There’s nothing wrong with getting a loan for something you want or need under the right circumstances. However, borrowing excessively for things that you don’t genuinely need, can throw you off track in the line of achieving personal financial freedom.

Before considering and settling out for the loan to be the only option, try and consider the following:-

• Is It In Your Best Interest?- One of the things you need to really consider before taking out a loan is the interest you will be paying. At first glance, those relatively small numbers might not seem like a big deal, but if you take the time to figure out how much you’re actually going to pay for an item by the time the loan is paid off, it might cause you to do some rethinking. Sometimes we do not really need to take a loan unless it’s a real emergency purchase. For example taking a loan for a vacation offer, a wedding or a personal car may not be thumbs up idea especially with the high lending rates at the moment and the high costs of maintaining a car, packing fees and fuel all included.

• Use- If you sense that the situation or the need or the urge may just be a temporary fix and that there’s a possibility you might be in a worse financial situation later, you may want to reconsider the personal loan.

• Repayment funds-Make sure you have the income to repay the loan. Consider your financial situation. Do your prospects look promising and how long can you manage to keep up with the loan payment without straining yourself financially and eventually denying yourself of the necessities?

• Keep It under Control- Before you make any non-emergency purchasing decision, it’s wise to take a day or two to think about it. That’s especially true if what you’re buying is expensive enough to justify taking a loan out to pay for it. Make sure you are going to be able to comfortably pay off the loan.

• Work on Savings, if You Haven’t Already-One of the best things anyone can do, especially if they have personal loans that they are paying off, is to work on putting a percentage of their paycheck into savings every payday. Ideally, we should all have at least enough to pay all of our bills for two or three months or more if we should lose or job or some other tragedy should deprive us of income for a while.

In another,  if the purchase or occasion can hold for a while, then you may as well try to work on your savings generate as much as you need for it, and instead of taking a loan for it. This will also add to your sense of pride knowing that with your diligence and sacrifice you have managed to make that enormous purchase or thrown a wedding that you have always dreamt about.

Solid financial planning can be the difference in making your financial goals a success and stopping constant worrying about making it to your next payday.

For many 2012 many have begun with a resolution to bring their monthly budget under control. A good budget will allow you to gain control over your expenses, become aware of where you make improvements in your spending habits and hopefully allocate some cash for short and long term saving. Once you have your budget in place and have your outgoing finances in control you can start to think about the future and what your goals are for long term savings. A savings calculator or an interest simulator can be very helpful to give a quick snapshot of the saving targets that you will need to hit to accomplish your goals and the kind of returns expected from them. By providing details of an initial lump sum to invest and what you can realistically commit each month you can assess how long it will take to reach your saving goals.

With ever shifting government regulations it’s more important than ever to engage in planning to meet your required standards of living at retirement age.

You can provide for your retirement with a number of different investment vehicles. Some people opt for an individual savings account. Personal pension schemes can also offer good incentives as an investment opportunity. The self-employed typically save through a personal pension plan with the onus on them alone to meet the costs. Both types of pensions offer tax relief for contributions that at least meets the basic rate of income tax. Like all savings pensions are susceptible to the power of compound interest meaning that small changes in the length of saving can make significant differences to the final totals. A small time now considering your financial future can reap significant rewards in the long term.

•  Make a budget :  make a budget now and include everything; that is all your travel expenses, the snacks and the gifts, remember it is that time to love and to share.
• Make a gift plan: Once you have listed down all the expenses and the gifts,  list  all recipients of the gifts and mark beside them the cost of the gifts
• Stick to your budget: If you cannot find an ideal gift within your budget, make do with whatever the best gift you can find within your range. There is no point in going into debt for this. Instead show your love using a heartfelt letter or spending time with them. In this case unless your budget can really support it, avoid giving gifts to adults in the family, a get together and having a fun time with them would work best.
• Comparison shop: Know the prices before you get out of the house. If you have to go on a “pre-shopping” trip, so be it. Don’t buy anything on this pre-shopping trip, just note down the prices for all the gifts and packages in your list and go home. This should give a better idea of the price range and the best place to buy and to get away to.

