The Rules of Wealth, 4th Edition

RULE 100

Know when/how to say no – and yes

Now you’ve made some money there will be those who see you as:

• a target – easy pickings
• owing them something – after all, they have known you for years...
• worth taking a chance on – you never know
• a genuine source of low-interest loan or free gifts – and so much easier than preparing a proper business plan and going to the bank.

I’m not saying you will always get the outstretched hand. In fact some requests will be cloaked in the most attractive brochures of potential investments. So how do you know when to say yes and when to say no? And how to say either?

Saying no to friends and family is easy, in a sense. Right from day one you make it a policy – and a very easily identifiable one – not to lend ...