Reply #43: You say "NO" to the loan so that you CAN keep your friendship. [View All]

[Rabrrrrrr]

If the friendship ends because you said no, then he was never your friend, and you aren't out anything if he walks away.

But so many things can go wrong with a friendly loan - esp. one of that magnitude - the risk is too high. You might end up resenting it, even if he pays it back; he might get in an accident and never be able to repay it, if he wants to, and that will cause stress; even if he makes payments on time, he's always aware that he is, in a sense, beholden to you, and that can affect the friendship...

Too much potential to go wrong loaning money of that amount.

I'll loan my friends $20 or $50 occasionally, but never into the four or five digits.