Most of us view the new year as a clean slate, a chance to correct the wrongs of previous year at midnight. As we approach 2013, this is a good time to think of things you would like to do differently, especially when it comes to personal finances. Today I want to write about three things you should consider doing faithfully in 2013 if you’re…
Most of us have been socialized that fun with friends and loved ones must involve spending some money and “going out” in one way or the other. When you need to catch up with a friend, the most instinctive thing to do is to meet at a coffee house, or a bar (and have fun over a game of football). Most of us don’t consider…
The Outliers by Malcom Gladwell is one of those books I kept saying I will read but didn’t quite get to. Last month I finally got to read it, thanks to our office book club, where we try to read a book once every three months, then meet and discuss. Outliers deals with the cultural and societal forces that give rise to opportunistic individuals. Through a…
The greatest barrier to financial responsibility is that we are afraid of adopting a miser lifestyle. We are afraid of focusing so much on saving that we fail to enjoy life. A budget feels like spending prison, and a frugal lifestyle sounds like a life with absolutely no fun. This isn’t always the case, and this kind of thinking is a product of our socialization,…
I recently attended an event where half the people at the event introduced themselves as CEOs of their respective businesses, and sometimes CEOs of multiple businesses. I was a little intimidated even as I thought what to introduce myself as, but then it got me thinking. What’s the definition of a CEO? In my opinion there are a few basics that must be in place for one…
I watched Nairobi Half Life twice last month, and encouraged my boss to watch it with his wife (which he did last week), and on Monday we had a chat about it, and this post is from that discussion and is therefore a mix of my thoughts and his. It could have been easy to take Nairobi Half Life as good entertainment, have a good…
The employment situation in our country is fascinating. On one hand, we have qualified graduates complaining about lack of jobs, and on the other hand, employers are constantly complaining about the lack of good people to employ. Getting a job has never been easier. When I finished university, My Jobs Eye was the only online job search portal (it was far from excellent and you…
Every single night for the last 3 nights, I’ve had a running related dream, sometimes nightmare, because on Sunday, I take part in my first ever half marathon. I haven’t trained well, but pulling out isn’t an option. See the interview below done by Kirsty of Vision Africa on why I am running for more than one good cause: What fundraising challenge are you doing? I…
In 2009, I asked my then boss what he thought were the most important qualities in an entrepreneur, and according to him optimism, ranked highest. I am inclined to agree with him. I recently started out on my own (kind of), and the journey to making that decision was filled with doubt. My biggest concern was the fact that we’re headed into an election period, in…
Personal finance blogs, mine included can be very discouraging. Every writer seems to have found the secret to financial success, they seem to be well on their path to wealth, while you the reader keeps slipping back into habits they warn you against day after day. And you wonder what about them is special, and why do they seem to do it so easily? If…