The Fifth Law of Money

You can never really give money away.

The Gift Channel

Money Flows Both Ways

“Looked at over a period of time, money flows in certain channels, like electricity through wires. The wires define the relationship, and the flow is the significant thing to look at. The fifth law of money suggests that by looking at the gift in a larger or longer-term perspective, we will see that it is part of a two-way flow”.

From The Seven Laws of Money
by Michael Phillips and Sally Rasberry

 

Money Implies Relationship

“When we see someone who gives a friend $25.00 and says ‘keep it.’ We call that a ‘gift’ because it is a one-directional flow, or at least it seems to be, in the context of a short period of time. The Fifth Law of Money suggests that by looking at the gift in a larger or longer term of perspective we will see that it is part of a two-way flow.

“Dick Raymond likes the term ‘alliance’ to describe the giving relationship. I think a lot of people can identify with that term. I feel more comfortable with the words ‘loan’ or ‘investment’ to describe the giving relationship. From a casual perspective, the lender gives the money and the borrower just signs a piece of paper. In a real-life giving situation, the piece of paper (loan note) and its contents are implicit in the situation but are not customarily talked about in our culture.”

From The Seven Laws of Money
by Michael Phillips and Sally Rasberry.