• Look for deals and sales: a few holiday packages might be on offer and the stores and the super/hypermarkets and even the mama mbogas are feeling as generous as you are this season. http://fiestycat.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/saving-for-fun-tembea-kenya/#

They are rewarding you generously for having to spend Kshs 100 on a packet of milk and 400grams of bread the whole year. So as fast as you can make it there, run and….

• Buy in bulk: For commonly used items like holiday treats or baking supplies, try to buy in bulk along with a neighbor, family or a friend.

At this point I have to mention this, do not forget that the festivities last for only a week this year. As early as Christmas day start thinking about the bills for the next coming month. It is most certainly the longest month we have in the calendar year and the reasoning behind it is quite simple, of course if you are not a civil servant.Consider the fact  that the next pay day is exactly 5 weeks from this one and purchase as much household items and food stuffs as  you can to take you through the month. Remember it’s a sale season (earlier point).

Otherwise it is going to be a long ride through January.

If you have had to abide to these last minute rush rules that entitle you that fun filled Christmas, then avoid the rush next year and read http://zimele.co.ke/index.php/articles-and-analysis/weekly-updates/193-embracing-financially-fit-festivites

Scrutiny could save your money

The other day I was cleaning out my house. A lot of junk can accumulate in a short twelve months. Here’s the thing, I am not a hoarder! I like to only keep things that are useful to me and when am done with them, I like to dispose of them. In my collection of trash from my cleaning exercise were a couple of phones, a mother-board, a cd-rom drive, an external hard-disk, a keyboard, a mouse, a card-reader and a couple of USB cables and power chords that were no-longer useful.

The two phones, the mother-board and the cd-rom drive worried me because although they were still functional, they did not meet my requirements either because of the new software I was running, hardware incompatibility or the outdated operating systems the gadgets were running. I considered giving the phones to my aunts ( I have two that I really like) but it just did not feel right. I believe that you should give as a gift something you wouldn’t mind using.

Long story short, I ended up taking the two Nokia cell phones to the Nokia center at the Hilton arcade (for recycling) because I am such a responsible citizen of the earth (Wangari Maathai would be so proud of me) and I still have that cd-rom and motherboard…perhaps I will set up another workstation for one of my cousins. As I hesitantly left the two phones at the center, I couldn’t help calculating the monetary implication of what I was doing. If I had been wise and a little patient, I suspect I would have purchased a phone that would still be serving me, and one that I’d be proud to own, a dvd-drive (the prices then were too steep). There was nothing I could do about the motherboard though, SATA technology was still in testing when I bought it.

Software evolves rapidly and it usually takes 4-6 years to have hardware that is incompatible with the current software. This implies hardware upgrade at least once every 4 to 6 years and in the case of tablets, smartphones and the almost-smartphones, a new gadget purchase. This sounds very expensive, does it not? Since I am a responsible and considerate citizen of the earth, I have gathered a few pointers to help guide your next electronic gadget purchase.

• Do your research – This means visiting websites that review gadgets. My favourites are engadget , mashable, macworld, techcrunch and cnet. Read the reviews and check for alternatives. Check for the features of the gadget, specifications and expansion possibilities as you do your research.
• Ask a friend – No man is an island. If you have a friend that is in the know about the gadget you intend to buy, consult them and find out their opinion. I advise you do this after you have done your research so that you know what to ask. I also recommend asking people who have owned the gadget so that you can find out their experience with it.
• Find out about extra cost – Some gadgets require subscription to support services and purchase additional accessories. For instance, a BlackBerry purchase more often than not implies an extra Blackberry services charge from telecommunication service providers such as Safaricom and Airtel. Find out the cost and weigh it against your income pool.
• Talk to the retailer (prior to purchase) – Find out their opinion on it (but be wise how you go about it). Find out if they have a newer model, have them name the model for you so that you can go and research on it. Find out about after sale service and the conditions of the warranty. Make sure there is a warranty.
• Window shop – It is advisable to visit more than one shop before you make your purchase, remember, they are not doing you a favour by selling the gadget to you, its a transaction that involves your money.
• Buy the latest gadget – The later models buy you more time. If you buy an old model, you might need to replace it sooner that you would have wanted. To avoid this, try and buy the latest models as far as is pocket friendly to you.
• Know what you want – If you know what you want to get out of your purchase, you are likely to make a good purchase. Find out what tools the gadget offers you to achieve the goals you set for the gadget you want to buy.

