A glance from the rear view mirror to the front

We had a class re-union this Saturday. It was fun. What struck me was the fact that most of my classmates are stuck in the present or the past. We are all afraid of the future. What will it hold? There are two constants in life – death and taxes. Most of us are ill prepared for both. Indeed death is an uncomfortable topic.

We stayed clear of discussing our fallen classmates for too long. It was great being frozen in time with men with whom we had navigated adolescence. The refreshments went down nicely and inhibitions were dropped but the masks largely remained. Sibling rivalry is real. We are now beyond competing for school prizes (for academics) or school colours (for sports). Beyond the camaraderie however, was a bit of chest thumping – who had the best real estate, who was a member of the most exclusive club and who had travelled the farthest. I quote Eccl 1:14 “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind”.

Our class mirrors classes from schools across the country. With the passage of time we now have different reference groups. We play in different leagues. The bottom line remains the same – are we adding value, managing risk and making a profit for the glory of God. They didn’t teach us how to manage money back in school. We learned that on the streets and in the trenches. They didn’t teach us that corruption would reach the levels described by our President as standing at KES 2 Billion a day. We figured our way through the system by being incorruptible or partially so, hopefully. Now we watch and ask “When did the rain start beating us?” If truth be told it started beating us on our watch. We said nothing and played ball. Now the chickens have come home to roost. Now in the October of our lives we take stock – how did we run our own personal lives and businesses? Did we save 20% of our earnings and plow it back into sound investments. What legacy will we leave? What is the value of that legacy?

I am a Financial Advisor. I have been to a good Secondary School and two good Universities. I teach what they didn’t teach me and what I learned from the school of hard knocks. I am driven to improve the lives of people like you who have a teachable spirit who want to understand money matters including saving, investment and risk management. People who want to leave a legacy. People who want to remembered. People like you

Nairobi

19 Jan 2021

Email:melvindlima1@gmail.com

Tel:0720297433

 

Merry Christmas and 6 months into the New Year

Merry Christmas. You must be busy gathering funds for school fees, Christmas festivities and end year largesse. Thank you for following my posts. We are at the end of the year 2020. A year like none other. The Kenyan economy chugs along, charmingly. World Bank and IMF loans have flowed in to help us survive the economic shock of the current pandemic. CoVid 19 preparedness made some people rich. You are probably not one of them. 

If employed by Government or a parastatal, brace yourself for more retrenchments as part of IMF/WB loan conditionality. You will be thrust into full time business. Sounds good,thus far? There are other people in small business out there. Like you they are trying to be resilient in the face of multiple shocks to the economic engine in our country.

With or without a BBI referendum, with or without a bloated parliament and senate at taxpayer expense get your house in order. This is the time to review your financial stability. Make sure you have a plan to cover your family expenses for the next 180 days. Make sure your savings and investment plans are in place. Cover yourself against any risks you or your family will face in 2021. As part of your exit strategy make sure your retirement and pension plans are in place. I add value to individuals who seek clarity in financial planning. I am a Financial Advisor. It will only cost you some airtime and/or an internet connection to talk to me. I wish you a Happy New Year, 2021. You will go farther with me as your trusted Advisor. My email add is melvindlima1@gmail.com and my telephone number is +254720297433.

The second wave

A friend killed by Hepatitis C and the resulting Liver cirrhosis. Infection picked up in Mombasa last year. Her funeral is on Friday. One dentist, I know has recovered from CoVid 19. Infectious disease again!! My cousin in Mumbai,India has CoVid 19. What happened to Antivirals?It is never that simple.

Despair in the tone of an older Nairobi dentist. Expatriate dental patients who lived in the Ambassadorial residential districts have left the country. Patients in fear of contracting something in the dental clinic are cancelling their dental appointments, having paid for their treatments in advance !!

A younger dentist upto their neck in debt and with an unsound pricing structure for specialized services laments that his payslip reads nil due to his loan repayments. Another dentist with a child in dental school and a wish to leave a KES 10M legacy to the future dentist in his home. I can't get him to pay a premium for a savings product for his son.All is not well in cash flows to segments of the Kenyan dental industry.

It is not all gloom and doom for all, though. One dental laboratory is mopping up dentist clients from the others. Some dentists are migrating to this laboratory with unpaid bills from other service providers. The proprietor of an old people’s home in Karen has a long waiting list. She is building more rooms to house our old parents.Knowing her, I hope she has heard of cashflow management because whenever one of her charges pops off there is a deposit refund to be paid off. That deposit is about 200000 KES.The temptation to use that deposit to build new rooms must be very high.

The movers and shakers in the medical and dental profession are not buying into the need to collaborate with Business Development Service Providers. Are their members not ready to bounce back after CoVid 19 disruption to their businesses? Are they are not ready to grow? Are they are not ready to access capital? I don’t know – some are on strike; some are demotivated by delayed salaries; many are angry.

