Very few Ugandans are confident in their financial situation ~ Finscope Report(2023)

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By Arthur Moses Opio

I kept asking myself whether I should pen this down or not. Let me start with this question, "Are you confident in your financial situation?” For me, my answer is a straight NO and it’s down to many factors. A majority of the factors are external and being in what Kiyosaki termed the rat race just makes it even worse. 

The Finsope report I have been reading says, 

"Very few Ugandans are confident in their financial situation. Only 11% are satisfied with their financial situation. 60% of adult Ugandans are not confident in their financial plans for old age.”

These are some of the things that breed low confidence in the financial situation many of us are in [Some Excerpts Are From The Book, How To Secure Your Financial Future by Dr. Sunday Adelaja]

1. Lack of financial education(Education system designed to only create employees): We have gone through school and many of us have never had a curriculum about money. In fact we know too few things about money that when the topic is raised, it is a taboo.
2. We are looking for miracles (We even have to sow seeds to twist the arm of God): Don’t get me wrong miracles do happen but more than ever, we need people to know that it’s through diligence and working (exchanging your time or skills for an income) that many of us have to embody. We might argue and say, ah! My family and friends have got my back. How long can that be sustained? Emergencies keep coming.
3. We have financial goals but many of them are not clear, they are vague: e.g I want to earn 10m, how can that happen if it’s not specific. We have no strong reasons to even backup why we need the 10m. 
4. We don’t pay ourselves: When we get paid, we pay everyone else but ourselves. The solution is to put yourself on the payroll.
5. We are not part of a supportive environment: Our environments determine a lot how we interact with this money thing. So many years ago, a colleague pushed me to get a loan but I got denied. No one was pushing me to invest but I was just being told, since you earn a salary you can get a loan but for what.
6. The world system is a trap in itself - Imagine, we try so much to keep up like the Jones, David’s and Michael’s: We have basically bench marked our lives against so and so, it’s even worse if they are on social media and we don’t know them personally. I imagine the village man has less money pressures, he can’t go homeless because he has built his hut but here in the city where we can’t grow food, you pay for almost everything, without money, life sacks,  in the US, people go homeless.
7. Celebrities: We have a dominant culture that celebrate Celebrities. In the previous years, everyone wanted to be like Mike, so we were sold AIR Jordans and to have one was to show that you have arrived. DSA says, "Advertisers and companies parade them and use them to sell products. They know the culture has esteemed these athletes so much, everybody wants to be like them. Advertisers have used campaigns like “BE LIKE MIKE” to sell us shoes and other products because they knew people wanted to be like the legendary American basketball player Michael Jordan. Even entrepreneurs who have made billions within 5 to 10 years are constantly in the news. We are always told how much they are worth and the size of the companies they have built. They have superstar status around the world. They are ranked in world famous magazines such as Forbes in order of their wealth; the one with the highest net worth is ranked first. As a result, many people are living for achievements, to make money so that they too can be celebrated.”
8. Debt Trap: The argument of debt is not one many of us can win. Yours truly was educated through loans and I think the gist of the matter comes down to management. I would argue not to go for it unless you are getting to top up on something you have already started and need a boost but I might be wrong and stand to be corrected. I just know debt can be one huge trap. Banks are aggressive in Marketing debt products. To wed, there are now loans ready to be quickly cashed in. I will share a few stats on debt later on.

We need to do soul searching to help us in this area. If only 11% of Ugandans are confident of their financial situation then how about the 89%. Many of us are in the 89% bracket but the good news is the knowledge is there. Over the weekend while having a chat with a couple, one of them remarked and said, "I have the plans, the only problem has been execution. What I learn from your talk is that I must get out and execute."

I once learnt that, "The only way to permanently change the temperature in the room," said T. Harv Eker, "is to reset the thermostat. In the same way, the only way to change your level of financial success ‘permanently’ is to reset your financial thermostat.”

I got a message from a follower on X and this is what he said,

"I am grateful for your guidance into @XenoUganda. I have experienced growth personally and with my family on the values of savings and investment. Not only me, but My friends and relatives are Learning with me as well"

How we respond to external factors is also key in developing confidence. The stoic Marcus Aurelius says, "You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength." - It is also written in the scripture, "As a man thinks so is he." So yes, we can only control our mind. Like my friend who decided to ask about Xeno, learn and start investing, his testimony is clear that he has experienced growth.

