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Showing posts from May, 2007

Your Health and your Money

One book has asked this question, ‘what will it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet loose his own soul?’ I might ask, ‘what will it benefit you to gain so much wealth and not have the health to enjoy it?’ Am deeply moved by the rate at which people’s health is failing these days age not withstanding. Reading I came across this comment, ‘ As many as half of cancer deaths could be prevented if more people made lifestyle changes such as avoiding smoking and excessive sun exposure, eating nutritiously and getting regular exercise and recommended health screenings…’ Its takes falling ill to appreciate ones health, that you can actually loose control of everything and be at risk of actually loosing your life. When you are sick it costs money to recover but what’s even worse maybe the ability to enjoy what you have worked so hard to achieve. We need to be healthy to be able to make the money but also to enjoy it. Below are some tips that could help improve our health, giving

Book Review: The Story of an African Entrepreneur

By Gordon Wavamunno (Wavah Books, 331 pages) (Aristoc Ug. Shs. 15,000/=) I have always believed that business in Africa faced special challenges that the best schools in the West could teach us nothing about. How does business in Africa cope with a poor skill base, high costs of production, corruption, and downright anarchy? How do you pick yourself up after your merchandise has been looted or destroyed by war? How do you work in an environment where a dissatisfied customer can put a gun to your head? How does one rise from a humble village of Rugaaga , Bukanga Sub-county , tearing his shorts, sliding downhill on a banana stem to the commanding heights of our economy? How does one earn the title Professor and conduct lectures at the best business schools, not having attended any? Put aside Kiyosaki and hear it from our very own. Gordon Babala Kasibante Wavamunno tells a riveting, compelling and truly inspirational story of the challenges to doing business in Uganda .

You need a vision to plan well for retirement.

Many years ago, when I was being introduced to computers there was a common phrase that said “what you see is what you get”. Being computer talk, it would not be incomplete without an abbreviation which is stated as “WYSIWYG”. What you see is what you get is a fairly accurate description of vision. Whether you are moderately or extremely successful, the key to that success can usually be traced to a vision that you had earlier life. One excellent illustration of the power of vision is the story of Venus Williams and Serena Williams, two women who have become legends even before they become 30 years old. Before Venus was born, the story goes, her father, Richard Williams, was flipping through the channels, and spotted a tennis match on TV. He began watching it, and when he saw Virginia Ruzico win the tournament, he decided that he loved the sport and wanted to teach his next daughter how to play tennis. He hoped she would become a professional. While she was still young, Richard wou

What is your money mind?

Sticky and Slick are long time colleagues but with opposing money habits. Sticky has an amazing ability to refrain from spending money unless it is absolutely necessary. For instance although Sticky owns a car he only uses it during emergencies like when it rains and it is not possible for him to get to office in time or when his son falls sick in the night and he has to rush him to a medical facility. Slick on the other hand is a happy go lucky fellow who spends so freely that you would be forgiven for thinking that he holds the title deed to a piece of land in the Albertine rift that has proven oil reserves. Now psychologists have found that the possible cause of the difference between the two characters is a result of their money personalities; which is also referred to as their unconscious money mind. A person’s money personality is those tendencies that can drive their financial behaviour with regard to income, expenditure and investments. Four different money personalities ha

Investing as a group

Since the advent of independence, many African countries have explored various ways to encourage and promote savings and investments by especially low earners. These efforts have ranged from cooperative societies, microfinance initiatives and the more recent merry go rounds and investment groups. The cooperative society whether it is for producing, marketing, saving or credit is intended to create synergy for the members. The cooperative system has been around since the 1950s and 1960s. Merry-go-rounds Throughout many African countries a concept has been growing in the last 10 or so years, it is called the ‘merry-go-round’. The ‘merry-go- round’ is a rotating savings group. Members collect money daily, weekly or monthly and at the end of the week or month the money goes to one member. ‘Merry-go-rounds’ do not charge interest to members and members use the money received from the group as they see fit. Some use the money for consumption or investment purpose. The main advantages of ‘mer