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No Retirement Regret
No Retirement Regret
Grandma Ibadan, as Mrs. Abiodun Coker was popularly called, was a very loving and generous woman who spent her retirement years giving and spreading joy to anyone and everyone who met her.
Mrs. Abiodun was known as a lady who lived life to the fullest. She hosted monthly parties for children on the street and the widowed. She saw these as an opportunity for her and the other ladies to be a source of comfort to each other. The women also found a level of fulfilment from hosting the kids on the streets.
During one of such parties, Grandma Ibadan noticed one of the widows looking sad despite all the joy that filled the room. “A penny for your thought,” she said, as she bumped into her slightly from behind. “Ah, Grandma. Good afternoon ma Mrs. Tunji replied, slightly startled.
“Good afternoon, my dear. How are you? You look so lost, what is the matter?”
Mrs. Tunji sighed deeply, “Grandma, I’m not happy. I have so much in my life to be grateful for. I enjoy coming over for these parties but, it also gets me thinking about my life. Mama, I was a successful young woman. I had cars and I could go on trips whenever I wanted. I lived the life but look at me now. I can barely afford the day-to-day running of my life. I even had to sell off the last of my cars last week just to stay afloat”, Mrs. Tunji said.
“Walk with me to the garden, let’s talk,” Mrs. Abiodun said.
“Mrs. Tunji, I’m going to ask a few uncomfortable questions and then share a bit about myself with you. I hope that’s okay?”.
“Yes, ma. It’s fine.”
In all your days as working-class lady, did you consider and prepare for retirement and old age? Did you have a pensions account or even a savings targeted towards your old age?
Mrs. Tunji, looking down at her feet with shame, “No ma, I didn’t.”
“Look at me, my dear. While I do not applaud you for your decisions, I do not judge you either. It is very easy to get carried away when we are young, we forget that we cannot be young forever. Let me tell you a bit of myself.
“Just like you, I lived quite the life. I travelled around the world on vacations and bought properties for myself. You know I like beautiful houses, but if there was also something I loved to do even more, and it was saving. So, while my employer opened and funded an RSA account for me, I saved quite a lot by myself.”
“Hmm, grandma, how did I not know to save like this? I had a pensions account but what I get paid monthly is barely enough to my needs. I did put some money aside from time-to-time, but I always ended up spending it when I wanted to take a trip or throw myself a big birthday party. I wish I had done better. I look at my son now and I worry about his future. He spends a lot of his money clubbing and buying the latest power bike. I know he has a pension account, but I fear it might not suffice in taking care of him late in retirement.”
“I think you should talk to your son about planning for retirement. I hear that you can make additional voluntary contribution to your RSA these days. I also heard ARM Pension has a Retirement Lifestyle Planner that helps you plan and prepare for your retirement according to your lifestyle”, Mrs. Tunji concluded.
“Grandma, thank you for this talk. I will in turn have a talk with my son about this. This has been such a productive conversation. Thanks again, Grandma.”
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Our Retirement Lifestyle Planner enables you to Walk Into Tomorrow, today to plan out your dream retirement. On this easy-to-use portal, you get a holistic view of how your retirement lifestyle would be and how much you’d need at every point in your retirement. This helps you to total up the magic number you need to save to get the retirement you desire.
Click here to Walk Into Tomorrow and plan your dream retirement now.
The post No Retirement Regret appeared first on Realising Ambitions.
Benita’s Corner (Episode 3): It’s Nosa again!
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Duplicated: 3 Smart Ways to
Imagine the smile on the face of your child, looking directly at you, and wearing that beautiful school graduation gown- That look is priceless! One of the ultimate goals of most parents is to give their children/wards the best of education. The best education to an extent adds the icing on the cake to the parenting career. Sadly factors such as rising school fees, inflation, and general economic situation of a country always pose as obstacles to this great plan that parents have for their children.
Despite these factors, it is still possible to give your children the best education if well planned. We have listed 3 smarts ways every parent can plan for their children’s education, to guarantee them seeing their children in the beautiful graduation gown.
Start early
Planning for your child’s education is a long-term financial goal. The best time to start planning for your child’s future needs is when he or she is born. Assuming your chi
Continue reading5 Habits of Highly Successful Investors
James Clear, author of the popular book Atomic Habits, put it best when he said:
“You are the outcome of your habits.”
It makes sense, right?
The habits you practice on a daily basis define who you are, which is why as an investor you want to make sure you are intentional about your habits.
Implementing the right habits can often be the difference between having a high net worth and losing everything overnight.
