The Smart Investor’s Q4 Ritual....🧵🧵

Every smart investor has a ritual.

Some take a silent weekend to reflect. Others spend long nights poring over spreadsheets and statements. But for the truly strategic ones, Q4 is sacred. It’s a time to recalibrate, rebalance, and realign wealth with life.

Because wealth, unlike income, isn’t something you earn. It’s something you shape. And the shape of your wealth entirely reflects your beliefs and intentions.

As the year edges toward its close, it is the perfect time for wealth rebalancing comes in.......

1/6 1. Begin With Self-Awareness.

The first step to managing money is understanding yourself again. Your goals may have evolved. Your family, business, or risk appetite may have changed. What once felt moderate risk in 2024 and 2025 might now feel reckless in 2026.

This is why Standard Chartered’s Client Investment Profile helps you quantify not just your goals and time horizon, but also your capacity for loss and your emotional relationship with risk. Before you rebalance your portfolio, rebalance your mindset.

2/6

Why Saving Money Won’t Make You Rich

Saving is often positioned as the cornerstone of financial success. It's the first piece of advice handed out when someone asks how to become rich: “Save more,” “Cut your spending,” “Live within your means.”

The logic seems simple, if you spend less than you earn and stash away the difference, eventually you’ll become wealthy. Saving money, in isolation, will not make you rich. It’s a start, but it’s not the endgame. In fact, depending on how you approach it, it can even leave you feeling stuck, frustrated, or disillusioned.

#AbojaniTrueStorySeries

REBUILDING IN MY 40s

I’m 44 now. Some nights, I lie awake wondering where all the years went.

When I graduated from The University of Nairobi back in 2004, Nairobi felt like it was mine to conquer. I landed a decent job at a local bank straight out of campus. I had come from a very humble background and so that first salo hit hard. It was like gold for me and I knew my life was going to finally change... I remember by 27, I had already upgraded from matatus to my first car...a Toyota NZE, bought on loan. The bank was offering me a very good deal I just couldn't resist. Almost all my colleagues were driving themselves to work by then and I also wanted to fit in.

MODEL BUDGET FOR A 32 YR OLD BANKER, EARNING 216K(NET), HAS A SMALL FAMILY AND PLANS TO START A BUSINESS SOON...

Kimani(not his real name) married the love of his life two years ago at 30 years of age and he thought life would slow down a little. He was finally settled, working at one of the leading banks in Upperhill, Nairobi, and starting a family. .... His net income now stands at Ksh 216,000, a little higher than what he was earning even last year. They live in Athi River’s Greatwall apartments, paying Ksh 28,000 in rent. His wife is a creative freelancer, meaning her income comes in waves, sometimes big, sometimes very dry...

#AbojaniTrueStorySeries
LOVE, LOANS & MATATUS.... HOW WE BUILT A RETIREMENT WE ENJOY

We met in 1980 at Egerton University, Njoro campus. I was doing B.Ed in Home Science and Agriculture. He was raining to be a History teacher. Those days, everyone just wanted to be a teacher. My parents had even subtly asked me to marry a Mwalimu! My sweetheart, Mr. Mburu, was tall, a bit loud, and always wore those baggy jeans and block shoes that were so fashionable back then. And we fell in love too fast, not so much to my parents' liking actually. I found out I was pregnant just weeks before our final exams. Then our babygirl decided to arrive on God's green earth on no other day but our graduation day, at the then Nakuru PGH. Our daughter was born that morning, when my classmates were busy graduating.

#AbojaniTrueStorySeries

I MADE MY FIRST MILLION AT 24, IT NEARLY RUINED ME.....🧵🧵

People like to say money changes you. But in my few years of experience in business and in these streets, I have learnt that money doesn’t change who you are. It just exposes what was already there. Loudly.

