The truth is that anyone can make it to the 6 figure, then 9 figure, and 12 figure, wherever far you want to go. You see, money is like diarrhea, it only needs a little motivation to behave; you stop washing your hands after washroom business, and diarrhea follows you like a bee — same case with money. Financial success requires money hygiene, that’s money management. If you can manage your money, trust this, it doesn’t matter how much you earn.
So let’s get this right.
First, you need to know your income, then stick to this simple Rule; Spend less than you earn. The best way to control your expenditure is to have a budget that you better be wise to stick to. The money hygiene demands that you stick to your budget; this helps you track your expenditure and gives you a clear way to check on your priorities and flex them if need be.
Second, pay your debts. Debts are not good, and you don’t want the banks to suck the energy out of you, because they will if you default. The best way is to always have a repayment strategy before borrowing. Nevertheless, there could be emergency loans at times that never give one that chance to draw a repayment strategy, but that’s not an excuse, repay as fast as possible. It’s most advisable that when you have a debt, you might consider prioritizing it above investment.
The third, and that which most entrepreneurs ignore Pay yourself first. That’s a safe haven. You can choose to pay yourself by investing in stocks or investing in something else that can give you some returns, or save. Even though saving can never make you any real wealth, rather than being an insurance policy where you imagine your monies are safe. It’s management anyway.
Fourth, compare costs and interests. Please don’t ignore the fact that some mobile money service providers charge higher prices than others when transferring funds, or that some banks give you lower interests on your savings, or that some lenders charge you higher interests on the loans they offer you. Trust me; this is what makes you earn or retain Sh1000 more than your fellow who just lost the same because he/she didn’t consider the same. You could be saving a lot, to a tune of a reasonable sum of thousands or tens of thousands if you get your math right on this. Avoid high costs; you don’t get rewarded for getting charged more than you should be anyway.
Finally, don’t assume family. Have a reasonable allocation for your family; maybe your parents, your small sister in college, or the emergency gas refill that your mother can usually call you to assist with on the 16th of the month when pockets are dry. This allocation helps you settle these impromptu budgets promptly and finds you well prepared.
When you can manage your money, you can build wealth, because money is made from hard work, but wealth is made from strong money management skills no matter how little you think you earn or how much responsibility you imagine you have.