Friday 14 October 2011

Friends, Money and Predators

Today's news that Dr Liam Fox has resigned as Secretary of Defence is possibly not a huge surprise, as they say - a week is a very long time in politics. I'm sure the truth will eventually be revealed and for the time being there is media speculation surrounding the business conduct of Dr Fox and his best man Mr Werritty. I'm not privy to the inside track on this and as far as I understand, most is merely circumstantial supposition at present. The incident raises some interesting questions. How do we work with friends? do we take advantage of them? is this to their detriment? and would a professional relationship have provided a clearer position for all parties?

In the week that a British couple won an astonishing £101m on the lottery and promised to make their friends millionaires, one has to ask if there is a price to friendship. I imagine that the lottery winners may find that their relationships actually worsen rather than improve with the arrival of significant amounts of money. Rapid wealth is difficult to handle wisely, but in truth, most people struggle to some extent in their relationship with money. This is where an impartial financial planner can provide significant advantage, helping to to draw out what is truly of value to you as a person and ensuring that financial planning is built upon your values not your value.

I was also reminded this week of another relationship. The BBC programme "Planet Dinosaur" reminded us of the relationship between large prey and large, rather vicious predators with one living off the other. It also reminded me of the Simon Pegg film "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People" which is based on Toby Young's life story (well part of it) and seems to sum up the week.

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