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September 17, 2026|20:24

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Business

Concentrated wealth, distributed risk

Business Day 1 day 1 mins read

YOU CANNOT BUILD WEALTH BY ONLY WORKING HARD FOR MONEY LAWUNMI BIOBAKU image.png For many people, the definition of wealth is simple: earn more money, buy more assets and live a better life. There is nothing wrong with wanting to earn more. In fact, increasing your earning capacity is an important part of financial progress. But earning more money is not the same thing as building wealth. Most people think wealth creation means working hard to increase their earnings. In reality, wealth creation also means putting the money you have earned to work. This distinction becomes particularly important when income suddenly increases. Imagine a professional whose salary moves from ₦500,000 to ₦1 million a month. For many people, the first reaction will be to upgrade their lifestyle. A better apartment. A newer phone. More expensive clothes. More restaurants. More travel. There is nothing inherently wrong with enjoying the benefits of increased income. The problem starts when the entire increase is consumed. A person can double their salary and remain financially fragile because their lifestyle doubled before their financial foundation did. The problem is usually not greed. It is the absence of a structure that tells the additional income what to do. I believe a significant part of any income increase should first strengthen the person’s financial position. If your salary increases by ₦500,000, for example, you could consider directing at least half of that increase towards building your investment portfolio and strengthening your financial foundation, while allowing the other half to improve your lifestyle. That way, your income increase does two things at the same time: it improves how you live today and improves the quality of your financial future. This is the difference between a lifestyle upgrade and a wealth upgrade. A financially successful person, in my view, is not necessarily the person driving the most expensive car or living in the biggest house. It is the person who understands money, has a structure for allocating income, consistently builds an investment portfolio and lives comfortably within their means. They have a financial safety net. They have protection against unexpected shocks. They are not entirely dependent on the next salary payment. Their money is gradually becoming another source of financial strength. This is where investment becomes important. Investment is a catalyst for wealth creation because it allows your money to participate in the work of creating more money. Yet one of the most damaging beliefs I encounter is that investment is only for people who are already wealthy. I believe the opposite. Investment should not only be a tool for the wealthy to become wealthier. It should also be one of the tools available to ordinary people who want to gradually improve their financial position. The challenge is that many people want the result without respecting the process. They want to invest today and become wealthy tomorrow. When legitimate investments do not produce extraordinary returns immediately, they become attracted to schemes promising impossible returns. This is how people fall prey to Ponzi schemes and other quick-money traps. There is an uncomfortable truth we need to accept: there is no legitimate shortcut to sustainable wealth. True wealth is built with time, discipline, knowledge, productive assets and compounding. The earlier you start, the more time your money has to grow. But before investing your money, there is another investment I consider even more important: investing in yourself. I have lost money before. I have lost money to a scam, and I have also lost money through a genuine partnership that did not work out. Those experiences taught me something I will never forget: the first investment should be in your mind. Knowledge does not guarantee that you will never lose money. But the right financial education can help you ask better questions, identify risks earlier and make more informed decisions before putting your money at risk. This is why I believe financial education should not be treated as something reserved for wealthy people. The person earning ₦200,000 needs it. The person earning ₦2 million needs it. The entrepreneur needs it. The salary earner needs it. The professional needs it. Because wealth creation does not begin when you become rich. It begins when you start thinking differently about the money you have. Your income is what you earn. Your spending determines how you live. But what you consistently invest and allow to compound determines, to a large extent, what you can eventually own. The journey to wealth does not begin in your bank account. It begins in your mind. Invest in your mind before investing your money.

How business founders should think about investing In June 2019, Femi Otedola completed the sale of his 75 percent stake

This article was sourced from an external publication.

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