There is a reason I do 100% of my stocks investment in Kenya, except for the deliberate adventure trip I took to Zambia some years back. It is because I believe in the philosophy of Investment By Walking Around (IBWA, not as cool as MBWA but hey!). Before I get to the technical analysis of a stock, something that appeals to common sense must first…
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While statements like “Usalama wako u mikononi mwako” (your security is in your hands) often told to us by politicians are debatable, there is no controversy about this version: your financial security is in your hands. Should your investments (or lack of) fail to help you meet the goals for which they are intended, you live with the consequences, no matter whose investment advice you…
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If you have consistently followed our stocks column so far, there is probably a good reason you are still interested. Your financial future matters enough for you to choose to learn and take some action. In the first part of this post, we covered the need for a Personal Financial Plan and I am sure that is now on your To Do list. Now let…
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In our previous post, we addressed the “why” for getting involved in the stock market. That gives us a firm foundation on which to build the “how’. To meaningfully participate in the stock market, three things are fundamentally necessary – a personal financial plan, a stockbroking agent and some research. Owing to its importance, we will talk about the personal financial plan here, and then…
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When I was younger, I remember reading Robert Kiyosaki’s book Rich Dad Poor Dad and really liking that he took time to explain that the “why” for something is more important than the “how”. His argument is that once we have a compelling “why”, it will be much easier to commit to the “how”, even when the “how” is not as easy or as attractive as…
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It must have been in 1996. Just about to turn 30, I was the Chief Accountant for a parastatal that was doing well enough to have some excess funds for investment. Part of my ritual then included talking to Mr. James Murigu, a senior manager at the then Suntra Stocks Ltd to deal for us in the company’s bids for Treasury Bills from the Central…
Read MoreIf you have read up on the history of the stock market and finance, one thing that comes through quite clearly is that the past tends to repeat itself quite often. There’s nothing new under the sun. The first stock market crash happened in 1720: the Mississippi Bubble in France, and the circumstances around it were not too different from the crashes we have witnessed in recent…
Read MoreIn this post, we looked at the concept of fundamental analyis, which in a nutshell is a technique that uses the information provided about a company, both qualitative and quantitative, to calculate the value of their shares, and determine whether they are under valued by the market or not. Today, we delve deeper into qualitative analysis. Qualitative analysis looks at factors about and around the company…
Read MoreOn this blog, we look at tips and tricks to frugal living, but we also seek to learn new things that help us become better investors. My aim is to build a reader base made up of savers and discerning investors that can build a secure financial future for themselves. So while it would be easy for me to carry out an analysis and tell…
Read More“An Investment operation is one which, upon thorough analysis promises safety return of principal (amount invested), and an adequate return. Operations not meeting these requirements are speculative” – Benjamin Graham. The Intelligent Investor An investor’s focus should be learning and implementing strategies that ensure security of the capital, and an adequate return. Anything that is not focused on these two objectives is considered speculation…
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