My first job after graduating from university was as a credit officer. Looking back, I consider it one of the greatest classrooms I have ever attended. I did not just learn banking procedures or how to calculate interest rates. I learned about people. I discovered that money has a unique way of revealing character. A person's relationship with borrowing and repayment often says more about them than their words ever could.
My work revolved around business loans. I handled almost every stage of the lending process. I onboarded new clients, prepared documentation, conducted business appraisals, processed loan disbursements, followed up on repayments, managed collections, and finally closed loan accounts. It was a complete cycle that exposed me to businesses of every size and people from every walk of life. Every application carried a story, and every repayment history became another lesson in human behavior.
After induction, my first workmate was a gentleman by the name of Nathan. Sharing an office cubicle with him was like attending a daily comedy show. The man had an incredible sense of humor. Every day there was something to laugh about. His jokes made the pressure of loan collections bearable, and his wit could lighten even the most difficult conversations with defaulting customers. Even today, years later, whenever I remember Nathan, I cannot help but smile.
Yet behind his jokes was a man of remarkable wisdom. He had worked with borrowers long enough to understand patterns that many people never notice. One day, during one of our many conversations about difficult clients, he shared a statement that has stayed with me ever since.
He said, "If you see someone with a high appetite for loans and is not good in paying, just tell him to pay off the current loan. Promise him you will give him a higher amount, and once he clears the loan, decline giving him another one."
I laughed loudly when he said it. It sounded both clever and mischievous. At first, it appeared to be nothing more than one of Nathan's endless jokes. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized there was deep financial wisdom hidden inside the humor.
The strategy worked because it appealed to the borrower's desire for more money. A chronic borrower who has no intention of honoring obligations is often motivated by access to bigger loans. The promise of a larger facility encourages them to clear the existing debt. Once your money is safely back in your hands, you are no longer obligated to expose yourself to another cycle of disappointment.
While financial institutions have policies that govern lending, the principle behind Nathan's statement applies to personal life as well.
Many people lose money because they allow emotions to overrule wisdom. Someone borrows from them, fails to repay, and before settling the first debt comes back asking for another loan. Surprisingly, many people agree. They hope that giving more money will somehow solve the problem or strengthen the relationship. Unfortunately, it usually creates a bigger problem.
If a person has demonstrated that they cannot manage a smaller loan responsibly, what evidence suggests they will manage a bigger one? Increasing the amount only increases your exposure to loss.
One of the greatest mistakes we make is confusing kindness with the absence of boundaries. Kindness is a virtue. Wisdom is also a virtue. They must work together. Helping people does not mean abandoning sound judgment. Sometimes the most loving answer is "not yet." Other times it is simply "no."
Money has an interesting characteristic. It amplifies existing habits. Responsible people often become more responsible when entrusted with resources. Irresponsible people often become more irresponsible when given more resources. Lending additional money rarely changes character. It simply gives existing habits a larger stage on which to perform.
As a credit officer, we never evaluated clients based only on their need. Everyone needed money. Business expansion required money. School fees required money. Medical bills required money. Emergencies required money. Need alone was never enough to approve a loan.
We looked at capacity. We examined willingness to pay. We reviewed repayment history. We analyzed cash flow. We considered character. These factors mattered because lending is not merely about giving money. It is about the probability of getting that money back.
Many friendships have ended because people ignored these principles. A friend borrows repeatedly without honoring previous commitments. Instead of addressing the outstanding debt, they request another favor. The lender feels guilty saying no, so they lend again. Eventually both the money and the friendship disappear.
There is a saying that experience is the best teacher, but sometimes it is also the most expensive teacher. Many people have paid school fees through unpaid loans. They have learned that repeated borrowing without repayment is a warning sign that should never be ignored.
This does not mean we should never help people in need. There are moments when compassion calls us to give freely without expecting repayment. In such situations, it is often better to treat the money as a gift rather than a loan. If you know in your heart that repayment is unlikely but you still desire to help, give only what you can comfortably afford to lose. That decision protects both your finances and your peace of mind.
However, if the arrangement is a loan, then repayment matters. A loan is built on trust. Every repayment strengthens trust. Every broken promise weakens it.
One lesson I carried from my days as a credit officer is that past behavior is often the best predictor of future behavior. Although people can certainly change, genuine change is usually demonstrated before new trust is extended, not after.
Nathan's humorous advice reminds me that wisdom sometimes arrives wearing the clothes of laughter. What sounded like a joke turned out to be a practical principle for life. Recover what is already owed before considering another loan. Better still, if someone has consistently shown that they do not respect borrowed money, do not continue financing that habit.
Protecting your resources is not selfishness. It is stewardship. The money you lose carelessly could have helped your family, invested in your business, supported someone genuinely responsible, or fulfilled another meaningful purpose.
