When you have a foundation of good moral objectives, clear moral fundamentals, then your business sense of how, when, where, why and the “what” of doing the right thing for your clients falls easily into place.
A good moral compass guides you everyday in how you conduct yourself personally and professionally. In the area of finance—whether it’s mortgage financing, accounting, stock investing, or any other financial endeavor one might undertake—that compass needs it’s own financial indicators, or “points” of North, South, East and West.
I’m proud of the way I work with my clients. I strive to find the best path towards the best loan approval for them. My advice to my clients is always seasoned with that moral sensibility so that I can objectively guide them through one of the most difficult processes of their lives, that of buying a home.
These same clients often rely on me for guidance in other areas of finance and the finances of homeownership. I use my financial “moral” compass to steer them on the correct passage, too. When I know how to advise based on my personal or professional experience, I use that to help them. When I don’t know the proper counsel, I direct my clients to professionals who know better than I, such as attorneys and accountants.
Ben Stein is not only one of my heroes, I consider him to be one of the “points” on my personal financial “moral” compass. Ben gives great advice; his observations on all things financial are clearly rooted in a strength of character that only comes from having a powerful moral direction to do the right thing.
In this week’s NYTimes.com’s “Your Money” section, Ben quotes Martin Luther King in an article about backdated stock options.
Ben’s quote of MLK: “Somewhere somebody must have a little sense, and that’s the strong person.”
While you may have no interest in stock options, or insider trading or the quirks of the S.E.C.’s dealings with corporate America, you will definitely discover in Ben Stein’s writing a compelling moral message.
I count on just such messages from Ben to help define how I conduct my business, advise and work for my clients. I recommend reading this article and more of Ben’s work: it will help you, too, with your own financial moral compass.