So let us build our financial confidence by reseting, by dealing with the root not the fruit. Let God guide you and I as we do our self reflection.

70% Ugandans survive on borrowing - FSD Uganda Study

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

By Arthur Moses Opio

We all read that statement that was screaming on the Daily Monitor news paper on 15 April, 2024. The report is based on a study by FSD Uganda and it said, "Seven out of every 10 Ugandans were operating a personal budget deficit(needing more money to than they are earning to cover their personal budget" Now, 70% is huge. What are the 30% doing that the 70% aren’t doing? The report continued to say, "More Ugandans are relying on their family and friends, personal savings, and borrowing to manage their budget deficits than was the case in 2018."

What’s notable in this, is that Ugandan’s have personal savings and compared to 2018, 60% of Ugandans are now saving which is a good thing. In their 2017 SDG report, Afro Barometer said, "Ugandan’s saving rate was at 12% compared to Kenya(23%), Rwanda (18%) and Tanzania (13%)" Generally we have been doing badly. I need to find out what our stand is currently but an improvement of 60% should be applauded. 

But saving is not enough, it is the first step. Even if savings is up. Finscope report says, "Most Ugandans are not managing their budgets well." and failure to manage picks into things like extensive borrowing to meet a budgeting deficit as stated above. If you are lucky to have personal savings that is good, then the only worry is that you are probably eating into your wealth building tool. Savings should be categorised, emergency savings and investment savings. 

You can make and save money, but if you are having more months than money, the problem is not the income. It's your money management. We have to develop high income skills levels to enable us manage this money resource well. 

Paul Busharizi once wrote an article titled, "Perpetuating the poverty among the elite" and said, "There is the Urban legend of the manager who cannot make his salary stretch to the end of the month, while his driver who earns a fraction of his salary, not only gets to the end of the month, but has enough left over to invest in his growing empire of mizigo rentals." He further said, "The difference between the two men is that the boss is focused on consumption lifestyle while the driver is focused on investing. And that is the crux of the matter. There are only two ways to spend your money, you either “eat” it or invest it."

There is no doubt economic times are hard but we have to be smarter. Money management is a skill that we all must harness. Even if we are doing fairly well, we must keep learning to avoid slipping back. So manage whatever little  money you have well. It's a much needed skill. We are all victims of poor financial management but we can be better.

So these are some of the things the 30% are doing:

1. They have financial goals.
2. They have a financial plan.
3. They have a budget.
4. They track their expenses
5. They live below and within their means
6. They are investing in appreciating assets like Bonds, Treasury Bills, Fixed Deposits, Unit Trusts that offer at least 10%. They know there is a limit to how much they can cut their expenses, so they focus on increasing their means.
7. They are involved in producing goods and services. If they aren’t directly producing, they own shares of companies that are producing goods and services.

So once again, I remind us, let us build that emergency fund. UGX 1,000,000 is a good target to begin with. In case of a challenge, you will have that as your first rescue point. It is your fire extinguisher, you need it badly, I badly need it. 

Don’t ignore the power of putting 10,000 UGX aside, if you do it for 7 days, that’s already 70,000 in your emergency pot. XENO CIS allows you to save as low as 10,000 UGX, you can dial *165*5*7# my referral code is XENO84105. 

For more information about XENO click this link.

With almost 11%, This Can Be An Alternative Source of Income

Photo by Tech Daily on Unsplash

By Arthur Moses Opio

I read something profound this week on social media. Livingstone Mukasa said, "I explained to him that 10% interest is better than 100% consumption any day, anytime."

Livingstone was talking about how, "What percentage of your money do you put to work for you?" He talked about a lady who has worked for the bank for 15 years and all she has is NSSF which will give an interest when it’s declared this year. He also talked about another person who earns 6m UGX but takes home 1.8m saying, "His Mercedes Benz C Class is about to be confiscated by the Moneylender." and that "He is now looking for a pastor to pray for him. He thinks he is cursed!"  - He isn’t cursed, he just has a money management problem not an income problem.

