@mathualfred: She earns Ksh 800,000 a month, has already saved millions for her son’s university education but she still has one question that every parent should ask. What happens to your children and everything you have planned for them if something happens to you? I recently had a conversation with a single mother of three who is preparing to send her firstborn to university. She has already saved enough to cover the first two years of his education at Aga Khan University. But she wasn’t only thinking about today’s school fees. She was thinking about financial security, emergency funds, protecting her children, buying a home, investing for retirement and building a future that doesn’t depend on anyone else. And what impressed me most? Despite earning KSh 800,000 a month, she has deliberately chosen to live simply because she knows where she wants her money to take her. Her story highlights a financial lesson many people learn too late: A high income does not automatically create wealth. Your money needs structure. A salary without a financial plan can disappear into lifestyle expenses, while a well-planned income can build an emergency fund, pay for education, create investments, protect your family and prepare you for retirement. In this conversation, I break down: • Why earning more doesn’t necessarily make you financially secure • How to build an emergency fund before you actually need it • Why parents need to plan for their children’s education • How to protect your family’s financial future • Why lifestyle inflation can quietly destroy wealth • How to start investing while you’re still young • Why retirement planning should start long before retirement • The importance of budgeting and giving every shilling a responsibility • Why financial planning is about structures, not just income • How to build wealth for yourself, your children and future generations • Why having a financial advisor can help you stay accountable • The danger of procrastinating on your financial goals There is another lesson I share in this conversation: It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark. Your emergency may not have arrived yet. Your retirement may still feel far away. Your children may still be young. Your income may still be coming in every month. But that doesn’t mean you should wait until the storm arrives before you start preparing. Think big. Start small. But start now. Because if you are not intentionally investing for your future, something else is investing for you — poverty, inflation and lifestyle expenses. If you’re a Kenyan professional, entrepreneur, parent or young person trying to build wealth, this conversation is for you. What financial goal are you currently preparing for that your future self will thank you for?

Alfred Mathu

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Region: KE

Wednesday 19 August 2026 12:36:46 GMT