Have you ever met someone who makes you feel like a loser by making you question your life decisions, but yet inspires you at the same time…I did, just a week or so ago: James Mnyupe; even his name sounds like he’s got it together.
Courtesy of Financial Advisor, Consultant and Speaker, Afra Schimming-Chase, 99Fm hosted the 1 st Table of 12 #CurrentAffairsMo
Familiar with Table of 12? It’s Afra’s latest project, featuring a 12-month collective financial wellness journey, covering 12 Chapters, 12 Shared Meals, 12 Money Challenges and one common goal – a defined improvement in your personal finances!
The #currentaffairsmo is the sweetener, where all 12 participants get to connect with a topical issue on finances. They, together with their choice of plus one, and the 3 lucky winners of the 99FM #balanceforbetter competition launched in Women’s Month, had a seat at this first current affairs moment, featuring the National Budget!
Initially, I thought…boring…not relevant…but, being hosted at 99FM, it was the perfect opportunity for myself and a few others to stay at the studio a little longer, not only to devour the delectable soup prepared by Miss A, it was…one for the books, and she’s promised to share the recipe! But, as it turned out, to also hang out in the foyer and have a catch-up or three, and especially to hear guest speaker, James Mnyupe, Managing Director at Allan Gray Namibia.
This is the man who in a 1,5 hour session caused my quarter-life financial crisis.
He took us through the budget in a way that a 5 year old would understand it. He expertly shared concepts on government debt, how it earns revenue, the impact of changes to tax regimes, and how all of this affects us, the citizens.
My vocabulary has just improved from writing this paragraph!
The session forced us to ask ourselves some crucial questions:
How does the country’s budget, reflect my personal spending? How can I maneuver, and be innovative during this period? How do I begin to save NOW, so that I do not have to be broke in my old age?
James shared serious nuggets that evening, including a simple to read, to the point and critical article, written by Bekithemba Mafulela, Business Development Manager, Allan Gray, entitled: Are You a Saver or a Borrower, offering tips on how to get started with your savings, and how to change from a lifestyle of debt accumulation to a lifestyle of saving. I read it thoroughly, later that evening, and am just going to drop some wisdom from it here. (Find the full article here)
“How much of your salary is being used to increase your income generating capacity?”
“When we save for our own future, we make a difference to the future of the country. But to save more, we need to spend less.”
“The most successful investors are either well informed, or well advised.”
The evening lasted way longer than planned, filled with questions, sharing and valuable insights on a topic many of us thought had nothing to do with us and understanding it would be well above our pay grade, wrong, it’s all about us, and more!
Finally, let me leave you with my most favourite quote from Afra; “You are your most important creditor, pay yourself first.” Which means save before you spend, not after ; saving is not something you do after you’ve paid your expenses. Saving is the first thing on the agenda.
Table of 12 #currentaffairsmo will run sporadically throughout this financial wellness journey, limited seats will be offered to attendees, at a minimal fee, stay tuned for the next one!
Let the Financial healing begin!