The statement 10% interest is better than 100% consumption was towards the man who earns 6m and "thinks one should save when they get a lump sum." - We can never have all the money, wealth is gathered little by little (Proverbs 13:11)

A friend once said, "I am paying the price of regret. It is a huge price. I remember having lots of money in my bank account. Had I at least put it in the Unit Trust, I would have enough to carry me through this rough patch."

You see when you are in a desert, the camel that’s used as your transport must be fed. If it’s not fed. It dies and so do you.  I learnt from Reno Omokri "that the camel is your future." He then stated "As you make money today, don't eat all. Feed the future. Invest money for tomorrow, or you may die before your time."

Remember, Proverbs 21:20 "The wise have wealth and luxury but fools spend whatever they get." Verse 17 of the same chapter says, "Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich."

So Why Unit Trusts?

• Unit trusts give you a passive income
• Unit trusts offer you risk-sensitive options
• Unit trusts give you liquidity 
• Unit Trusts are structured for security
• Perks of Scale  
• Professionally Managed
• Tax-exempt Income
• Flexibility 

Source (My Xeno)

I will share with you performances of two CISs/Unit Trust Funds (XENO and UAP)

XENO offers goal based investing. You can dial *165*5*7# and start investing with as low as 10,000 UGX. Through the USSD, you will just sign up because they have an MOU with MTN and this makes it easy, you don’t need an ID or Passport Photo but via web myxeno.com or APP, you need to provide those other details and within 2 days, your account will be active.

XENO invests your money in four asset classes (Bonds, Money Market Funds, Regional and Domestic Equities) as show in the picture above. The last two are volatile and because many are risk averse, a little percentage of your money is put in that asset class.  Annnual management fee is 1.5% p.a for Money Market Fund and 2.0% p.a for the Bonds.

UAP saves money in Bonds, Commercial papers, Fixed Deposits, Offshore investments, Local Stock Market. They have three funds, Money Market Fund(MMF), Umbrella Trust Fund and Balanced Fund. For the Umbrella Fund, their main objective is capital preservation and generation of consistent income with low to medium investment risk. You need a minimum of 100,000 UGX. Annual management fee is 2% p.a.

XENO Performance in the last 6 months:

1. Feb, 29, 2024 ( MMF - 11.16% Bond - 14.79%)
2. Jan, 31, 2024 (MMF - 11.70% Bond - 15.20%)
3. Dec, 31, 2023 (MMF - 11.51% Bond - 15.62%)
4. Nov, 31, 2023 (MMF - 11.76% Bond - 15.70%)
5. Oct, 31, 2023 (MMF - 11.93% Bond - 15.62%)
6. Sept, 31, 2023 (MMF - 11.92% Bond - 15.33%)

MMF

BONDS

• On average, some one gets around 13% from XENO with some exposure to the volatility in regional & domestic equities.

UAP Performance in the last 6 months:

1. Feb, 29, 2024 - 11.02%
2. Jan, 31, 2024 - 11.21% 
3. Dec, 31, 2023 - 11.49%
4. Nov, 31, 2023 - 11.02%
5. Oct, 31, 2023 - 11.24%
6. Sept, 31, 2023 - 11.07%

• On average someone gets 11%

There are other Funds like ICEA, Sanlam, etc. that are doing the same. These are alternative investment vehicles. 

This is low risk, so guys who are heavily involved in business will say, "ah! That money is too little for me." They are indeed right. Where the risk is high the profits are also quite high and business is one of those areas. You might be the type who says, "I can’t do business for now", but you want to participate in owning shares or lending to government - this can be a good alternative. The key is to invest for long term to benefit from compound interest.

In conclusion, in your investment portfolio, consider having Unit Trust Funds, rather than having money in your bank account where you earn 2% interest against inflation of 3.4%, you are basically earning 1.4% that means your money has lost value and you have no purchasing power. What worsens the situation is our depreciating shilling against the dollar. Keith Kalyegira once said, "When money is seated in the bank, it shows that you are not thinking." So put your money to work, that shows you are thinking. You are the commander in chief and your monies are the soldiers, you can have different battalions - battalion 1 (emergency fund - defence), battalion 2 (investments - freedom fighters).

Why is a school child taught about bank accounts but not about investment accounts? asked Alex Kakande

By Arthur Moses Opio

An apple doesn't fall far from the tree. We are the by product of our upbringing and environment. We can't go beyond what we have been exposed to. If I grew with parent's talking about money in negative ways or just always complaining about how scarce or hard it is to make or even grow - that's what I will carry with all my life.

