Investing Basics: Your Simple Guide to Growing Money
How to Use This Guide
This guide explains different ways to invest your money in Kenya in plain language. Each option shows:
- What it actually is
- How risky it is
- How much money you might make
- What you need to watch out for
- A real example with KSh 10,000
Where Should I Put My Money? A Quick Guide
If you need the money within 1 year:
- Cash in a bank account, Money market account or high-yield savings account
If you need the money in 1-3 years:
- Money Market Account, High-yield savings, Fixed Deposit Account, or Treasury bills
If you need the money in 3-10 years:
- Mix of bonds (government and corporate) and some NSE index funds
If you need the money in 10+ years:
- Mostly stock funds with some bonds and possibly exotic financial products like carbon credits or cryptocurrency or or real estate investment groups
The Hidden Cost: Fees Matter
Fees might seem small, but they can significantly reduce your returns over time:
Example: Starting with KSh 100,000 and investing for 30 years with 10% annual returns:
- With 0.5% annual fee: End balance ≈ KSh 1.6 million
- With 2% annual fee: End balance ≈ KSh 1 million
That 1.5% difference in fees costs you KSh 600,000!
Getting Started: First Steps For New Kenyan Investors
Step 1: Set Your Financial Foundation
- Build an emergency fund in a Money Market Fund (3-6 months of expenses)
- Pay off high-interest debt (especially mobile loans, bank loans and credit cards) before investing
Step 2: Determine Your Goals and Timeline
- Retirement: Consider pension schemes or long-term investment funds
- Short-term goals: Use safer options like MMFs or fixed deposits
- Medium-term goals: Consider a mix of government bonds and NSE index funds
Step 3: Choose Where to Open Your Account
- For retirement: Your employer’s pension scheme or personal pension plan
- For general investing: A licensed fund manager or stockbroker
- For beginners: Consider user-friendly apps like Hisa or Chipper Cash
Step 4: Start Small and Consistent
- Begin with just KSh 1,000-5,000 per month
- Use M-Pesa automatic transfers to stay consistent
- Increase your contributions when you can
Avoiding Common Emotional Investing Mistakes
Fear: Panic Selling During Market Drops
- The mistake: Selling investments after prices have already fallen
- The reality: Market downturns are normal and temporary
- Better approach: Have a long-term plan and stick to it
Greed: Chasing Hot Investments
- The mistake: Buying whatever is going up rapidly right now
- The reality: Today’s winners often become tomorrow’s losers
- Better approach: Focus on diversification and your long-term plan
Overconfidence: Thinking You Can Beat the Market
- The mistake: Picking individual stocks thinking you can outsmart professionals
- The reality: Even professionals rarely beat the market consistently
- Better approach: Use index funds for most of your investments
Remember These Investing Principles
- Start early: Time is your biggest advantage in growing wealth
- Stay consistent: Regular investing beats trying to time the market
- Diversify: Don’t put all your money in one investment
- Keep costs low: Choose investments with low fees
- Think long-term: Ignore short-term market noise
- Only risk money you won’t need soon: Never invest emergency funds
Let’s have a look at possible investment options from safest to riskiest: (next page)