Segment: From Treasury Bills to Shares - Investment Path That Builds Real Wealth for Young People

Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Konnected Minds Podcast with Derrick Abaitey
Segment: From Treasury Bills to Shares - Investment Path That Builds Real Wealth for Young People
Date: April 27, 2026
Host: Derrick Abaitey

This episode explores practical steps young people in Africa, particularly Ghana and Nigeria, can take to move from the basics of saving money to making investments that build sustainable, generational wealth. The conversation uses relatable analogies, real success stories, and candid admissions of financial habits to demystify shares, treasury bills, and the discipline required for wealth-building.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Self-Actualization and the Perception of Wealth

• Concept Introduction:
  Guest A discusses self-actualization as the top of the personal finance ladder—where investments and assets work for you. She highlights how, in Ghanaian context, people are remembered for the property and wealth they leave behind, not just for spending on family during their lifetime.
  • "If you die, it is what is said about you after the death that matters... We are not living property with just word of mouth. It is money." (A, 00:29)
• Changing Perceptions:
  There’s emphasis on the need to change the social narrative through tangible investments and leaving a financial legacy.

2. The Journey from Saving to Investing

• Savings as a Foundation, Not the Finish Line:
  Saving is described as crucial, but insufficient on its own for building real wealth. The host references their method for helping people save 66,000 Ghana cedis as a foundation (B, 01:45).
• Investing Wisely:
  Moving beyond saving, investing is presented as the engine for wealth creation.

3. Shares vs. Treasury Bills - What Young People Need to Know

• Treasury Bills Explained:
  Guest A uses everyday analogies—water in a cup—to contrast treasury bills and shares:
  • Treasury bills: Fixed, government-regulated, guaranteed returns.
    • "For treasury bills, they are regulated by the government... If you save 10,000 cedis ... by the end of the year you've gotten an addition to the money. It is fixed." (A, 02:32, 03:00)
• Shares Simplified:
  Shares represent partial ownership in a company with variable returns, directly tied to company performance.
  • "Shares are simply buying a part of a company... If MTN is doing well, your shares will do well. But for the treasury bill, it is stagnant or it's the same..." (A, 03:00–03:23)

4. Practical Steps to Start Investing in Shares

• Actionable Advice for Beginners:
  • Start by saving, then move a portion to investment (A, 03:52).
  • Use platforms like IC Wealth and Black Star app to buy shares (A, 04:26-04:30).
    • "You just download it from your phone... start registering, you get your CSD account, you buy your shares, you move." (A, 04:30–04:48)
• Top Three Shares for Young Investors:
  • MTN (telecom)
  • Goyle (energy)
  • Benso Oil Palm Plantation (agriculture)
    • "We also shot content on Benso Oil Palm Plantation... Just recently one of the companies appreciated by thousand percent. So if you had saved 10,000 cedis after last year, now you're making 100,000 cedis from buying the shares." (A, 05:10–05:25)

5. The Long-Term Value and Discipline of Investing

• Delayed Gratification:
  Many young people want fast returns, but the reality is wealth grows over time.
  • "You don't get huge money in one minute. No, nobody gets huge money in one minute... It's a process. You need to go through the process. Just buy the shares, forget about it... it will amaze you. And it's even teaching you to be disciplined." (A, 06:05–06:37)
• Personal Growth Through Investing:
  Learning to invest not only grows money but also builds critical financial discipline.

6. The Biggest Financial Challenges for Young People

• Living Beyond Means:
  Social pressure leads youth to try to match spending habits of older, wealthier people (A, 06:49–07:10).
  • "I see my bosses always buying 100 cedis jollof... My dear, who are you? How much are you taking for NSS expenses? So we teach you to cut down certain expenses." (A, 06:49–07:21)
• Candid Admission from the Host:
  Derrick confesses his own struggle with saving as a teenager in the UK, despite earning a good wage.
  • "I used to teach this lady... she used to pay me I think around the time about 18 pounds an hour... I never saved any money." (B, 07:21–07:57)

7. The Hard Truth About Discipline and Peer Influence

• Temptation and Peer Pressure:
  Both speakers reflect on how difficult saving is for young people when flashy purchases and peer comparisons dominate.
  • "By the time I get my money, you know, there's Air Max 90s. I want to buy." (B, 08:05–08:12)
  • "Oh, my God, iPhone 17 Pro Max." (A, 08:12)
• Early Money and Substantial Use:
  Even when given stipends in school, the host notes, many (including himself) didn’t use the money for anything substantial, often sending it back home instead (B, 08:29).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Self-Actualization and Perception:
  "If you die, it is what is said about you after the death that matters... We are not living property with just word of mouth. It is money." (A, 00:29)

• On the Difference Between Shares and Treasury Bills:
  "Treasury bills, they are regulated by the government... It is fixed... But for shares, you cannot determine when it’s going to rise or it’s going to fall." (A, 02:32–03:43)