This year, I turned 33 years old. My LinkedIn reads, Founder of a logistics company in Industrial Area. I started this hustle at 21 with my father's laptop and a head full of ideas. I was done with mjengo jobs, tired of living hand-to-mouth. I knew I had something in me that could build..... My life has been nothing short of chaotic, I never got a chance to go to campus. I never really paid full attention in my education. But I really regret not studying when I had the chance and all the support I needed. Anyway, recently, I have enrolled to a Diploma course to try my luck once again.

Financial Management for Gen Z Entrepreneurs...🧵🧵

20s is a decade of firsts; first income, first rent, first shot at independence.

But no one really prepares you for what it costs to chase your dreams while figuring out how to make money, manage money, and not lose your mind in the process.

Across all facets, financial management is often the weakest link...... When you’re young, the temptation is to “wing it”, to assume you’ll clean things up later when you’re making more money. It is important to remember that:
⭐️Poor habits grow with you.
⭐️Undisciplined cash flow today becomes business stagnation tomorrow.
⭐️And more money, without financial systems, only amplifies mismanagement.

This is really just the season to learn, document, and grow slowly.

Ksh 1,000 and a Dream 🧵🧵

Investing is intimidating when all you have is a few thousand shillings in your account. The stock market seems too risky, bonds seem too expensive, and everything else sounds like it’s for people with money.

However, you don’t need a six-figure salary to start investing. What you need is a plan.

MMFs → Bonds → Stocks

This is a simple ladder that will help you build wealth slowly, safely, and sustainably starting with 1K... If you have Ksh 1,000 and you're wondering where to begin, don’t rush into stocks or complicated investments. Start with a Money Market Fund (MMF).

Think of it as your financial safe haven.

MMFs are:
✅Low risk
✅Highly liquid
✅Better yielding than your savings account
✅Ideal for emergency funds and capital-building

You can invest as little as Ksh 1,000 and when you top it up monthly, even with small amounts, it grows slowly, but surely.

Before you even think about making money, build a buffer. This is your financial cushion. A place where your money earns interest daily, yet remains easily accessible.

Once your MMF balance, excluding your emergency fund, grows to, say, Ksh 10,000 or 20,000, you're ready for the next step.

THE 6 LAWS OF WEALTH 🧵

You can be hardworking, smart, but broke. Not because you’re lazy. Not because you don’t earn. But because the system was never built to teach you how to keep money.

Only how to chase it!

Here are the 6 Laws of Wealth you should know by HEART!! 1⃣ Bad Debt is a Trap

Not all debt is evil, but the wrong kind will bury you alive.

Borrowing for consumer things, phones, holidays, expensive weddings, is the fastest way to stay poor while looking rich.

Good debt builds. Bad debt bleeds.

If it doesn’t make you money, don’t borrow for it.

MODEL BUDGET FOR A 40-YR OLD, MAKING 130K GROSS, MARRIED WITH 2 KIDS, IS THE MAIN BREAD WINNER & WISHES TO BUY A HOME 🧵🧵

Wilson(not his real name) is 40. He earns Ksh 130,000 gross, which comes down to about Ksh 90,000 net. He works at a popular logictics company in town.

He’s married, has two kids , one in public primary school, the other in pre-school. He rents a modest two-bedroom house in Banana for Ksh 22,000. He drives a small family car (fully paid off), and he’s them main provider at home.... He has Ksh 500,000 saved in a money market fund, and Ksh 200,000 in Sacco shares. He contributes monthly to that Sacco and dreams of one day buying land through it.

Wilson is doing okay , not broke, not balling either. But he’s always asking himself: "Am I doing the right thing with my money? Is this really going somewhere?”

Money Management For 40 Year Olds 🧵🧵

By the time you’re 40, the conversations around money start to hit differently. At 40, you have probably made some money, maybe made a few mistakes too.

You’re not a beginner, but you’re probably not quite where you thought you’d be either. And your body, your parents, your children and even your country’s economy, are all making demands on you!

Slowly by slowly, conversations naturally shift to stability, legacy,family, health, and freedom..... At 40+, the worst thing you can do is live in denial.

