One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:24-25
This is the final principle in my series on Proverbs Guide to Finance. Check them out if you missed any.
Generosity is one of the most important parts of personal finance in my opinion. If you aren’t helping others it just isn’t as meaningful. I truly believe it is better to give than receive. Sure I like getting stuff, but some of my best memories of gifts are from the ones that I have given. Being generous is really the end goal of financial independence for me.
A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. – Proverbs 22:9
We have a duty to take care of those less fortunate than ourselves. The widows, the orphans, wives of military men. This doesn’t mean I think we should turn to socialism. The government isn’t nearly as efficient at taking care of the needy as the private sector is. Non-profits like Nashville Rescue Mission do a far better job of helping people than our government does.
Unfortunately we don’t do as good a job of taking care of people as we should. If we did there would be much less need for the government to try to take over like they have been.
Whether or not you believe in tithing, giving to those less fortunate than you in some fashion needs to be a part of your personal finance planning. The blessings are real, and you generally feel better than the person receiving the aid.
Free Money Finance had a great piece today on creative giving. Thanks to FMF for featuring a comment of mine. I think creative giving can be a lot of fun, you never know what kind of day a person is having, and paying for their meal in the drive-thru could really brighten their day. Who knows, maybe even change their life, showing them that some people still care.
Let me know what you think about creative giving and being generous in the comments. If you have a story of how you’ve given creatively in the past please share it. I can always use more good ideas. If we get enough responses I may turn them into a post.
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