Alex Kakande recently wrote an article about a dream he has, he started by saying, 

"I have a dream that someday Uganda will transition to an investment-centric society. For an extended period, this nation has thrived on the spirit of entrepreneurship, which is commendable."

"My dream is to witness the growth of our capital markets, not through the participation of a mere 100,000 -200,000 individuals currently in the Capital Market Space, but to grow it to 1 Million people, 5 Million plus Ugandans." 

Alex further said, 

"We need to initiate a paradigm shift towards investment. If an individual aspires to open a salon, they could alternatively purchase a stake in a thriving salon instead of starting from scratch. We need to embrace an investment mindset that appreciates the merits of shared risk, injecting capital into existing businesses, and discussing annual returns."

I responded to his article in the comment section and said, "Alex you have spoken well." You have said and I quote, 

"It is sad to see people well-versed in betting, yet ignorant about buying shares of companies like MTN, Airtel, Stanbic, Bank of Baroda, Dfcu, and others. If people can risk their money in betting, why not in purchasing shares?"

The question then is what is the root cause of all this misalignment? 

Why can't people have a change of mindset?

We all have a financial blueprint and our environments have a strong bearing on how we think and interact with money. From childhood, we have been told money is evil, rich people are evil, you can't have a lot of money and be good, etc. In school we were never taught about money except about cost or buying staff but nothing to do with investment. So we don't have that in our blueprint. Someone earns money and they first thing they think of is spending, they are hooked by the "Shiny Object Syndrome." Some have the Diderot effect, it's something that disturbs them. Some want to play the status game and not the wealth game. Some keep complaining, that life just happens while a wealthy person thinks totally different and says, "I create my life."

In schools, A is still for Apple and not for Asset, B is still for Ball and not for Bonds, C is still for Car and not Capital or Compound Interest, D is still for Dog and not Dividends. With such a curriculum, what do we expect?

All this stuff is by design, our poverty is by design, our mindsets are for consumption and that's by design. The poorer the person, the easier they can be controlled, someone still says, "I want my money where I can see it." That's by design. Our parents were limited to such education, the media can't give the knowledge on Unit Trusts and Bonds the airplay they deserve. Banks that have the money for adverts continue to dominate the airspace, they are always in our faces and what comes to mind first is to have a bank account and not an investment account. 

What you and many others are doing is going to awaken everyone. 

The conversation on money is best taught by the parent at the dinner table or on the way to school because the parent will have the vested interest but parents need financial education - this financial education is key to our problems.

If the boda boda man or builder can even grasp a little bit of this, we can continue to see great take up of these products. It has to be deliberate and intentional but the miseducation is by design, unit trusts continue to take the banks customers and it's now a massive issue.

I trust as we all contribute to the space, we will continue to grow the numbers and ensure this dream is achieved. Every parent reading this article should not only have a bank account but also an investment account for themselves and their children. Monkey see monkey do, we can't preach what we don't practice.

Jaspreet Singh once said, "We can all be investors by owning a share of a company not necessarily starting one." So this speaks to what you are alluding to.

Resolve To Succeed Financially: I now have knowledge I am not poor anymore said Amos Wekesa

Photo by From YouTube

 By Arthur Moses Opio

"If you are resolutely determined to make a lawyer of yourself, the thing is more than half done already... Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing." ~ Abraham Lincoln

A friend of mine called Moses Isiagi resolved he was going to do his Masters in University of Cape Town in South Africa. With that resolve, he kept applying and one day, he tells us, I have gotten an offer, I have been accepted. 

The daunting task now was the money for fees, ticket and many other things. For him, the key thing was to get there. He talked to a few friends and some money was raised. To cut the long story short. He found his way to South Africa, studied and graduated and is now pursuing a PhD. The journey wasn't an easy one, there were so many ups and downs, tough nights, brokenness, etc. but that did not break him, instead it gave him to momentum to resilient to achieve his dream.

The above quote from Abraham Lincoln to a young man who asked how he could become a lawyer is so profound. 

"Your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing". Nothing gets going until we resolve to get started. The inner determination to say, I have what it takes to build this dream is the first step in ensuring the vision or dream gets started. 