Check:
What do you own? What do you owe? What’s your monthly cost of living? What can you afford, and what are you forcing?

Many Kenyans over 40 are asset-rich but cash-poor. Some have land they can’t develop, or Sacco shares they’ve never monetized. Others are living in homes they “own” but can’t repair.

Start with the truth. Then work your way to clarity.

#AbojaniTrueStorySeries

I FINALLY LEFT CORPORATE AT 48, 4 KIDS IN AND FINALLY BUILDING MY OWN HOUSE. 🧵🧵

I often get asked (by my relatives mostly) why I left corporate life at 48 , just when, by many standards, I was at the peak of my career. I know they are more concerned because my children are still toddlers.

And that my stay at home wife is expecting yet another child.

The answer is very simple though: I left because I could... Long before I ever sat in a boardroom, I had quietly prepared for a life where I could make choices on my own terms.

I was born in Maragua, somewhere on the Murima, in a time when opportunity was scarce and hard-earned. My father(God bless him) worked on a colonial settler’s farm. He was one of many Kenyan men who, in those days, served diligently on those mzungu owned coffee estates. It was honest labour that fed our family....

#AbojaniTrueStorySeries
MY WEDDING DAY HAUNTS ME, TO DATE!! 🧵🧵

In the quiet of approaching 40, certain memories return sharper than others. For me, it is the wedding of 2015.

When I proposed to my campus sweetheart, I told myself we deserved the very best. Safari Park for the reception, and a convoy that would snake from Murang’a to Nairobi with ceremony.

Heh, let me just say I was young and dumb! Honestly, I had no business spending my money so wrecklessy!

I was 31 then, working in Corporate Affairs at a blue-chip firm in Upper Hill. A good job, good pay, and the quiet satisfaction of knowing my family back home in Maragua spoke my name with pride.

Financial Management in Your 20s🧵🧵

Your 20s are weird. One minute you have your ducks in a row and the next you don't even know what you want!

They say 20s are foundation years. These are 'street-fighter' years...the time to put your best foot forward and work hard in order to secure your 30s, 40s, 50s and even 60s.

Whether you're just starting out or trying to get your money life together, managing your finances early can be a game-changer.

Here’s a super simple guide to getting your money right in your 20s.... 1⃣Know Where Your Money’s Going

Start with a budget, but don’t over-complicate it. Track your income, then track your expenses. A simple pen and paper will do.

Budgeting doesn't mean being stingy. It means knowing how your money is flowing in and out.

#AbojaniTrueStorySeries

MY GIRLFRIENDS, MY MONEY, AND I🧵🧵

I’ll never forget the first time I realized I had a problem.

I was sitting at my favorite corner café in Nairobi town, scrolling through my phone.

My bank balance stared back at me, a cold reminder of the very bad choices I had made.

I knew the number by heart. I had memorized it for weeks because, quite frankly, it was all I had left, after being the ‘Minister of Enjoyment’ for the better part of my adulthood.

That time, I had just spent the last two months’ salary, and I had nothing to show for it—nothing except a few extravagant dates, a handful of designer gifts, and a couple of vacations to places I couldn’t even pronounce.

I remember thinking…..“What the hell am I even doing?”.... This wasn’t the first time it had happened, and it sure as hell wasn’t going to be the last.

I was once 25 and thought I had the world in the palm of my hand. I had just landed a solid job as a mid-level manager at a tech firm. I wasn’t wealthy, but I was comfortable. And in my mind, being comfortable meant I could live a little

And live I did.

Maybe in excess but we live and learn, yes?

#AbojaniTrueStorySeries

IT TOOK ME 24 YEARS TO FINALLY BECOME FINANCIALLY DISCPLINED 🧵 🧵

It’s my 49th birthday next week and I do not know what I feel about being only 1 year away from 50!

I started working at 23 as a banker, somewhere in Nyeri.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 48 years, it’s that life has a funny way of teaching you lessons when you least expect it.

