Working Ethically in Finance : Clarifying Our Vocation

To develop a vocation we ask: what do I want to be remembered for? It involves aspiring to personal integrity and a life well lived. Those of us working in the financial sector fulfill our vocations by finding ways to serve its social purposes, which is to allocate resources efficiently and to provide financial security—not forgetting the needy. This means contributing to institutions, where people can flourish personally, and create appropriate products and services. The ethics of those working on finding their vocation do not flow from rules and obligations, but from a personal commitment to seeking what is good. This life is based on the fundamental personal virtue, integrity. The book is written for those who aspire to the cultivation of the virtues of wisdom, self-control, and courage—to develop ourselves and protect ourselves from the intrusion of others —and justice, the social virtue that underlies flourishing communities based on mutual respect.