That is what I came up with, feel free to add to the list by leaving a comment . As we draw near Christmas, be careful to make a buy that will serve you well into the next couple of years.

We are  in the last quarter of the year, and what an economic year it has been; from the shilling taking the deepest deep ever, the shares taking a bow, the sugar crisis, the Unga ya Ugali crisis… to say the least. Looking back at the past months it is hardly believable that we have pulled through.

It will take a while for the economy to go back to normal and for us to see a touchable growth on it but smile because as much as our shilling lost face in front of the dollar, the Thika Super Highway was still being constructed and given time we shall be cruising around the city; and the 7 billionth human being was born. Woe unto them if they were born in Kenya at such times!!

In retrospect, how much have you grown your finances?  The standards of living are considerably high requiring us to live more from hand to mouth and so it would be a really thumbs up on every one who has maintained almost the same standards of living without straining or having to retract their savings.

We are being forced to live within our means, yes, which is a really good idea, but look at it from this point of view; living within your means constrains you to explore and experiment. There is a thrill that comes with risking when it comes to finances. You may not have enough money to pull you through the month but, you will have been able to achieve one of the life time goals, be it owning a plot, purchasing your own house or finally going back to school to attain that certificate that will boost your CV. The repercussions of such acts in the short run may hit you hard if you had not emotionally prepared for such a financial risk but later on they bear fruits which you can enjoy for a long time.

Remove yourself from the comfort zone of living within your means at the moment and focus at the future. Yes, we do not know about tomorrow and all that it holds, we can only look at it as a promise, which is precisely the point, the promise has to be better than the present.

With the realization of the year closing in on us we have to take stock of what we have achieved and put great emphasis on the unrealized goals. Times and tides wait for no man. The next year might find us in the same financial situation but it does not mean that you cannot try and out do yourself. You might the biggest obstacle to your financial freedom so try and let you self loose for a while, diversify your investments, save regardless and put your monies in safe havens.

Risky is good and analyze yourself and know how much risk you can indulge in to. But if there is  means of saving in low risk funds then try the options like the Zimele Savings Plan.

1. Saving money for their university education. 
All parents want the best for their children, a bright future full of achievement. With steadily rising expenses in our daily lives, raising children is becoming more and more expensive. The growing concern for many parents is their financial readiness to send their children to a tertiary institution. While this may not have crossed the minds of many new parents, or even those with teenage children, it is an area that needs to be addressed; and the earlier the savings are set up, the better. The best way to do it would be to set up an automatic savings program, like a standing order, to an account dedicated towards saving for your children’s tertiary education. Money market funds are a good place to start because they give competitive returns, while at the same time ensuring minimal risk in your investment. That way, you get to build the savings you would need to fund this endeavour in the not-so-distant future, in a disciplined fashion. 

 2. Obtaining a retirement savings plan. 
As far-off as this may seem, saving for your own retirement may be as personal as it can get, but it works well to ensure that you are able to take care of yourself in retirement. The other objective here is to ensure that your children will not be forced to take care of you financially in retirement, and hence be in a position to build and sustain families of their own without additional burdens. Apart from the financial planning involved in saving for retirement, one can significantly reduce the odds of contracting some expensive medical conditions that often hit us late in life by taking steps now, such as adopting a healthy diet, getting proper exercise, and managing your stress, among others. These actions can reduce the possibility of getting overburdened by high bills  or medical care expenses. It is also advisable to talk to your family about your financial plans for retirement, including how you will cover your living  expenses and your strategies for long-term care. There is a good chance that at some point in your life, you will need them to help implement your plans. It also gives them some assurance that you have thought about the future and that you will be OK in your retirement years. It is admirable that most people do not want to be a burden to their families. By planning ahead, you can help avoid this fate, so that you and your children can truly enjoy each other in your later years. Also, if you would wish to be able to ultimately leave your children an inheritance, this kind of planning is extremely important.

3. Avoiding the temptation to spoil them. 
Admittedly, this may be a tough one for most parents to always follow. However, it is important to not go too far in giving in to what your kids want and enjoy. After all, life is not about getting what you want all the time. Needs come first. It is important for children to be able to handle some basic disappointment, and learn to be patient. The most importance lesson to teach them here is that instant gratification will not be there in adulthood. Teaching your children the importance of distinguishing between wants and needs is an important lesson that will go to ensure that they grow to be financially responsible adults.

