Banking Executive, Ramat Ebella Whajah Ellis has called on African financial systems to involve more informal sector players in the development of financial investment portfolios.
“We should not assume that all people understand stocks, bonds, treasury bills, fixed deposits, cocoa bills, trust accounts, shares, and mutual funds among others.
“As financial players, we must help people with a marginal understanding of the financial language to appreciate these terminologies, and translate them into the informal economy,” Mrs. Ellis who is an Investment Advisor to the Centre for Greater Impact Africa (CGIA) stated at the Ghana News Agency Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue platform.
Speaking on the topic, “Investment and Sustainable Development”, Mrs Ellis also called on players in the financial sector to explain certain financial and economic terminologies to the understanding of non-financial people.
Mrs. Ellis who is also a financial planner noted that understanding some basic information about financial investments can be a great first step in learning how to invest, “knowing your path to retirement or maximizing the rate of return on your money.
“A financial investment is an asset that you put money into with the hope that it will grow or appreciate into a larger sum of money, the idea is that you can later sell it at a higher price or earn money on it while you own it.”
She explained that investment is an asset that you put money into with the hope that it will grow or appreciate into a larger sum of money. The idea is that you can later sell it at a higher price or earn money on it while you own it.
Mrs. Ellis, therefore, called for the broadening of the scope of financial investment education to liberate citizens from poverty, adding that, “You may be looking to grow something over the next year, such as saving up for a car, or over the next 30 years, such as saving for retirement.
Mrs. Ellis, who is also a financial analyst stressed that it is important to note that there is also an economic definition of financial investments that deal with how businesses invest in products, equipment, factories, employees, and inventories.
She advised potential investors to “sit down and take an honest look at your entire financial situation – especially if you have never made a financial plan before.”
“The first step to successful investing is figuring out your goals and risk tolerance-either on your own or with the help of a financial professional.”
She explained: “If you get the facts about saving and investing and follow through with an intelligent plan, you should be able to gain financial security over the years and enjoy the benefits of managing your money.”
Mrs. Ellis stressed that all investments involve some degree of risk, and said, “if you intend to purchase securities-such as stocks, bonds, or mutual funds – it’s important that you understand before you invest that you could lose some or all of your money.”
However, she noted that the reward for taking on risk is the potential for a greater investment return, “if you have a financial goal with a long-time horizon, you are likely to make more money by carefully investing in asset categories with greater risk, like stocks or bonds, rather than restricting your investments to assets with less risk, like cash equivalents.”
On the other hand, Mrs. Ellis noted that investing solely in cash investments may be appropriate for short-term financial goals, the principal concern for individuals investing in cash equivalents is inflation risk, which is the risk that inflation will outpace and erode returns over time.