16-Year-old property, retail and banking sector INVSTR
As the investment space becomes more accessible, opportunities for growing one's wealth are no longer limited. The stock market offers a variety of stocks for different people with different goals.
I recently had an opportunity to speak to one of the many young South African EasyEquities INVSTRs about his investing aspirations. Aboobaker Madonda, a grade 10 learner at Nizamia Islamic School in PMB, is also a soccer lover and a writer on Wattpad.
Beyond writing and playing soccer, Aboobaker is also an INVSTR in the property, retail and banking sector, owning shares in Ballito Groves through our EasyProperties platform, Fairvest and Nedbank. As someone starting their investment journey at a young age, "it feels interesting, to say the least, and in a way, it feels amazing being a shareholder in big companies", he explained.
Learning how to manage your money isn’t always easy for youngsters, who often have to learn to sacrifice short-term satisfaction, like going out with friends, to stay dedicated to their goals. Well, for Aboobaker, investing has become a part of his lifestyle.
To understand what motivated him to start investing, Aboobaker explained that while his mother was the one to ensure he got his investment account sorted - the goal of independence played a part, motivating him to start his journey. For him, it's not about how much he invests but instead what he learns in the process that's more important. On doing research; "I'll be honest, this is the hardest topic." he explains.
"As a teenager, I tend to get distracted and watch YouTube videos that have nothing to do with investing, but my mother has encouraged me to do my own research, so I do try.
“DYOR is not easy, especially when you are a beginner because you don't know what you are researching. But my mom helped with resources that taught me how to start investing and to do research. I can now research companies paying dividends, and I watch videos on investing as well."
Sharing words of wisdom to encourage people to start taking responsibility for their future from a young age, Aboobaker said that while "some people have it easy and some have it hard. Don't let that demotivate you from working towards your dreams, because nothing will be handed to you on a silver platter."
Read more on our visit to Tshwane University of Technology
Read: Financial literacy seminar with TUT