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Best advice: How my father saved me from debt

June 17, 2019 14:17 IST

We'd asked you, dear readers to share your father's best advice.
Dr Bharat Shah, 64 from Harrow, London writes about the greatest lesson he learned from his late father Manubhai Shah.

What I learned from my father

Image published for representational purposes only. Photograph: Nisha A/Flickr/Creative Commons

My father was brought up in a middle class family where financial resources were scarce.

As a result, he was a firm believer of living within your means.

He was against overspending and did not believe in any kind of showing off.

He was also opposed to the idea of borrowing or taking a loan.

When I proposed to buy our first family car using a bank loan, he disapproved the idea.

He felt it was an extravagance and not a necessity.

He would always insist that I should save for the future to avoid falling in the debt trap.

It's been 20 years since my father left us. He was 68 when he passed away.

Today, I am a father to two sons and I still try to be thrifty while living with austerity.

I am leading a stress-free life devoid of any loan as I have learnt the best life lesson from him.

I sincerely regret that I do not have a photograph with him to share with you.


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What is the best piece of advice your father ever gave you?

It could be an inspiring quote, a life lesson or an incident from his own life.

Share your father's best advice with us.

Write to getahead@rediff.com (subject: Dad's Best Advice) along with your NAME, AGE, LOCATION and a photograph of your father and you.

We'll publish the best responses right here on Rediff.com.