I recently got into a conversation online under a posting by a friend of mine. She mentioned that God had been telling her husband that they should live a debt free life. My response was that it sounded more like common sense than God.

Their ensued a long conversation ranging from one who thinks God holds all the money and we are all rich if we just ask to those who thought it might not be wise to get rid of their mortgage, even if they could.

It made me think about how people make their decisions. Some need to have the blanket of God verbally draped over everything to give it validity, whether it is going to get a burger or buying a house. Others make their decisions based purely on feelings and needs and desires without regard to the wisdom of the choice. Many more are somewhere in between.

In the end though, common sense delivers. Don’t spend more than you make. Don’t invest in something that seems too good to be true. Don’t believe someone is neutral who has a vested interest, they aren’t. Understand basic principles of finance and money.

Drawing © Marty Coleman

“The secret to prosperity in common life is to be common-place in principle.” – Walter Bagehot, 1826-1877, English businessman and journalist