In recent years, new year’s resolutions have become quite unpopular. It is not without reason, research shows that only about 19% of people stick to their new year resolutions. We abandon our resolutions by the end of the first quarter of the year, at best. Unfortunately, this unpopularity has also caused many people to throw out the baby and the bathwater – this year I…
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In the last week, social media was filled with commentary about kids who were born in 1991 turning 30 this year. On one hand there was schadenfreude from the older ones “you thought you’d never grow old, see your life now”, and on the other hand, anxiety about the 30s. This tweet captured the economic anxiety many who turn 30 are feeling, especially this COVID…
Read MoreThis is the first of a couple of posts I am writing for the next two weeks as useful reading for this period. Last week, I wrote a long, but great post about setting yourself up for success where money is concerned. You may read it here. Onto the post I am not a fan of willpower. Much has been written about how willpower often…
Read MoreAs I write this post, we are 21 days away from the start of the new year. Whether you are for, or strongly against new year resolutions, psychologists make a good case for fresh starts, and the new year is one of “temporal landmarks” that we can use to improve our lives. I also bet that whether you believe in resolutions or not, with the…
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There is a version of hide-and-seek that little children play, where instead of hiding from you, they shut their eyes tightly, then cover them with their hands thinking that since they can not see you, you also cannot see them. Sometimes as adults we play this game too, especially where the taxman is concerned. We hope that since we do not want to deal with…
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As we come to the end of the year and the #52WeekChallenge 2019 edition, this series of posts is supposed to trigger us to reflect a bit more deeply than usual as we make our 2020 money goals. In this Parental Support series of posts, we are discussing how to handle the fact that many working-age children are expected to support their parents financially, in one way…
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As we come to the end of the year and the #52WeekChallenge 2019 edition, this series of posts is supposed to trigger us to reflect a bit more deeply than usual as we make our 2020 money goals. This is the second post in our series discussing how to balance parental expectations in regards to financial support, with our money goals. In the first post,…
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In many African families, children are expected to support their parents financially. This support can be for the essentials such as school fees for younger siblings, or even the luxuries such as holidays. This series of posts looks at four different forms of support parents expect from their children and offers advice on how to navigate parental support without compromising your financial future. As we…
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How are your 2019 money goals so far? We are in Week 48 of the #52WeekChallenge guys, just four weeks to go! It might be too late to start from scratch, but how about you join me in a sprint to the end of the year? Insulate your December pay from enjoyment by saving up starting today. Read more here. These days, it is very…
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Group savings, or “Merry Go Round” as they are more commonly called in Kenya are as old as the country’s history. Our mothers and grandmothers used their Merry Go Rounds (MGRs) to furnish houses, buy crockery and visit each other during times of need. Their MGR buddies are their closes friends even today in their old age. The basic idea behind an MGR is that…
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