When an opportunity presents itself to make a lot of money, our natural inclination is to take advantage of the situation and profit as much as possible before the well dries up. This makes intuitive sense, because you want to capitalize on the high times so that you can better survive the low times. This is especially true for freelance writers and other home-based business owners where a stable income may be luxury.

Even so, it may not be in your best interest to capitalize and take advantage of every opportunity that you encounter, because this kind of philosophy could ultimately lead to your downfall. The current recession is largely due to the credit crisis where many major banks started offering subprime mortgages to people who may not have been able to afford the payments. This led to many of the financial struggles that we face now and this is why those major banks are seeking bailout money from the government.

Its name escapes me at the moment (if you know, leave a comment below), but there was at least one bank in the United States that did not take advantage of the subprime mortgage situation. While other banks were enjoying increased profits by offering subprime mortgages and partaking in other related activities, this bank held off and stuck to its traditional model of money-lending.

Borrowers had to go through an incredibly stringent approval process, so underqualified individuals could not get a loan. As a result, this bank does not need any bailout money and it is, by far, the “healthiest” bank in the United States today.

The next time you encounter a potentially lucrative business opportunity, ask yourself if this strategy is still inline with your core ethical values and whether it may lead to major headaches down the road.