While listening to a TikTok video with the handle @cleaningtheairwaves that has been making rounds on social media, I couldn't hold back but put this excerpt into this article as it speaks to the topic of resolve. 

The interviewee Rinah Hicks said, "It will help you so we started that journey how did you identify what do we do and he’d come we sit we talk and he would bring 2000. The first amount he bought was 5000. He used to earn part time I think when he came here, he had earned 19,000 shillings and he gave us 5000 to start his journey. He started his journey and I worked with him for four years. After four years I had grown and moved into a different department and I handed him over to a friend of mine. 2011 Richie now I am approving payments I’m now in operations and I see his a check and a request for payment and I see his name on this thing and it’s 2.4 million shillings. I called him, "Please can we have coffee? Like how did we get here. So what are you asking me? I was consistent sometimes it was 2000 sometimes it was 5000 and then I got to a job and then I just continued." This guy used to eat chapati dondo  once a day just so that he would save money but he remained super consistent. I asked myself, "My darling sister what is in your account at this point in time and I realized I had messed up again because I took it for granted what I had." And he told me he was putting a down payment for an office at Crawford Business Park. I am like what, "So he put his down payment, got a loan for the balance and he rented out and I think now he has paid it off but he has continued to be consistent to this day. Those days he was 2000, 5000, 10000 now it's 100,000 every month. Let me just tell you that one client is the reason I have money wise, one of the reasons.""

Dave Ramsey says, "Your income is your most important wealth building tool." Following through with the story Rinah shared of the man who said he was consistent and continues to be to this day. It seems he knew or knows something about using his income as seed to grow and produce more seeds. He invested, bought an apartment, the apartment continues to give him rent and he continues to invest? What have you resolved to do? 

My first job was as a cleaner. I was earning 10 dollars a month - Amos Wekesa

Amos Wekesa once said, "When I started doing business, it's about 5/6 years, every time my mother looked at me, she could shed tears. It's not until 5 or 6 years ago that she opened up. When I was born she was so poor that she contemplated killing me. She planned to kill me on a Friday not because she did not like me but because the conditions were very difficult for her." Let that sink in, poverty can be that bad, it can make us think of doing crazy things.

I watched the interview between Amos Wekesa and Wode Maya and learnt quite a number of things, he said, "I hadn't eaten meat for so many years, I looked old but I was not that old. I went and served meat and I remember walking home and I cried and told God, 'Why did you make me so poor?' that even meat is such an important thing and that day I made a renewal of my life and that if I get a chance, I will work so hard and my dream was to work so hard to eat a lot of meat."

Today Amos is the face of Tourism in Uganda, he founded PELA commodities to produce grain and he continues to pioneer in many areas in his life. His resolve to work so hard can be seen with the results of his great works through Great Lakes Safari Lodges, Elephant Plains lodge,  Primate Lodge Kibale, Budongo Eco Lodge, Simba Safari Camp, MV Kazinga (boat cruise).

"I understand poverty. I have first hand experience with poverty.  Poverty is very demeaning" says Amos Wekesa. "When we were born, I hardly ate chicken. When I came to Kampala, I went to a slum and I was paying less than 2 dollars. I had this land lady from Hell. She would go and drink and come at 3AM tell me how poor I was."

"My first job was as a cleaner. I was earning 10 dollars a month. I never used to use a car. I would walk 20kms for 3 hours, that was my normal life, I never used to question it but it was also hard, I went to a good school for A-levels, most of my classmates went to University and to be honest it was one of the toughest times finding my former school mates and trying to say, 'hello' some of them would see me from far and cross the road." Amos further says, "One thing I have discovered about life is that once you have done your best in the small job you have been given, the voice will be clear that it is time to move on. But if you go to a job and complain, you will not hear that voice. There is a lady who used to make me katoogo of beans and cassava, I would go home boil and take 3/4 in the evening and 1/4 in the morning. That was my life, from Monday to Monday because I couldn't afford anything."

"For my third job, I became a Tour guide." says Amos Wekesa, "That's when I discovered my gift." I guided the dutch people and I was earning 1 dollar a day and God is my witness, "For my first trip we were doing a camping trip and I guided these guys for15 days, my boss gave me 1,000 Uganda Shillings. I sat in the car and I cried and I said man, after 15 days."

