PlansToProsperity | Mutual Funds, Stock Market, Insurance, Real Estate & Other Investments

The Anna Hazare movement against corruption has taken the country by storm. His stance for drafting a strong Jan Lokpal Bill is supported by young and old and by common men to celebrities. It seems that everybody is fed-up with corruption in the country and has found Anna Hazare as a messiah to get out of it.

I wonder that when everybody is supporting Anna Hazare and his fight against corruption, did anybody took the trouble to take their own little step to become an “Anna” of their personal finance? What I mean is, we also contribute to corruption in the country by lending it a helping hand. If there is not a favorable condition for a disease around, then a disease cannot spread itself. If there is not a fertile ground for raising a crop, a crop cannot be raised. Yes, it is us who provide a fertile ground, a favorable condition, for a disease such as corruption, to thrive.

My aim here is to aware you how we contribute to the corruption ourselves and drain down our own finances as a result. Let’s begin.

• When was the last time you paid an “extra” to a taxi driver to take you home? It has happened to most of us, especially at night or early in the morning and embarking either at the railway station or an airport, when there is not much traffic around. The taxi drivers take advantage of the situation and we find ourselves at their mercy. But do we ever pause to think, that this is a corrupt practice and we are contributing to it?
• There is none among us who have not paid a bribe in our lifetime. We pay bribe everywhere, from traffic police to agents at the hospital and even when getting our kids admitted at school. Isn’t this what corruption is all about?
• Sometimes our friendly insurance agent asks for an “extra”, which he claims as his fee, for getting a mediclaim reimbursement. We give-in to his demands to avoid any hassles. Heck we even ask for a cut from his commission too, especially when taking a new policy. Ain’t we contributing to corruption here?
• Perhaps the biggest corrupt place in the country is the real estate market. We pay “extras” to lawyers, to agents, to political parties, etc., when buying or selling an apartment, land or house. I will not go into the details here, but I am sure you understand what I am talking about.

I have cited a few of the many of our corrupt practices that we undertake in our daily lives. These practices not only are a shameful activity and corruption for our country, but they also mean corruption to our personal finance. We can save so much if we do not practice such corrupt activities ourselves isn’t it? If we are standing in support for Anna Hazare and his anti-corruption movement, let us also resolve to end corruption in our daily lives by not practicing it.

Author: Chandan Seal

Hi! I have interests ranging from computers, gadgets, travelling, movies, music and off-course personal finance. If you enjoyed reading this article, come let's become friends. Connect with me at Facebook, Twitter and Google+. I am sure we can learn a lot from each other.