{"id":229769,"date":"2025-10-21T11:03:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T11:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/229769\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T11:03:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T11:03:14","slug":"im-not-a-finance-bro-but-im-learning-to-make-my-money-work-my-week-using-blunest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/229769\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI\u2019m Not a Finance Bro, but I\u2019m Learning to Make My Money Work\u201d \u2014 My Week Using BluNest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Danladi*, 24, always thought investing was something for people with finance degrees, high incomes, or big risks to take. But then he stumbled on an investment platform called BluNest and decided to give it a week. Here\u2019s how it went and how his perspective on growing his money started to shift.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Monday<\/p>\n

Curiosity, not commitment (yet)<\/p>\n

I have always thought investing was for people who wore suits, drank black coffee, and read. The Economist for fun. Me? I\u2019m just a young adult trying to make sense of life and keep my finances afloat. I save because it\u2019s what I was taught to do<\/a> if I don\u2019t want to go broke, and for the longest time, it\u2019s worked for me. But lately, saving has felt like running on a treadmill: I\u2019m moving but not going anywhere.<\/p>\n

So, when I stumbled on BluNest<\/a>, a platform that promised to make investing less intimidating, I thought, Why not? I told myself I would give it one week out of curiosity.<\/p>\n

Tuesday<\/p>\n

Setting up and second-guessing<\/p>\n

I created a BluNest account and set up my basic profile. It took less than ten minutes to create my profile, verify my bank details, and upload the required documents. Before funding my wallet, I decided to explore the platform. It was surprisingly intuitive. There were two wallets: one for naira, another for dollars. Both showed clear values and returns. <\/p>\n

Then I clicked \u201cExplore\u201d and was greeted with an entire world of asset options:<\/p>\n

\u25cf Mutual funds \u2013 Where a group of people pool their money to invest in stocks, bonds or<\/p>\n

debt securities.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Treasury bills \u2013 Short-term debt issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), backed by the government.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Naira bonds \u2013 Loans to the government or corporations, with fixed interest.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Commercial papers \u2013 High-yield, short-term loans issued by corporations.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Money market portfolios \u2013 Low-risk instruments with short maturity periods.<\/p>\n

All the investment options were at low risk, with decent returns, and didn\u2019t look overwhelming. But still, I hesitated. I didn\u2019t want to make a mistake, so I told myself to sleep on it and come back tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Wednesday<\/p>\n

Scepticism meets Google<\/p>\n

First thing in the morning, I started searching for validation. I scrolled through Instagram and TikTok, looking for what financial influencers had to say. A few recommended mutual funds <\/a>as the best starting point for beginners, and treasury bills as stable options for building consistent returns.<\/p>\n

I felt more confident. I opened the BluNest web app <\/a>and returned to the Explore section. One thing I appreciated? Transparency. Each fund clearly lists its returns, risks, and purpose. I focused on mutual funds, primarily because they were managed by Stanbic IBTC Asset Management \u2014 a name I recognised and trusted. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I found:<\/p>\n

\u25cf Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund: Low-risk, short-term investment that offers competitive returns. I can start with as little as \u20a65,000.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Stanbic IBTC Equity or Balanced Funds: For long-term investors seeking higher returns through a mix of stocks (equity) and other assets.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund: This exposes you to top Nigerian companies listed on the Nigerian stock market.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Stanbic IBTC Ethical and Shari\u2019ah Funds: This allows me to invest in accordance with ethical and Islamic principles, avoiding interest, alcohol, gambling, and other non-halal sectors. The entry point is \u20a64.30 per unit.<\/p>\n

\u25cf Dollar Fund: This is a foreign currency mutual fund. It\u2019s great for diversification and hedging against naira devaluation.<\/p>\n

It all began to click. These weren\u2019t random investments, but structured options designed for different goals. I even went to the Knowledge Centre to read about mutual funds and understand how the returns are shared among investors.<\/p>\n

Thursday<\/p>\n

I took the leap<\/p>\n

I finally felt ready. I had some \u20a620,000 that I wasn\u2019t going to miss too badly. The Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund caught my eye. The offer price was \u20a64.30 per unit, allowing me to invest in actual companies and tap into the Nigerian stock market without diving in too deep. I liked that it aligned with ethical principles and had an affordable entry point.<\/p>\n

The minimum holding period was 91 days \u2014 not bad. If this went well, I planned to top up \u20a65,000 every month and build momentum gradually. I realised wealth doesn\u2019t have to be built in one grand move. Sometimes, it\u2019s brick by brick.<\/p>\n

Friday<\/p>\n

Green Feels Good<\/p>\n

I checked my dashboard again. My \u20a620,000 investment was now visible in my portfolio. Everything felt calm and steady, not as nerve-racking as I imagined. I even did the maths to see what things could look like long-term. If the 3-month return stayed around 26.35%, my \u20a620,000 could grow to about \u20a625,270. If I added \u20a65,000 every month after that, I could end the year with \u20a690,858, from a total investment of just \u20a665,000.<\/p>\n

For the first time, I didn\u2019t feel like I was simply spending or hoarding money; I was growing it slowly and intentionally.<\/p>\n

Bottom line<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t become a finance bro in five days, and I still don\u2019t fully understand all the investment terms. But this week, something was clear: investing doesn\u2019t have to be overwhelming or exclusive. Platforms like BluNest<\/a> meet you where you are and walk with you at your own pace.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m still figuring it out, but at least now, I know that my money doesn\u2019t just sit still anymore. It moves, grows, and works, just like I do.<\/p>\n

Want to Start Your Own Money Growth Journey?<\/p>\n

Try BluNest<\/a> by Stanbic IBTC Asset Management \u2014 an easy, interactive platform made for people like you. Whether you\u2019re just starting out or ready to diversify, BluNest makes investing smart.<\/p>\n

Click here to explore the BluNest web app and start putting your money to work today.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Danladi*, 24, always thought investing was something for people with finance degrees, high incomes, or big risks to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229770,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[64,63,99,186,184,185],"class_list":{"0":"post-229769","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-finance","12":"tag-personal-finance","13":"tag-personalfinance"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}