So, what makes for successful investing habits?
Here are five habits we believe differentiate the good investors from the great.
Let’s dive in.
1. Save and invest regularly
This is a foundational habit that every investor should be practicing: slow and steady wins the race.
Not many of us receive an unexpected inheritance or a big bonus to start investing with. Most of us have a monthly income along with our expenses and commitments.
That means that saving and investing needs to be part of your monthly budget. It needs to be regular and it needs to be a habit. How much? It depends on your goals, but investment experts recommend saving at least 10% of your monthly income. If you save and invest regularly, your investments will grow steadily over time.
Successful investors prefer saving and investing every month, rather than investing whenever they feel like it or when the market timing is right. Why? Because they are strategic bout how they invest. It’s not gambling.
2. Diversify your assets
Diversifying your investments is what allows you to minimise risk while increasing your overall return. It allows your portfolio to remain stable during a market downturn, or for your portfolio to grow even faster during a bull market.
The best investors don’t put all their eggs in one basket, which means they don’t put all their money in one asset or in one company. With diversification, you get a better balance between your risks and returns, and that helps you outperform those who don’t.
The best investors invest in both the stock market as well as alternative investments
3. Know who you are
The best investors know themselves.
Understanding your emotions and how you react to different market trends is a core investing habit. If you are someone who gets anxious when the stock market goes down, then it’s best not to invest in volatile assets. If you’re an investor who prefers managing your own portfolio, then you want to pick a strategy that allows you to be in control.
The funny thing is this:
You really won’t know what you’re most comfortable with until you do some experimenting.
That’s why it’s worth dipping your toes into various types of investments first. Once you do know what works best for you, you then want to create a plan and stick to it. This could be creating a specific asset allocation that fits your goals and needs, and setting a fixed monthly investing budget.
The best investors know how they react to market trends and set up a plan and strategy to fit their personality.
4. Invest long term
The most successful investors are in it for the long run.
That’s because they know that time in the market beats timing of the market.
So, if you want to make the most of your investments, you want to be maximising the use of compound interest. The first 5 years of investing won’t add a lot to your portfolio: but the last 3 years of a 30 year investing career will. That’s where the difference is.
The best investors are disciplined and stick to their plan – looking at the long term. Often, having a big goal such as FIRE or a college fund can help encourage long-term investing.
5. Set and forget
Unless picking stocks is your passion, most people want to set and forget their investments.
They don’t want to check the news every day, learn what a P/E ratio is and rebalance their portfolios every week. Most investors treat investing as an engine to grow their net worth and make more money, not as a leisurely pastime.
That’s why the most successful investors prefer investment strategies and assets that are low maintenance.
Would you like to explore the opportunities in the stock market? Visit ARMStocktrade now to sign up and start trading at your convenience
3 Smart Ways to Give Your Child/Ward The Best Education
Imagine the smile on the face of your child, looking directly at you, and wearing that beautiful school graduation gown- That look is priceless! One of the ultimate goals of most parents is to give their children/wards the best of education. The best education to an extent adds the icing on the cake to the parenting career. Sadly factors such as rising school fees, inflation, and general economic situation of a country always pose as obstacles to this great plan that parents have for their children.
Despite these factors, it is still possible to give your children the best education if well planned. We have listed 3 smarts ways every parent can plan for their children’s education, to guarantee them seeing their children in the beautiful graduation gown.
Start early
Planning for your child’s education is a long-term financial goal. The best time to start planning for your child’s future needs is when he or she is born. Assuming your chi
Continue reading3 Smart Ways to Give Your Child/Ward The Best Education
3 Smart Ways to Give Your Child/Ward The Best Education
Imagine the smile on the face of your child, looking directly at you, and wearing that beautiful school graduation gown- That look is priceless! One of the ultimate goals of most parents is to give their children/wards the best of education. The best education to an extent adds the icing on the cake to the parenting career. Sadly factors such as rising school fees, inflation, and general economic situation of a country always pose as obstacles to this great plan that parents have for their children.
Despite these factors, it is still possible to give your children the best education if well planned. We have listed 3 smarts ways every parent can plan for their children’s education, to guarantee them seeing their children in the beautiful graduation gown.
Start early
Planning for your child’s education is a long-term financial goal. The best time to start planning for your child’s future needs is when he or she is born. Assuming your child will go to the University at the age of 18, you will have nearly two decades to create the right-sized fund for your child’s need. The effect of compounded growth will allow you to achieve this goal with small, monthly contributions.
