Join me in setting a financial vision for the next decade

2020 is here and with it it means we have completed the 2nd decade of the 1st century of the 3rd millennium.

For most of us Kenyans, the year 2030 has been in our subconscious. The government vision 2030 might have seemed a long way into the future, guess what we are only 10 years away. I wonder whether the government knows that yet.

Over the last 2 months, I have spent lots of hours asking myself where I want my family’s financial health to be by the end of this decade. After various brainstorming sessions the following things stood out. I want to have:

• A Growing portfolio of passive income
• A Portfolio of assets that I can use as collateral
• Basic household expenses that will not be financed by primary income

In this article, I will touch lightly on each of the above. We will then discuss in depth in later sessions.

Passive income

This is income you earn with minimal effort. Your side hustle doesn’t fall into this category. Types of passive income include interest, dividends, royalties etc. This type of income stream is attractive because even when you are sleeping you always wake up richer than when you slept. Passive income from interest and dividends is a function of how much you have invested. Over the next decade I want to grow my portfolio of interest bearing investments so that I can fund all family vacations from interest.

Assets that can be used as collateral

True wealth is never achieved via salary. If you are looking to become wealthy you need to understand how your salary plays a part in it. As you grow older your salary grows at a significantly slower rate than your expenses. For those in their 30s+ can I get an Amen. Therefore the best thing you can do in your youth is to acquire assets that you can use as collateral in the future. This includes land, property etc. The key thing to note is that at some point in your life you will need to be able to raise (borrow/liquidate) a significant amount of money to fund a project/investment. If you don’t have viable assets that appreciate over time then your salary will not come to your rescue. Note for long term planning your car doesn’t fall into this category because it depreciates over time.

Basic household expenses

Being able to cover things like rent, utilities (electricity, water, internet, Netflix), food, and clothing without touching salary is going to be a liberating achievement. For me this is a point I will be excited to reach.

This for me is a state of accomplishment knowing that my salary will not be used towards consumption rather it will be deployed to investments. The next decade might seem like a long time to go but time flies by when you are busy living life. Take a moment to reflect where you were in Jan 2020. Did you have a vision of where you should be now or did you just find yourself here?

I want to start this decade by creating a vision of what I want to accomplish financially for my family. If I am alive Jan 2030, I can look back, heed the life lessons learnt and smile from the success gained.

Take Aways

Take a moment this January and ask yourself what your financial vision for this decade is. Jot down a maximum of 4 goals that you will strive towards. Then find an accountability partner and share them. Make sure your goals are specific and measurable. Let’s hope to be still alive in 2030 and get a chance to review and reminisce the moment we actively influenced our financial destiny.