Investing Strategies

When Peter’s business started making more money, the first thing that changed was not his investment portfolio. It was his lifestyle. He moved into a more expensive house, upgraded his car and became more comfortable spending on restaurants, holidays and other things he had previously considered luxuries. From the outside, it looked like success. A…

“Can I really buy shares with KSh 5,000?” Mary asked the question while having tea with her cousin in Nairobi. She had heard people talking about shares, dividends and the NSE, but the whole thing sounded like something meant for people with serious money. Her cousin laughed. “You think you need a million bob to…

When the money finally starts accumulating By the time Peter looked at his M-Pesa balance that Friday evening, he had KSh 180,000 sitting there. It was not money he had received overnight. For almost two years, he had been putting something aside whenever his salary came in. Some months it was KSh 5,000. Other months,…

The Plot Was Almost His “I have found the place.” That was the message Daniel sent to his wife one Saturday afternoon. He had spent months looking for land. The plot was outside Nairobi, in an area where new houses were coming up and roads were slowly improving. The seller wanted KSh 1.8 million. Daniel…

When James received his first serious bonus at work, he already knew what he wanted to do with the money. At least, he thought he did. For years, he had watched land prices rise around him. A friend had recently bought shares. His SACCO had been encouraging members to increase their savings. Then there were…

The Money Was Sitting There, But It Wasn’t Doing Much The money had been sitting in the account for almost six months. It was not a huge fortune. It was KSh 450,000 that James had accumulated after years of saving, a good bonus at work and a payment from a side business. He had resisted…

The KSh 5,000 Question “Should I invest this, or is it too little?” That was the question Kevin asked after receiving KSh 5,000 that he had not expected. It was not a huge amount of money. It would not buy land. It would not build a house. It would barely make a difference to the…

The KSh 500,000 That Had Been Sitting in Mary’s Account For almost six years, Mary had been doing something that many Kenyans find surprisingly difficult. She was saving. Every month, after paying rent, helping her mother upcountry and taking care of the usual expenses, she tried to put something aside. Some months it was KSh…

The KSh 2 Million That Peter Did Not Know Where to Put Peter had spent almost ten years trying to get to this point. At 41, the Nairobi businessman had finally managed to put together KSh 2 million in savings. It had not come easily. There were months when business was slow and he had…