When people ask you what you do, what do you tell them?
I am an investor, but the money must come from somewhere, so I work in a diagnostic centre.
What does financial wealth mean to you?
Financial wealth is freedom; it means owning your time. Financial freedom is doing what you want and getting what you want when you want it.
When did you start investing, and how?
2019 Before I started my investment journey, I had always been a saver. I have always been able to save and have cash without an idea of what to do with it. It never occurred to me that a time would come when I would have to take care of myself and need this money.
But In 2019, I joined an investment club. And that is where I started learning everything about investment. I realised that we could invest in real estate like you have a wing of options to invest in.
Which investment club did you join?
The Green investment club, that was actually where I first heard about risevest
What was the first thing you invested in, and how did it go?
This was when I decided to start investing after I had joined the investment club. The best part of joining an investment club is due diligence has been done for you. You need to trust them and put your money.
So when I joined, they brought up cowpea investment then, but I wasn’t sure, and I had doubt about the whole thing crashing. But it turned out well, and I am proud of how far I have come to be honest.
How do you approach investment today?
I am still a member of that club and they send me investment options, and I now know about Risevest and Bamboo because of them. I know about so many other things like real estate, venture capitalism; it is much easier for me now.
For my approach, I am a long-term investment person. I do not care if the market crashes; I don’t have sleepless nights because I know that in 10 years, I can recover my money.
I know that everything is going to be okay.
What investment tools do you use to invest today?
Besides Risevest, I use Binance for crypto.
What portfolio do you have with Risevest?
I have a mix of the three together in Risevest, Stocks, Real estate and fixed income, but the stock portfolio is the lowest. Because the fluctuations stress me out, coming and seeing it as risen today and then plummeted tomorrow gives me a headache because it messes with the overall balance with my account.
What investing hill are you willing to die on?
It’s a long-term journey. You cannot say in six months from now you are going to be a millionaire.
What has been your wildest gain?
That would be crypto.
Crypto?
My profit has been massive, I did not expect that. You know because I used to actually listen to a lot of financial gurus like Warren Buffet and all the likes. And one thing they all agreed on was that crypto was a no-no, don’t touch it, but when you keep your foot down you will see that it is not as bad as people say it is. You have to be smart about your money, I invest in crypto the way I would invest in stocks.
How do you invest in crypto?
I am experienced in dealing with crypto. And I know that it is stressful and very volatile. You can wake up tomorrow morning and realise that you do not have any money anymore and you are hit to the ground.
But at the same time, you can wake up the next day, and it is back on track because it is too volatile; people are scared and don’t want to lose money.
MoneyAfrica helps people understand the market when they join; she has classes on the coins to buy and when to buy them. She has made mistakes herself and is willing to teach people not to make the same mistakes. So, you could join MoneyAfrica, and learn about what you need and even do your due diligence. This includes which coin is profitable and what they have to offer, or oh, these coins are here to stay.
Do you know what’s funny?
What?
Some coins fizzle out and become extinct. But when the coin has something that it offers, you know it will be around for a while in terms of service. Start somewhere, get in touch with people who know more than you do, listen, learn and do your due diligence. Buy the coin if you can stomach the ups and downs of the market and won’t have a heart attack.
Have you made any loss since you started investing?
Well, not really. Remember that I am not doing this alone, so it’s hard to lose when you are working with people who know what they are doing.
What has been the hardest decision you have had to make since you started investing?
The hardest decision was starting and trusting that Nigerians would not scam me. I knew about the investment club three years before I joined. But I was scared.
Is there anything you wish you had known before you started investing?
I really do wish I had started earlier, but it’s not too late. It’s not like I am old or anything, I turned 30 this year. And I am doing pretty well all things considered. I follow Tomie, who is the founder of the green investment club, and some others. These are smart women. You can’t do these things independently, no matter the due diligence and everything, you will still need help. You need people who understand these things more than you do and are willing to guide you through their experiences.
What does a dream investment look like?
First real estate, I cannot wait to have a house in the UK or America or Canada or somewhere, it will be real estate, not crypto.
What are you doing towards owning a house today?
The green investment club helps you get one if you want to own a house outside the country. They have contacts who guide you through the process of qualifying and all those things, and you know the amount you have to pay. Instead of paying a lump sum of money, they will break it into bits, so you can pay in instalments every month.
So how do you feel about your investment decision generally? It is an amazing thing in the sense that it goes on for years 10, 20, 30 years. It’s a great feeling that I am not building for myself alone; even my children will reap the rewards of the sacrifice I am making in the long term.
So what will you tell a beginner about investment?
First, take a deep breath, make that decision that this is what you want to do, I want to invest. Make sure that you have savings, make sure that you have an emergency fund set aside, and then just get into it. There is no secret to it, and the longer you daily, the more reasons you’ll give yourself not to start.
Is there any advice you can tell a beginner to start investing in?
I believe a beginner should join an investment club. The reason is, you don’t want to do this alone while there are people who have made mistakes and learned from their mistakes.
Some people know more than you that you could learn from. Join, learn and take advice and grow much faster than you would on your own.
Join Risevest investment club here