Today, whenever someone asks me for another loan while the previous one remains unpaid, I remember Nathan. I laugh first because I remember his delivery. Then I remember the lesson behind the laughter. Some advice makes us smile. Some advice makes us wealthy. The rarest advice does both.
My work revolved around business loans. I handled almost every stage of the lending process. I onboarded new clients, prepared documentation, conducted business appraisals, processed loan disbursements, followed up on repayments, managed collections, and finally closed loan accounts. It was a complete cycle that exposed me to businesses of every size and people from every walk of life. Every application carried a story, and every repayment history became another lesson in human behavior.
After induction, my first workmate was a gentleman by the name of Nathan. Sharing an office cubicle with him was like attending a daily comedy show. The man had an incredible sense of humor. Every day there was something to laugh about. His jokes made the pressure of loan collections bearable, and his wit could lighten even the most difficult conversations with defaulting customers. Even today, years later, whenever I remember Nathan, I cannot help but smile.
Yet behind his jokes was a man of remarkable wisdom. He had worked with borrowers long enough to understand patterns that many people never notice. One day, during one of our many conversations about difficult clients, he shared a statement that has stayed with me ever since.
He said, "If you see someone with a high appetite for loans and is not good in paying, just tell him to pay off the current loan. Promise him you will give him a higher amount, and once he clears the loan, decline giving him another one."
I laughed loudly when he said it. It sounded both clever and mischievous. At first, it appeared to be nothing more than one of Nathan's endless jokes. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized there was deep financial wisdom hidden inside the humor.
The strategy worked because it appealed to the borrower's desire for more money. A chronic borrower who has no intention of honoring obligations is often motivated by access to bigger loans. The promise of a larger facility encourages them to clear the existing debt. Once your money is safely back in your hands, you are no longer obligated to expose yourself to another cycle of disappointment.
While financial institutions have policies that govern lending, the principle behind Nathan's statement applies to personal life as well.
Many people lose money because they allow emotions to overrule wisdom. Someone borrows from them, fails to repay, and before settling the first debt comes back asking for another loan. Surprisingly, many people agree. They hope that giving more money will somehow solve the problem or strengthen the relationship. Unfortunately, it usually creates a bigger problem.
If a person has demonstrated that they cannot manage a smaller loan responsibly, what evidence suggests they will manage a bigger one? Increasing the amount only increases your exposure to loss.
One of the greatest mistakes we make is confusing kindness with the absence of boundaries. Kindness is a virtue. Wisdom is also a virtue. They must work together. Helping people does not mean abandoning sound judgment. Sometimes the most loving answer is "not yet." Other times it is simply "no."
Money has an interesting characteristic. It amplifies existing habits. Responsible people often become more responsible when entrusted with resources. Irresponsible people often become more irresponsible when given more resources. Lending additional money rarely changes character. It simply gives existing habits a larger stage on which to perform.
As a credit officer, we never evaluated clients based only on their need. Everyone needed money. Business expansion required money. School fees required money. Medical bills required money. Emergencies required money. Need alone was never enough to approve a loan.
We looked at capacity. We examined willingness to pay. We reviewed repayment history. We analyzed cash flow. We considered character. These factors mattered because lending is not merely about giving money. It is about the probability of getting that money back.
Many friendships have ended because people ignored these principles. A friend borrows repeatedly without honoring previous commitments. Instead of addressing the outstanding debt, they request another favor. The lender feels guilty saying no, so they lend again. Eventually both the money and the friendship disappear.
There is a saying that experience is the best teacher, but sometimes it is also the most expensive teacher. Many people have paid school fees through unpaid loans. They have learned that repeated borrowing without repayment is a warning sign that should never be ignored.
This does not mean we should never help people in need. There are moments when compassion calls us to give freely without expecting repayment. In such situations, it is often better to treat the money as a gift rather than a loan. If you know in your heart that repayment is unlikely but you still desire to help, give only what you can comfortably afford to lose. That decision protects both your finances and your peace of mind.
However, if the arrangement is a loan, then repayment matters. A loan is built on trust. Every repayment strengthens trust. Every broken promise weakens it.
One lesson I carried from my days as a credit officer is that past behavior is often the best predictor of future behavior. Although people can certainly change, genuine change is usually demonstrated before new trust is extended, not after.
Nathan's humorous advice reminds me that wisdom sometimes arrives wearing the clothes of laughter. What sounded like a joke turned out to be a practical principle for life. Recover what is already owed before considering another loan. Better still, if someone has consistently shown that they do not respect borrowed money, do not continue financing that habit.
Protecting your resources is not selfishness. It is stewardship. The money you lose carelessly could have helped your family, invested in your business, supported someone genuinely responsible, or fulfilled another meaningful purpose.
Today, whenever someone asks me for another loan while the previous one remains unpaid, I remember Nathan. I laugh first because I remember his delivery. Then I remember the lesson behind the laughter. Some advice makes us smile. Some advice makes us wealthy. The rarest advice does both.
