Shakespeare once wrote: "Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend". It's often paraphrased and used as a warming about the dangers of lending, and how you could risk a friendship through it.
If our friend or family member comes to us for hard cash, it can be very difficult to turn them away. You feel under pressure to help. So how can we, as the lender, avoid these complications (纠纷)? According to Bradley T. Klontz, an expert in financial psychology, there are some steps you can take.
Understanding why there is an unavoidable risk to lending anything to a friend is the first thing. This is because, psychologically speaking, the action of lending has changed the balance of power. The lender becomes superior, while the borrower may feel awkward with the new arrangement. Likewise, if you try to advise them on what to do with the money, it might make things difficult between you two.
Saying ‘no' is hard when a friend comes asking, but if you need that money, denying them is probably the safest course of action. If you still feel the need to lend, making a legally binding (具有法律约束力的) agreement and putting things down in writing could guarantee deadlines.
Finally, for some, it's best to just see the money as a gift and be pleasantly surprised if something comes back. And if you do want to preserve your friendship, perhaps a bank is a better option.
A. And if you can't afford to lend something, don't.
B. But why can lending money be so harmful to our friendships?
C. If you do decide you want to lend money, be sure to write up an agreement.
D. And if that money doesn't come back, it can lead to fights or even legal battles.
E. It's not just the risk of losing the money, but the friendship could also be in danger.
F. Even if you're sure that the borrower will pay you back, it's hard to know if you should continue.
G. But, some friends may not like the idea of being asked to make it official-seeing it as a lack of trust.
