Hello good people,
I have been employed for two years now and i get a fairly good salary .I realize employment is a good way to earn a living but it does not really secure the future. Allow me to share with you an indicative breakdown of my income and expenditure:

Income(net): 170,000 (Salary)

Expenditure:
Rent: 15,000
Family:15,000
Other Expenses: 20,000

I have savings of 400,000 sitting in a bank ( I know that is silly!)
I have being doing some reading on investment options, including stocks, forex, trusts,real estate.....however the info is too much to process quickly. Wazuans please share your vast investment experience with me.
Thanks in advance!

@mashaa,
Maybe you should be in the shylocking biz..

How old are you?
Put that silly 400K in NSE even with your eyes shut.
Save and but a couple of plots in Kitengela,then come we talk again.

Its not how much s/he makes; its how much s/he's retaining - in this case, 120k per month. Imagine that amount per month chanelled into investment..

Investment has never been a function of your earnings, but is directly correlated to your discipline.

Mashaa, this is a very good question/problem/issue that you have raised. Sisters and brothers in the diaspora (USA, UK, Australia etc) confront the same issue (I do not want to call it a problem ha ha. Surely insights from investors in this forum will be helpful to the thousands with comparable incomes and inability to invest wisely. Wazuan's respond to Mashaa's question - many will appreciate your advice/insights.

1. You have a good job. I don't know what you do, whether you like it or if its permanent, but maybe your net salary will be 220k in 2012, 280k in 2013, 350k in 2014... If you can grow your salary by 25% - 100% anuually, do a good job @ work. This is a good investment on its own.

2. Consider land for speculation / development.

3. Only enter the stock markets as an investor... pick 3-4 stocks that you like and invest monthly kidogo kidogo... You can review this list maybe 2 - 3 times a year and add/remove a stock.

4. Don't speculate in stocks if you don't know what you are doing... someone out there who is better than you will be betting against you and will most def take your money.

5. If you have a wife and/or kids you should seriously consider a mortgage... in my opinion assuring them of a roof over their heads is even better than life insurance...

6. You should try and invest in what lets you sleep at night... money is supposed to buy you financial freedom / security not stress.

There are limitless options when it comes to investing. I all depends on your risk appetite and your long term goals. You can do any of these AND many more. I'm sure you can walk AND chew gum at the same time.

I admire your austerity... Good luck.

Mashaa for president! Talk about declaration of wealth!

Wow! You live on less than 30% of your salary...very commendable. I suggest:

1. Start getting into stocks. You can do this on a monthly basis with say about 50k. Vist the investor section of wazua and you will get useful tips as to what stocks to get into. Average investing in particular stocks over time will yield better than average returns.

2. You are very scared of debt. However, there is good debt and bad debt. Bad debt is like when you get unsecured loan to indulge in consummables while good debt is when you borrow to buy income yielding assets such as rental real estate. Now in your case I suggest you use some of your savings as margin to obtain some 'good' real estate with a good bank. Remember, someone with a much lower salary may overtake you due to their tolerance for risk then you regret later when its too late....avoid that.
3.Stick toy your current savings culture. That discipline is inspiring.

@ Merchant, Thanks. I am studying about stocks, and i like the wazua stock forum. It is very resourceful. For starters...i intend to do as you adviced. Invest small amounts in stocks on a monthly basis. I am averse to financial risks, but i guess i will have to overcome the fear. I think a combination of stocks and real estate investments is a good option. What do you think?