BUSINESS, FINANCE& COMMUNICATION

MindingYour Money Matters

MindingYour Money Matters

“Money is only loaned to a man. He comes into the world with nothing andhe leaves with nothing.”

~ William Durant

As I sit in a hospice room watching myfriend surrender to cancer and enter thefinal days of his slow and painful exit fromlife, I find my mind racing critically overthe years of my own life, challenging all mybeliefs on what really matters in life. Staringat my barely breathing friend I get a hollowfeeling wondering if I had misjudged somethings, in particular the amount of emphasisthat I placed on the importance of moneyin life. Is it possible that money addsnothing to the quality of life? Such adisconcerting truth could color my entirefinancial management career as a sham. DidI miss the boat on how I interpret therelationship between life and money matters?

After all, it was my beliefs about money thathad led me to become a trained anddisciplined advocate for “best practices” inmoney management for corporations andfor individuals. I became passionate thateach and every dollar should be squeezedout to the last drop. Money is never an endin itself but rather an enabler for a betterlife. Money is difficult to accumulate.Making money takes hard work, muchsweat and the sacrifice of time, the scarcestand most valuable resource that we humanspossess. So why would anyone not mindtheir money with the greatest of care and

discipline? Disrespect your money by wastingit and you disrespect yourself. Surely I stillhad this right.

When life is ending and at its most fragilestate, we frequently share regrets or talkabout things that we might do differently asecond time around. My dying friend and Iended my visit with just such aconversation. Here is his list to me of thethings he would have “minded” with morecare if he had his life to live over:

• Diet and exercise• Marital relationship• Family relationships• Friendships• Consumption habits... particularly his cigarettes

• Financial matters

He had been a financially successful businessprofessional who had come into this worldwith nothing and wasleaving it the same way.

n Richard Ziemski, C.A. Management Consultant rickziemski@cogeco.ca www.linkedin.com/in/rickziemski

By Rick ZiemskiBy Rick Ziemski

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