Cutting Water Melon Story: Resolved To Never Ever Be Poor Again

Amos says, " The last day, we had bought watermelon from Lake Bunyonyi. The Tourists asked my boss, 'Why aren't you giving guys something to cut watermelon?' I remember the boss saying, ''You see that guy, I am paying him almost nothing but he can never do better than this in his life. That day In front of Tourists, 'I stood up and I said, but in my life, I will never ever work for you again and I can promise you, I will never ever be poor, I am leaving you today and I will never work for you again. I am just tired of the same stories. The tourists were shocked, they knew I was poor, 'I said No! I now have knowledge I am not poor anymore, I knew my gift and I knew I  was good with tourists and with Tourism as a subject. I went and got my last job where I was a desk guy and earning 35 dollars a month.' So I worked for a year and saved up 200 dollars. On 22nd April, 2001, I registered for Great Lakes Safaris. and 23rd April, 2001 I started Great Lakes Safaris. I looked out for opportunities for weddings on Thursdays, I would show them I have cars for weddings. I would make 5 or 10 dollars. Everyday by 6AM, I would be at the washing bay to make sure the cars were clean and I hand them over for 9 months and that's what made me survive, then I saved up for my first office under a stair case. It was a good location. My first employee was earning 20 dollars a month but it was hard and many voices kept coming."

We all know who Amos Wekesa is. His story highlights how he resolved against all odds to not be poor ever again, this reminds me of a story of a lady called Lisa Nichols echoed a similar statement, “I will never be broke again”. 

We must resolve, that's the starting point. You can tell yourself, "I will save 5, 10, 20m in one year, I will reach half a billion by 40, I will save and invest 'x' amount of money every month, I will study financial education so that I can make better money and investment decisions, etc."

In the interview Amos shares a line that says, "When I think about poverty and how much I went through poverty, I do not waste any resource that I get as a person. In fact, a day of a hungry man, should be a day of inspiration for him."

Abraham Lincolns Story:

Digging a little deeper into the story of Lincoln, From his book, "How To Develop Self Confidence and Influence People by Speaking." Dale writes, "Lincoln walked to borrow every book within fifty miles of his home. Log fire was kept all night in his cabin sometimes he read by the light of the fire. As soon as it was light enough to read in the morning, he rolled over his bed of leaves, rubbed his eyes, pulled out a book, and began devouring it."

We wonder why Lincoln had some of the best speeches but it goes back to his resolve, determination and thirst for knowledge. If he could walk within fifty miles to read, have a log fire to read, wake up and read, then what he pictured himself becoming allowed him to embrace the pain of the process.

How do the above insights and stories from my friend who went to study in SA and Lincoln speak to us about our personal finance. Some people sit back thinking it's too hard to attain what the high fliers are attaining. The high flyers are up there because they went an extra mile. They did not just stop at believing or saying, "I wanted to be wealthy." They acted on their dreams inspite of the hardships they faced. 

• It is possible to get out of debt, you must resolve;
• It is possible to start investing and living a debt free life but you must resolve.
• It is possible to attain any kind of education without excuse but you must resolve.
• It is possible to fund that dream, company, factory from your savings and investments but you must resolve.

 “Fuss has never led anyone to success.” says Julian Wilson. With your determination and plan, get yourself rolling. As Amos Wekesa kept growing, he kept saving and investing for his next goal just like he did to register his company, to rent his first office space under a stair case, to buy his first car for business, etc. 

I conclude this by rechoing what Amos said when he resolved he would never be poor again, He said, "I said No! I now have knowledge I am not poor anymore, I knew my gift and I knew I  was good with tourists and with Tourism as a subject."

We can see from his experiences, he kept gathering knowledge and every experience contributed to his growth. Knowledge is important and many people perish for lack of it. This applies to any discipline including financial education. Dr. Sunday Adelaja says,"Your pocket might be empty today, but if your mind is filled up, then you are not poor. It is just a matter of time before your filled mind will cause your pocket to be filled up." and Benjamin Franklin says, "Take the money out of your pocket and put it in your mind."

Let us resolve to be great and grow in our financial knowledge because as Abraham Lincoln told the young lawyer, "Your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing." Those who learn, earn. Resolve today to get that big hairy financial goal. Resolve to have financial peace, freedom, investments, etc.