If you’d asked me when I was 24 what my life would look like at 48, I would’ve told you something completely different..... When I landed my first “real job” in the bank, I was fresh out of university, I was eager to prove myself, ready to work hard and climb the ladder. The job was an entry-level position, but to me, it was everything.

My first paycheck was a moment I’ll never forget. I walked into that office feeling like I was on top of the world. I thought I was rich!

I remember heading straight to the nearest mobile shop to buy my first phone (one of those chunky siemens phones🤠)

It wasn’t much, but it was mine. It was a symbol of independence, of adulthood.

That whole month, I was broke as a church mouse, but at least I had a phone!

#AbojaniTrueStorySeries
I CUT BACK ON BEER, GIRLS AND SAVED A MILLION 🧵

I am a happily married man with two children. So I will share my story but keep my identity hidden, that’s the only way I will explain how I joined the @TheAbojani One Million Challenge and made it.

Let me start with a question. Have you ever seen an empty swimming pool? Now imagine being asked to fill the empty pool with water, using a spoon. Now that was my relationship with saving money. No matter how hard I tried, it was just impossible. Anytime I tried saving for a rainy day, it started raining after one hour! Anyway, let me give you a small background story. I am in sales at a logistics company. My retainer is just Sh 20,000, but on a bad month, I can make Sh 70,000 on commissions. On a good month, it goes up to Sh 170,000. On average, I go home with about Sh 110,000 monthly.

My wife works as an administrator at a construction company and brings home Sh 35,000. She takes care of house help and grocery bills. It's never more than Sh 16,000. I pay for school fees, rent, and other bills, and of course, I work hard so lazima nipigie mwili pole kila weekend, like a typical Nairobi man.

From Betrayal to Financial Wisdom: My Kin Almost Killed Me

When I first moved to Australia in 2015, I was full of ambition. I had worked hard, saved up, and paid an agent to help me get a caregiving job in Perth.

I had two main goals: take care of my little sister and invest back home.

1/7 By my first year, I had saved up Ksh 400K, I had never seen such money in my life. At the time, owning land was the ultimate investment, and I wanted in.

I reached out to my uncle, my late mum’s brother, who I trusted, and asked for his help in acquiring a piece of land.

He agreed. I sent the money. He gave me updates. He even sent pictures of the plot.
2/7

#AbojaniTrueStorySeries
I MOVED FROM DEBT TO STABILITY IN MY 30'S 🧵🧵

I started working at 25 years old.

I can say I 'caught' money earlier than most men in this Nairobi. I bought my first car way ahead of my peers and I even married the first.

By 30, I had a stable job as a project manager with a mid-sized construction company somewhere in Westy, earning enough to take care of my family and live comfortably..... For most of my life, I thought I was doing well financially.

But behind the scenes, things were not as perfect as they seemed. I had no real understanding of financial discipline, and it cost me dearly

#AbojaniTrueStorySeries
A MOTHER'S JOURNEY TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM 🧵

The best investment I've ever made in my life cost me Sh 2500.

Let me tell you how it happened.

I am a single mother of two children, ages 10 and 8. I graduated and began teaching at a school in Ngara, where I met my husband, who was a senior teacher.... We got married in 2013 when I was 22. My salary was Sh 26,000 after taxes, while my husband earned Sh 32,360.

He had monthly loan repayments of Sh 11,500 for a business loan he took but the business collapsed. He also sent Sh 10,000 monthly to his previous family. He moved into my house and we started living as husband and wife........

How to Deal with Black Tax as a Newly Employed🧵🧵

For most newly employed, the script is the same.

Your phone suddenly starts ringing 3 times a day. People suddenly want to 'check in on you.' Relatives suddenly respect you. There' s a harambee they want you to attend. There's a nephew they wish you could help with the fees, a relative who 'carried you when you were very little' who needs some 5K urgently..... There's nothing wrong with coming through for your community. There's nothing wrong with sending the lift back down.

After all, no man is an island. We thrive in shared prosperity.

However, a line needs to be drawn soon enough before things get messy.