4. Teaching your children about personal finance. 
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” To support the previous point, think about your children and how they will eventually handle money as young adults. Share this interest with them by teaching them those lessons and practical strategies for managing finances, a concept we have discussed in detail in a previous article titled “Four money rules for your children.”

5. Having an updated will. 
If you have a will, you can determine what happens to your assets in the event that you and your spouse die. You can spell out division of assets, and how  they will be distributed. This will save your family the legal headaches and ensure that they know all your assets and where they are.

You can send your comments or questions to info@zimele.net , or visit our offices at Ecobank towers, 7th floor, Muindi Mbingu street.

Quote of the Week:   “Success is not so much what we have as it is what we are.” Anonymous

Everyone has different priorities in life; however, your finances should always take a front seat in these priorities. Organizing your financial life and deciding what is important does not have to be a burden if you learn how to do it right the first time. Four primary ways to prioritize your financial life include: Invest now for later, pay yourself first, save for a rainy day and always pay bills on time. 

Learn to differentiate between good debt and bad debt, get out and stay out of debt, among others… In a lot of ways, once you have your financial life on track, it helps you to keep the rest of your life heading in the right direction. This is not to say that money is the source of happiness in life, because it is not. However, when your money situation is in order it may help to alleviate stress that affects other areas of your life. Below are a few pointers to help you lead a healthy financial life:

1. Figure out where you are

Before you start worrying about where you want to go, you first have to figure out where you are now. Your net worth is one of the best barometers for measuring financial health, and it provides an easy way to detect whether a longer-term problem may be emerging. You can easily create a net worth statement by tallying up the value of what you own (your assets) and what you owe (your liabilities). When you subtract your liabilities from your assets, you get your net worth. On comparison from one period to another, if your net worth is going down or is negative, you are eroding your finances and making it harder to achieve your goals. 

2. Track your spending

The key to building a strong financial plan for the future is to understand how much you spend and save right now. This is called tracking your cash flow, and it can give you a sense of control and confidence that makes it easier to make financial changes in your life. Obviously, if you are living on a fixed income, this becomes even more important, and establishing monthly spending targets makes it easier to track. The problem with most of our finances is that we talk about it, but we never consolidate and organize our financial data in an easily manageable way so that we can know at any given time exactly where we stand. Using financial planning tools that are personalised to fit your personal finances is one of the best ways to do it.

For instance, utilising a Personal Expenses Diary where you record all your expenses over a certain period of time, so as to be able to diagnose your general financial shape; or sticking to your monthly budget religiously, among others. Whichever way you do it, the exercise is very revealing, bearing in mind that it is hard to really see the complete financial picture unless you write it down. 

3. Adjust your spending

If your expenses are higher than your income then you are living beyond your means and you need to adjust your expenses accordingly so that you don’t go deep into debt. This step is not about punishing yourself or laying blame but it will help you to cut your expenses (or increase your income) so that you can achieve your financial goals much faster. Big events in life can disrupt even the best strategies. Getting married, having a child or even going back to school will require that you make many financial decisions. The main question here is: ‘What has changed in my life that may change items in my financial plan?’ The important thing is to keep reviewing your spending vis a vis your current life stage, to see that you always maintain a state of living within your means. 

4. Set your life goals

Financial goals don’t just happen, you have to make them happen. This step requires you to assess where you want to be 5, 10 or 20 years from now and answer some big questions, such as where you want to live in retirement and when you want to stop working. One tip is to visualize what your life will be like 10 years from now if all goes according to plan. Most people’s goals are realistic, such as keeping up their current standard of living in retirement (with maybe a few upgrades), preventing any financial disasters, and having the freedom to do the things they love, such as spending more time with friends and family. The challenge is however how to structure your finances so that you can achieve your goal and vision.

Bottom Line:

Once you know where you are going, you need a plan to get there. The usual route is to spend less than you earn and invest the surplus in such a way that you can get to your destination much faster. At its core, your strategy is not simply about money. It is about finding the best way to finance what you want out of life, whether that is spending more time with family and friends or building your career, among others. We are all encouraged to ask ourselves, repeatedly, what we can do to be happier and better off a year from now, whether that is saving more money, paying off debt, changing careers or doing more charitable work, being better off is about improvement.

