STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING YOUR FINANCES

FOR A SECURED FUTUREBY

ODUN ORIOKE

We are talking strictly about building a financially strong retirement and generally about being able to comfortably meet our financial obligations and challenges in the near and far future.

Being financially strong is a big concern for all normal persons.

It contributes in no small measure to reducing life stress.

Pursuit of a financially secured future is becoming increasingly complex and worrisome especially in the past few years with the global financial crisis that have left many advanced nations of the world prostrate.

Americans have lost more than $2 trillion in retirement savings in the last three and a half years.

In our country too, people who were once financially secured suddenly became drained and pulled down to financial low ebb.

Retirement planning today is marked by doubt.

Will we be able to continue working for as long as we wish to -or need to?

What will happen to our pension fund? Will it be there? Will it suffer the same fate as the stocks. Will some pension companies collapse like some of the banks? Can we trust the managers of these funds?

Will our savings see us through old age? How much do we need?

Note : 1. To accumulate wealth, people

must learn to defer their gratifications.

2. “Early enjoyment prevents later enjoyment”. Odun Orioke

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FINANCIALLY STRONG?

We shall look at this by considering the 5 levels of financial strength:

LEVEL 1

Income able to meet all necessities and essentials of life without struggling or debts.

LEVEL 2. Level 1 plus reserves. The longer your reserves can last in case of total cut of income the stronger you are at this level.

LEVEL 3. Level 1 plus level 2 plus assets that give you

automatic or passive income.

Note: The more the income your assets give you the stronger you are at this level.

LEVEL 4 Assets able to generate all the money you need for essentials and necessities of life without your working actively.

LEVEL 5

Assets generate more money for luxuries and not just for essentials and necessities.

Most middle and upper income earners find it difficult to create wealth in spite of the potentials to. Why?

1. Inadequate financial intelligence i.e. the know how of making, managing and multiplying money to create wealth.

Note: It is possible to be academically brilliant

and still not be financially intelligent.

2. Accumulation of appearances of wealth and living like rich people when they are not actually rich- cars, buildings, cell phones, parties, computers, wardrobes and electronics that are more expensive than they actually can afford.

QUOTES: “A foolish man lives big when he can not feed his household well, but there is a wise man who lives modestly even when he has hired servants to attend to him and his household”. - King Solomon

“Living as a rich man when you are not rich will get you deeper into poverty”. - A Yoruba proverb

STRATEGIES FOR A FINANCIALLY SECURED FUTURE

# 1Planning is very important. Don’t assume things will work out “by the grace of God” or by providence.Proper financial planning can go a long way to prevent embarrassments from unforeseen financial challenges.

# 2Start early to plan. The future is nearer than we often realize. Avoid the trap of ‘there is always time’. The fact is for every thing, there is a time and season.Remember time flies.

# 3Take charge of your future financial security by yourself. Counting on others to take care of you financially is a risky proposition.The number of children that are able to support their aged parents is dropping for obvious reasons.

In the U.S., the ratio of working-age citizens between ages 15 and 64 supporting those over 64 is currently 5:1. By the year 2050 this ratio will drop to 3:1, according to United Nations data. In China things are even worse. They will move from the current 9:1 ratio to 3:1. And in Japan the ratio will be 1:1 in 2050.

# 4Acquire financial literacy or intelligence through reading on wealth creation, retirement planning etc.It will help you to appreciate and empower you to obey the laws that guide creation of wealth.Note that you tend to become what you read.

THE LAWS OF WEALTH CREATION

LAW I- Secure money in reasonable amount.

LAW II- Spend wisely.

LAW III- Save heavily.

LAW IV- Sow (invest) strategically and widely.

Follow these four laws and you shall be

financially strong and secured at all times.

LAW 1- MAKING MONEY.As a middle or upper class income earner, your salary is enough to build a financially secured future. It is good you make more money if you could by direct and or indirect efforts like consultancy, micro-investments, farming, do it yourself work, etc

LAW 2 - SPEND WISELY.Note: The attitude of uncontrolled spending is a major cause of poor financial status among many intelligent professionals, middle and high income earners.

Anyone who spends all he or she earns is the same as someone who is not earning at all when it comes to building a financially secured future.

Keep a good record of your spending - to avoid hidden leakages.

Buy by reason never by impulse.

Research market before you buy.

Buy after thorough bargaining.

Do not be shy to ask for discount

Buy quality things. “If you buy cheap you will buy twice” – a Chinese proverb.

Buy in bulk. Poor people pay more by buying in small units.

Avoid credit buying

Avoid high interest loans

Buy in season and learn storage techniques.

Live below your income. Spend only 70% of your income at most.

Plan your expenses before going to market.

Avoid ostentatious living and prodigality.

Keep your money safe from thieves

Do not carry plenty of cash on you.- it could be lost.- the more you carry the more you spend.

Do not keep your money with people.

Do not keep large sum of money in your bank for too long as the purchasing power of money drops every year.

Do not keep your money in fixed deposit.

Avoid womanizing and drunkenness.

Build your house from your investment proceeds.

LAW 3 – SAVE HEAVILY.

You are rich by what you save and not by what you earn.

You are going to use the money you saved to build a financially secured future.

Save 20% of your income regularly. It may be more or less but not less than 10%. Saving of 20% of every year’s harvest was one the secrets of Joseph in the Bible.

You can join a saving’s club e.g. Investment club.

After your tithe, deduct your savings. You can then begin to spend.

Do not loan your savings to people.

Do not spend your savings on things that will not yield more money (liabilities).

LAW 4 – SOW(INVEST)STRATEGICALLY.This is the law of planting. Planting leads to multiplication of your seed including MONEY SEED.

Please note that every naira in your hand is a seed that has great potential to multiply.

Every Naira you have is also a worker that is capable of going places to make more money for you.

The law of sowing has two parts- non-physical and physical:-

1. Physical investment in small scale enterprises.

2. Non-physical investment in significant people in your life- spouse, children, parents and your priests. You must also give to the poor and the society from which you are making your money.

SMALL SCALE ENTERPRISES PEOPLE

AROUND ARE DOING1. Rental 2. School- formal and non-formal.3. Fish farming 4. Honey bee farming5. Hostel6. Hotel7. Car sales8. Buying and selling of essential articles.

Beware of loosing your money in an attempt to invest.

Research your proposed enterprise very well.

Go for necessary internship or training no matter how small.

Draw up a good business plan and pray well before you jump into any seemingly promising entrepreneurship.

Can 10-20 people come together to form a co-operative investment society to pull resources to get great things done- hostel, micro-finance bank, big time real estate organization, big time cement depot etc.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

MENTORING TOUR.

THANK YOU