You need a crystal clear value proposition. You need a lead magnet for prospects. You need to convert suspects into prospects and then into sales a.k.a cash so that your business can be sustainable. The rest are important details. Like your business model. Like your adoption of new technologies including Artificial intelligence and Machine learning. Like if you are not leveraging on Information and Communication Technology expect to be swept away by the second wave. Disruption takes no prisoners.

Do you want to enter into a structured program where you can boost your earnings, savings and investments in this season.I am giving away scholarships to this program. Aspire to thrive despite all that is going on around you. You may want to talk to me.I am only a phone call away #0720297433

How to pay a Britam Life Insurance Policy through Mpesa

 1. Select “Pay Bill” from the M-Pesa menu.

2. Enter the BritamPay bill number 541400.

3. Enter your full Britam account number e.g. 204-3785

4. Enter the amount you wish to pay.

5. Enter your M-Pesa PIN.

6. Confirm that all details are correct.

7. You will receive a confirmation of the transaction via SMS. 

8. Send us the transaction message through customerservice@britam.com in the event you do not receive a confirmation message from us within 2 working days.

We are also happy to inform you that you can now access your policy details/statement on the go and even download a statement whenever you need by signing up to the Britam Customer Connect Portal https://customerconnect.britam.com.

 

Should you require any further assistance or clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us via customerservice@britam.com or call us via 0705 100 100. 

 

Thank you for choosing Britam as your preferred financial services provider.

I am because you are - The Ubuntu philosophy applied

The end of the month.Bills to pay.Food to put on the table.A life to live.You have set goals.If not, have an urgent meeting with yourself. Seek professional advice if you have to. Each goal has a price tag. Goals are short,medium and long term with sometimes progressively higher price tags.

How do you save in this season? Some belt tightening is necessary. Spend prudently. Survey the market for lower prices. Negotiate with sellers. Join other buyers and buy in bulk. Start and grow an emergency fund even if you had one in the past.

I am in the Savings, Investment and Risk management advisory space. Like you, I am called upon frequently to contribute to those in financial distress. It is part of our social responsibility. It is the right thing to do. You are your brother's keeper.I have a dream - that one day fewer and fewer of us will be in financial distress.

My mission is to educate whoever has a teachable spirit. I will walk with those who have ears and eyes. The journey with me must start. You need a couple of thousands to save for your goals, to overcome the hurdles in your life's path. We are all on our own path. Let yours be a well planned path. You have a listening ear in me.

I am a Coach, Mentor and Financial Advisor.Do you want to feel better? Do you want to help me live out my purpose as an educator? Reach out to me on 0720297433. We can do this. Join the enlightened, on the road to financial stability.Read this testimonial from somebody I am working with, who is on the path to financial and social inclusion ....https://bit.ly/307cXhq

With all my respect, for His greater glory.

Testimonial - Coaching

Dr Melvin D'lima,

Thank you for enlightening me on  many things which I wouldn't have paid attention to as I couldn't unravel what was going on  in my life. I thank you for being open and agreeing to walk this journey with me. I feel so light..a shift in my being.

LK

Kiambu 

25 09 2020

The ninth month and pregnant with hope

The hustle and bustle of city traffic is a sign of heightened economic activity. We are told that at a population level, this CoVid 19 epidemic has peaked and the curve is flattening. The risk for high risk, sub-sections of the population, still exists. Wear a mask in public and wash your hands. It is raining but Nairobi Water Supply Company has chosen to ration the commodity. Store it whenever it is flowing in your taps.

Functional and dysfunctional families are down to basic needs. Fault lines have appeared between some spouses due to the stressful times. Domestic violence and other social ills directed largely at women and children are on the increase.

In the hospitality business, they are down. Some are not out. They have re-invented themselves despite strict new public health regulations. Business though, is down. New risks to be managed have emerged. Income streams have to be increased. The temptation to throw in the towel and give up is very real. Does this sound very abstract?

Courts of law are closed, in the main. Lawyers who specialized in litigation are not busy. Kenyans love land, having been dispossessed of the same, in colonial and post-colonial times. Land is now changing hands. Ask any Lawyer who deals with conveyancing (a.k.a the legal side of buying and selling land).It is a buyers market out there.

Elsewhere Kenya Airways has a special offer for Doctors on their local flights. I wish more physicians take could take advantage of this offer. Doctors are not a

financially happy lot. Many are unemployed, many others run helter skelter chasing part time jobs without promises of a Pension plan. There are outliers at Nairobi Hospital but they

are in the news for all the wrong reasons.

My passion is to teach, to mentor, to coach others to achieve their purpose. To influence folks to earn an honest income by adding value while exercising their passion. I could lead you to a place where you save, borrow, invest and manage risk responsibly. In other words create and manage wealth. I am in my power zone when I am empowering others to be financially stable. Do you need to be empowered, financially? Reach out to me on 0720297433 for a no obligation consultation. You will not be disappointed