You can send your comments or questions to info@zimele.net , or visit our offices at Ecobank towers, 7th floor, Muindi Mbingu street. You can also follow us on our facebook page- Zimele Asset Management ( Kenya)

The Oxford English Dictionary defines an emergency as an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action. With regards to our personal finances, such emergencies could take the form of losing a job, unexpected medical bills due to sudden illness, car repairs, among others.

How we respond to a financial emergency and how we come out of it is entirely dependent on how well prepared we are to tackle it. That is what an emergency fund is meant for: In essence, funds set aside to be used in an emergency, thereby serving the purpose of improving financial security by creating a safety net that can be used to meet emergency expenses as well as reduce the need to use high interest debt, such as credit cards, as a last resort.

For most people, denial (hoping that, against all odds, an emergency will never catch up with us), and procrastination (putting it off until the day we will feel that we have more income to spare) play almost equal roles in sabotaging our efforts to have an emergency fund. However, nothing hurts your finances more than not having money you can access easily in the event that an emergency does occur. For most of us, the excuses are the same:

i) I cannot afford to set aside money: 

The truth is that you need an emergency fund the most when you are just starting out or living from pay cheque to pay cheque. This is because, at this time especially, an unforeseen event could devastate your finances and force you to borrow money, which will obviously set you back even further financially. The conventional wisdom is to have enough funds set aside to cover three- to six-months’ worth of living expenses.

ii) I can use a credit card to cover emergencies: 

Credit cards can be very powerful in terms of personal financial planning, but it is never advisable to pile up any kind of debt where a less expensive alternative could have been utilized. Paying interest on any amount of debt is almost like giving away money that could otherwise have earned you interest elsewhere. 

iii) I can do it later when I have more money: 

Unfortunately, procrastination is a crippling habit. Someday never comes, and the older you get, the harder it is to break bad habits.  Putting off savings and investments also robs you of the benefits of time, which is one of the greatest factors in successful wealth  accumulation. It is through saving little by little that you are able to accumulate vast amounts of money over time.

iv) I deserve a little luxury: 

The purpose of having a healthy savings plan is not to deny yourself the pleasure of buying things you like today. Not only should you be saving for emergencies, but you should also reward yourself by saving for things you may want to indulge in sometimes, which could be made easier by creating separate accounts for various savings goals, including occasional treats.

Other than the peace of mind that an emergency fund gives you, an emergency fund is the best kind of ‘insurance’ you can have to cover many of life’s unexpected expenses. A lot of financial difficulties can be traced back to a few common root causes, and one of these is lack of emergency savings. However, it is important to recognize what a true financial emergency looks like. Here are some examples of things it is okay to spend your emergency fund on: Making ends meet when you are unemployed, medical emergencies, essential car repairs, critical home repairs, recovering from a natural disaster, among others.

Conclusion:

Ultimately, the best way to be prepared for unexpected expenses is to rely on yourself – and an emergency fund is the best way to do that. An emergency fund is just one component of your overall financial health and ignoring it could prove to be very costly down the road. It is important to balance saving for emergencies with your other financial priorities, like paying down high-interest debt and saving for retirement.

You can send your comments or questions to info@zimele.net , or visit our offices at Ecobank towers, 7th floor, Muindi Mbingu street. You can also follow us on our facebook page- Zimele Asset Management ( Kenya)

Since that early age that you only remember things vaguely, we have had enough lessons learnt from the Holy Book, depending on your faith.

One of the greatest lessons and a favorite of most preachers is “GIVING” (like we have not heard it already), forgive me but it has become too much! Why continue giving while we have some of these pastors out there?http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2011/06/07/the-five-richest-pastors-in-nigeria/

And your neighbor is walking barefoot or is hungry? Even so, clear your conscience and give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.

Away from that, we may think that money is the root of all evils and maybe it truly is but that is if it’s not used in the correct way. From the biblical understanding we get the knowledge (tips) and the inspiration to save and invest. If you have been following this blog you will notice that the following are just as a summation of what we have been talking about but more so in a spiritual point of view:

Steady plodding brings PROSPERITY; hasty speculation brings poverty (Proverbs 21: 5):

Being therefore consistence in accumulating your wealth/ savings and diligently doing so, regardless of the tough economy, will give an opportunity for financial growth and prosperity. Do not rush into decisions when it comes to investing, sit and ponder taking into consideration income and expenditures and how much you want to be putting aside; at the same time taking into consideration your character, whether you are the risk taker or the risk averse type. Know yourself, and always look for an investment that will work for you.

Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on earth (Ecclesiastes 11:2):

Diversify: need I say more about this? Do not put all your eggs in one basket. Many of us right now are aware of the current slump of the Kenyan economy and the steady decline of the shilling. The cost of living has escalated to scary heights and we cannot do anything about it but watch it unfold like a horror movie . As you look into investing, always make sure you have a safe haven, if you may call it so, to run to, to avoid the wrath of times like this.

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds…; (Proverbs 27:23-24):

Once you have made that solid decision to invest, be it in the unit trust using fund managers or the stocks using a stock broker, you can rest assured that your investment is being taken care of. However, reviewing the performance of your investment on a personal level would be ideal. Remember you are on a mission to achieve the financial goals you set and to do so, take the initiative to assess your investment portfolio every once in a while.

Visit our office any time for personal financial advice or you can talk to us though our contact details on this page…

Quote of the Week:   “Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind. The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another.” Marva Collins

Children are often left out where money matters are concerned simply because it is assumed that this is not a matter of importance to them. However, it is never too early to start teaching your children about money. Children can be introduced to the value of money using piggy banks while older children can learn to manage finances through  games like monopoly.
The first and most important step would be to start talking about money matters at home with your children. This will create the attitudes and lay the foundation for their future actions. In a previous article (Five financial lessons for your kids-issue 41/10), we talked about financial lessons for your children. This article will specifically focus on some golden rules about money to pass along to your children.

1. A penny saved is a penny earned.
Inculcating a savings culture in children is very important, and should be done as early as possible. However, teaching children to save money is not easy. They usually want to spend money they receive immediately. Often to encourage savings, you may need to show children the benefits of saving in very straightforward ways. For instance, for every shilling that a child saves, you could offer to put up a matching contribution. To make their savings visible and real, have them build up savings in a piggy bank. You could then encourage the child to open a savings account, such as the Zimele Savings Plan, and make deposits regularly. Encourage them to track the interest earned on that account as well. This way, the child is able to grasp the basic concept of saving money and earning interest on it.

2. Stick to the budget.
As a parent it is your primary responsibility to equip your children with life skills. Learning how to properly manage a budget is one of life’s most valued skills; both spending and saving habits can be taught early on. If you show them an appropriate balance between the two, you can save them many years of financial difficulty.
To effectively instil this habit, it would be important to give your children an allowance; a little money that they can spend on their own. Once you start giving your children an allowance, you can then encourage them to identify fun things to spend their money on. For older children, prioritizing the list can be a helpful challenge.
For instance, a good way of doing it would be hanging a picture of a wanted item of their wish list on the wall, to remind them of that they are working towards. That way, they can plan on the allowance they receive, so that they can afford to buy the object they desire within a given time period. Of great importance where sticking to a budget is concerned, is being able to distinguish between needs and wants. This will  help them to be more disciplined with their money. Let them know that it is okay to treat yourself with wants but only when you have the extra cash to spend.

3. Stay out of debt.
Children learn by watching how their parents behave, so parents need to be good role models. In this case, it would be advisable to avoid actions that encourage debt accumulation, such as using a credit card in front of your children. Encourage them to live within their means by only buying things they can afford, and paying for them in full, and in cash.

4. Giving back is the best gift.
Donating to charities, including volunteering in your community, is a very important value for children to learn. At a young age, children can donate clothes and toys to churches and other institutions. Ultimately, the aim is not to mould children who only care about money and material possessions, it is to raise children who grow into adults who are financially aware and who are comfortable managing the various aspects of money-whether spending, saving, investing or giving back.

Conclusion:
With the right lessons and planning, your kids, as they grow older, may be able to avoid money traps like getting deep in debt, and embrace sound strategies as they save for big purchases such as graduate school, a home, and even retirement.

You can send your comments or questions to info@zimele.net , or visit our offices at Ecobank towers, 7th floor, Muindi Mbingu street. You can also follow us on our facebook page- Zimele Asset Management ( Kenya)