Diligently choose the right school
Children will mostly likely spend more time in school than at home, parents should be diligent when choosing a school for their children/ward.
The type of school a child/ward goes will have a great impact in the life of the child/ward. Before you settle for a school, you should consider the vision, mission and culture of the school to see if it they align with what you want for your child. You also need to fact check from people associated with that school, such as parents who already have their children enrolled in that school to hear what they have to say about the school
Set up an EduTrust
An edutrust is a legal agreement where money is put aside for the sole purpose of educating the children, irrespective of whatever, untold events the future holds. It is aimed at assisting parents and guardians in securing uninterrupted education for their child(ren) or ward(s).
As a parent, this trust enables you to provide for the education of named beneficiaries. The standard, level of education is determined by you, subject to adequacy of funds in the Trust account. The Trust can comprise of a lifestyle component to provide for other needs of beneficiaries such as vacations, excursions, school trips etc.
We will love to celebrate you and your kids as they graduate from their dream schools. Get started on making that graduation smile a reality today by setting up an education trust for your child here
The post 3 Smart Ways to Give Your Child/Ward The Best Education appeared first on Realising Ambitions.
Benita’s Corner (Episode 2): Rachel’s transformation
Holla peeps! I hope you didn’t miss me too much.
Without further ado, I’ll just get back to the gist I was narrating the last time we met. Yes, Rachel… <Read Episode one>
How did this reunion even happen? I went to an eatery for lunch with some guys from the office and while we ate, Jeff from Procurement who thinks he’s handsome (he’s really just there) lets out a slow whistle. We all followed his gaze and it landed on this bombshell of a woman who was fueling her car beside the eatery.
Folks, let me not even lie, she oozed class and money. What?! She was standing near her car, a sleek Mercedes Benz. As someone who loved fashion, I could tell that she was wearing designers from head to toe. Her dark skin shone, and her long legs were framed by these wicked Louboutin heels. I was drooling.
Continue reading
Benita’s Corner (Episode 2): Rachel’s transformation
Benita’s Corner (Episode 2): Rachel’s transformation
Holla peeps! I hope you didn’t miss me too much.
Without further ado, I’ll just get back to the gist I was narrating the last time we met. Yes, Rachel… <Read Episode one>
How did this reunion even happen? I went to an eatery for lunch with some guys from the office and while we ate, Jeff from Procurement who thinks he’s handsome (he’s really just there) lets out a slow whistle. We all followed his gaze and it landed on this bombshell of a woman who was fueling her car beside the eatery.
Folks, let me not even lie, she oozed class and money. What?! She was standing near her car, a sleek Mercedes Benz. As someone who loved fashion, I could tell that she was wearing designers from head to toe. Her dark skin shone, and her long legs were framed by these wicked Louboutin heels. I was drooling.
When she turned towards the eatery we were in, I almost choked on the dodo I was chewing. That can’t be!
I immediately stood up and ran to the door. I’m sure my colleagues would have thought me crazy in that instant, but that was the least of my worries.
I ran to this beautiful ebony figure and threw my arms around her. In shock, she turned, and her face lit up in recognition. “Benita!” she screamed and hugged me right back. This was my paddy, Rachel. The same one I used to drink garri with in Uni when sapa would hold us. The same one that stayed up at night with me, weaving dreams of the life we would have years after graduation. This same Rachel was distraught with frustration when three years after I had started working, she was still job searching.
Yes, the same Rachel!
“Rachel, it’s been a long time. Na only for WhatsApp we dey chat these days and that one sef is once once. Are you now in Lagos?” I quizzed.
She laughed out loud and responded “There’s so much to talk about but not here my friend. In response to your last question, yes, I’m now in Lagos. You look great though B, why don’t we meet up to catch up on good times babe? If Saturday looks good for you, we can meet at my place.” I agreed happily while thinking in my mind “See Banana Island telling Ikorodu it looks good.” She gave me her address and I held on to it for dear life.
After one last hug and a few air kisses, she stepped into that gorgeous car and drove off into Lagos traffic. I just stood there dazed and confused.
“Break time is over madam, let’s get going,” Jeff said as his voice brought me back to reality. I forgot that I had eaten my lunch only halfway and just sauntered back to the office with the guys, my mind focused on Rachel.
How on earth did regular Rachel become classy rich Rachel, I wondered.
Saturday must come fast because Rachel gats cut this her soap for me…
To be continued…
The post Benita’s Corner (Episode 2): Rachel’s transformation appeared first on Realising Ambitions.