Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from October, 2013

How Do I Save When I Earn So Little?

This undoubtedly is a question that most people have asked themselves at one point or another. “The monthly income I get is barely enough to cover the essentials”, I have had people say. In an environment characterised by low disposable incomes, it is not conceivable how people would be expected to have any meaningful savings. In any case, the basic living expenses have to be covered first. While all this may be true, the importance of savings cannot be overemphasized. As individuals, we all have goals and ambitions, and their attainment hinges upon having a solid financial plan. Herein lays the fundamental tenet of savings. One has to lay out a plan detailing what they want to achieve financially and what it will take to achieve it. Warren Buffet, the renowned Billionaire American Investor, is famous for advocating that people should not save what is left after spending, but rather, they should spend what is left after saving. This principle flies in the face of the seeming...

Zimbabwe`s Diaspora Dilemma: Return or Stay Put?

Zimbabwe has witnessed a significant outflow of her citizens over the years. This was one of the effects of the so called ‘lost decade’ where Zimbabweans migrated abroad in droves searching for greener pastures. These now constitute a Zimbabwean Diaspora community scattered around the globe. It would be remiss to fault the thousands who left the country at a time when the country was starring down the barrel; hamstrung by hyperinflation and chronic unemployment. The allure of brighter prospects offered by distant lands was simply irresistible to close the eyes to. The negative upshots this massive drain of skilled human capital has had on the economy have been all too apparent. The nation has been shorn of the expertise of those who could have contributed to the progress of the nation. This argument has steadily gained traction over the years, with the general consensus being that had the Diaspora community been around, they would have positively applied themselves to build a better...