? But the priest was persistent. Even a dollar or just a few cents, but do it. In the meantime, he arranged for school fees to be deferred and used his parish contacts to re-engineer the mortgage so that the installments were made lower and the term longer – a breathing space.

Soon, the husband found a job. It didn’t pay much but they were able to catch up with the bills. The family income grew incrementally. Things were looking up. But the point which carried a punch is best expressed in her own words, “We never became rich in the material sense of the word, but we always had enough. Even more important, we were happily aware that we had enough. We were blessed.”

And she kept her word to give one tenth to God, no matter what.

The custom of tithing is not new but seems to have fallen into disuse – one hates to part with money that can be spent on oneself. On the other hand, like all good habits, once started it gathers in momentum and the results are amazing. God does not renege on the deal, does not divert the dividend or abscond from contact. Here is foolproof ‘investment’ advice, one that no bank relationship managers will ever give. And that is why their clients end up losers.

Try it. It works. I know.

And may you always enjoy enough!