The first time I came across Mrs Nimi Akinkugbe was in the newspapers. She had a regular column in a national newspaper about money matters.Â
I reached out to her by sending her an email and asked if she would contribute to the blog. I was in the early days of Lagosmums and explained what my new blog was all about. She was soo kind and encouraging and agreed to contribute as a guest writer.Â
Over the years we have cultivated a closer relationship. In addition, she has continued to be a regular contributor to the website, as well as being a speaker at some of the past Lagosmums parenting conferences and other events.Â
Here is the link to her very first post on Lagosmums from 2011.
From back then we have built a closer relationship and she is someone I have come to love and respect! As she turned 60 recently, I wondered what to do to celebrate her birthday and I came up with the idea to list 60 things I have learnt from her! It was easier than I thought!
I firmly believe that it is important to have people in your life and circle who are mentors and who encourage you to be a better version of yourself. See my list below!
60 Things I have Learnt from Mrs Nimi Akinkugbe
1. Be bold and reach out
2. It is important to have a budget!Â
3. Have a financial plan that is not only local but global.Â
4. Investing is important, and ensure that your money works for you.Â
5. Do not live for the Joneses, they are broke!Â
6. Live within your means.
7. Be flexible, life has interesting twists and turns.
8. Set work-life balance on your terms
9. Pursue your passion/interests
10. Stay relevant
11. Set goals for everything
12. Expose the children to various extracurricular activities
13. When it comes to your children’s education have plans and a focus e.g. are they talented and can apply these skills to get a scholarship?Â
14. Let your children get tested on a global level as per their interests/gifts/talentsÂ
15. You need to have a will, by the way, a will does not kill.Â
16. Get on boards earlier in your career.Â
17. Have multiple streams of income (pursue your interests)
18. Build your expertise
19. Have a happy marriage
20. Nurture a close relationship with your children
21. Save for your retirement – your children are not your retirement plan
22. Raising polite, well-rounded and sound children is very important.Â
23. Be sensible with all things
24. Have expectations and high standards
25. Be classy and modestÂ
26. Be different
27. Embrace new technology
28. Be helpful to other people
29. Be consistent! I still respect that she has written for Lagosmums almost every month since 2011. Thank you!Â
30. Ask questions, it is ok to ask
31. Whatever you do, do it at world standards. For example, her families Christmas concert, the Ajumogobia Christmas Concert, was a highlight in Lagos over the years.
32. Love your siblings; every time you see her with her siblings you can feel the love!
33. Get on the real estate ladder as this is an important asset class. Not only local, think Africa and global.Â
34. You can make any topic interesting; aka she talks about money matters in such an interesting and real way.Â
35. Follow multiple interests. She got the rights to create the Nigerian version of monopoly and since created a Bible game.Â
36. Be friendly – I have never seen her frown!
37. Be confident
38. Collaboration is important
39. Reach out and learn from others
40. Embrace arts and culture
41. Have a beautiful home and garden
42. Be authentic
43. Networking is important. You know what they say, your network determines your net worth.Â
44. Be a life long learner
45. You can have a cosy wedding in Nigeria; her daughter Kaline’s wedding was different, tasteful and classy.Â
46. You can be fashionable at any age; know what suits you.Â
47. Diversify your investments
48. Health is wealth
49. It is important to have a mentor
50. Have an emergency fund, saving is critical.
51. Share your talent with your children
52. Teach your craft for additional income. She taught piano when she opted for flexi-time while working in the banking industry. It is important to know what you want.Â
53. You are your greatest asset; invest in yourself.
54. Financial health and mental health are closely intertwined.
55. Many high achieving women are underachieving with their money. She always stresses that women need to have a proper handle on their finances.Â
56. Simplify your area of expertise so that you can teach people. In her case, she has written a simple A to Z of Personal Finance book and shares so much about money and financial literacy on her social media pages.Â
57. Support your children and be their loudest cheerleader. I love how she supports all her children.Â
58. Encourage others and support them. One example of this is how she encouraged our children to participate in her Annual family concert at Muson.Â
59. Have the right insurance to protect your family and assets.
60. Teach children about money early.Â
One of life mottos is to ask for what you want, the worst that will happen is a no.
If I had never reached out to her after reading her articles in the newspapers; this connection might never have happened. That is why the first thing on the list is “be bold and reach out“
So there is my list of 60 things I have learnt from her (so far)!Â
When it comes to living within your means, ask yourself do you do this? or are you living for the Joneses? I have had several conversations with her and she advises that it is just not wise to clean out your retirement just to throw a lavish wedding.
All the events she holds are always classy, never too big and always well planned and thought out. When I attended her daughter, Kaline’s wedding; I was reminded that you can be true to who you are. The wedding was a truly classy affair, beautiful and small compared to what one might have imagined. I still cannot forget the couple’s dance into the reception; it is the first serene Nigerian couples dance entry that I have experienced.Â
As for planning for your retirement years, your children are not a retirement plan. Save, invest and plan accordingly for your future and start early.Â
You can see I have learnt so much from her! this is my way of celebrating an amazing woman as she turns 60! Happy Birthday, Aunty Nimi!Â
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