Canadian Personal Finance Blog

It’s easy to think of Charity only in monetary terms, because that is how many of us think of what charity is, giving of our monetary wealth.

I was cleaning up a few broken links when I came across a posting I did about Christmas and what Christmas Giving means, which featured a broken link to the Shepherds of Good Hope (a local mission in Ottawa), so I fixed the link, but I also had a look at the web site and what they need help with.

The Shepherds’ do want monetary donations, no doubt, and they make it relatively easy to do that (using a clearing house for charitable organizations, which allows them to them take credit card donations). They also are looking for clothing, bed linens and that sort of thing, but they are also looking for volunteers to help them out. 

This one is a hard one, it is very far out of my “comfort zone” to volunteer for this kind of community service, but given the amount of spare time I have, I am thinking that it might be a better use of my time than sitting and worrying about finding a new job. We shall see.

What is charity to you?

Proverbs 21:5  The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit,
    but anyone who is reckless only becomes poor.

That works for me as a Sunday thought, and I like it. Financial Planning is something that needs diligence and your undivided attention, and if you are reckless in your planning you will most likely be poorer for your lack of diligence.

I have been guilty of acting quickly or without enough information and every time it has cost me money. If you are doing something that you are not sure you should be doing, when it comes to your finances at least, most of the time, you shouldn’t be doing it.

Do the diligence, make the plan and stick to it.

“The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”  -Proverbs 22:7

My that is a very topical quote for a Personal Finance Blog isn’t it?

The bible says that the Rich rule over the poor, that is your thought for Labor Day, since the rich do as they please and the poor work for their lives (OK, trite and over simplification, but still pretty true). I’m sure the bible is not speaking solely on a Financial angle, but this is something to keep in mind.

The borrower is the servant to the lender is very correct. If you are in debt to someone or an institution, they call the shots, and you have no control of the situation (or very little). The only way to get back control if you are a debtor is by paying off the debt, and then you are free.

Tired of me bludgeoning you with Bible quotes on debt? How about this one then?

From Shakespeare’s Hamlet, 1603:

LORD POLONIUS:
Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend…

In life, in the bible and in literature, debt is a bad thing.