Benefits

So, is claiming government benefits (the dole) good or bad, i.e will it make you richer or poorer?

There's a good show on TV BBC1 weekdays at 9am called Saints and Scroungers. It's all about how certain vulnerable people can benefit from government financial assistance, and about the rogues who cheat the system. It might seem like those who cheat the system are only taking a little bit of money, and that the government steals all of our money through taxes anyway and so deserve to be robbed. This is not a good attitude to have.

Lots of people who get discovered for benefit fraud do so via an anonymous tip off. That means someone who knows the claimant reported them to the authorities.

Name one famous rich person who got there by claiming benefits. There aren't any. Donald Trump would never claim benefits. I accept that sometimes hard times may come upon us, and we may need a handout from the government, but if I fell on hard times and had to collect benefits, I would not allow the situation to continue for very long.

Zig Ziglar, in his "Goals" audio program, told the tale of wild pigs who were lured into a trap by following a trail of free breadcrumbs.He says that being on the dole makes people contented, unmotivated and lazy. There are a lot of people who live a comfortable life on the dole, but the big money, will always elude them.

Being financially free is all about self-dependence, and while I accept that there are many people who definitely need to be on benefits, relying on the government forever, is a bad habit which will not achieve the goals of self-sufficiency and financial independence.