• On Long-Term Value of Investing:
  "You don't get huge money in one minute. No, nobody gets huge money in one minute... It's a process. You need to go through the process. Just buy the shares, forget about it... and it will amaze you..." (A, 06:05–06:37)

• On Discipline and Peer Pressure:
  "By the time I get my money, you know, there's Air Max 90s. I want to buy." (B, 08:05)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–01:12 — Self-actualization and how society remembers wealth
• 01:45–02:09 — The need to move from saving to investing
• 02:12–03:43 — Explanation of treasury bills vs. shares
• 03:52–04:48 — Step-by-step on starting to invest, platforms to use
• 04:52–05:25 — Top Ghanaian shares for beginners; success story of share appreciation
• 05:33–06:37 — The philosophy of long-term investing and building discipline
• 06:46–07:21 — Biggest expenses for young people; living within means
• 07:21–08:29 — Real-life struggles with saving; childhood stories and peer pressure

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Takeaway

The episode delivers practical, relatable, and region-specific advice for young Africans intending to build real wealth: start by saving, learn the difference between asset classes, embrace the discipline of long-term investing, and resist the pull of societal pressures to overspend. The stories and analogies make advanced financial concepts accessible and actionable for the show's youthful audience.

Transcript

[A]

The final one, self actualization, that's when they are fulfilled. This is where people invest into big time shares and the shares work for them. They do not necessarily have to do something else. They are self actualized. That's why I loved it when Dr. McDan said he's not where he wants to be, but to us he's self actualized, but to him he's not. Do we see the difference? That is where social status also comes here and the perception of people about you. So you have to work hard to change that perception. And the comments people give, especially in our DMs and our comment section about why will I save, my next of kin will come and chop the money. Let me put it in that way. See, in the typical Ghanaian environment, if you die, it is what is said about you after the death that matters. Imagine you only had money to take care of this, take care, and even to take care of your family, extended family, but please die right now. They would refer you that you didn't leave any property. And we are not living property with just word of mouth. It is money. It is money. So that is simply what 30 seats do or does. We teach about all these things, saving. So from here you move to investment. All right, thank you.

[B]

I hope, you know, people understand these things. I mean, when you were, you were talking, I was trying to figure out where am I? You know, I was trying to figure out where am I in that? Wow, you know, that's amazing. I hope people actually pay attention to this and they focus on it. Right. So you've taken us through saving, how to save money, and you, you guys are actually running a method where people can save, I think 66,000 by the end of the day.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Now the next step you spoke about was invest wisely. Talk me through that.

[A]

Okay. Savings alone is not enough. That's why you need investment. Right. Savings can take care of things at the interim, but investment goes a lot further than it. So we teach people on how to buy shares and it might interest you to know that people do not know what shares are.

[B]

Okay, so tell us, what is it?

[A]

Let me, let me use this water. Cup of water, right? And let's say we have an orange here. The water explains. So let me just give the simple definition between shares or differences between shares and treasury bills. People don't know.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

For treasury bills, they are regulated by the government, right? And no matter what, there's water in this cup. I'll drink at every point in time I go for the cup. There's Water I drink. That's Treasury Bill. If you save 10,000 cities by the beginning of the year and let's say the government imposes a percentage for Treasury Bill no matter what, by the end of the year you've gotten an addition to the money.

[B]

Okay?

[A]

It is fixed. That is Treasury Bill. When it comes to shares, shares are not fixed. And shares are simply buying a part of a company. So we created a video on buying shares from mtn. If you buy shares from mtn, it means you are buying a part of mtn. Okay. And if MTN is doing well, your shares will do well.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But for the treasury bill, it is stagnant or it's the same because it is regulated by the government. So if government decides to increase the percentage, so be it. But for shares, you cannot determine when it's going to rise or it's going to fall. That's the difference between shares and. And Treasury Bills.

[B]

So Kwame is watching you now. 19 year old, you are speaking fantastic, Priscilla. And they want to buy some shares. Where do they start from?

[A]

Okay, first of all you can start by saving.

[B]

Okay?

[A]

Yes, you save. You take a portion of that savings to investment. Right. We have, we've created a lot of content for IC Wealth. I don't know if you heard of IC World. Yes. And we are hoping to get a partnership collaboration with them. We hope this video will get to them. You can invest or buy shares using the IC wealth app. There are processes. You register, you get a CSD account, then you buy the shares. They have a lot of companies that are registered on IC Wealth.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Without IC wealth, you can also use the Black Star app.

[B]

Okay?

[A]

Yes. But for now we create content on the IC wealth and we'll definitely move to the Black Star app. But for the IC wealth, it's. It's just simple. You just download it from your phone. Either App store, play store, you start registering, you get your CSD account, you buy your shares, you move.

[B]

Give me the top three shares that young people can invest in today.

[A]

Personally, I invest in MTN shares.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Goyle, we came across the increment in girl's percentage last week. As of last year, Go shares was once the 50%. Now the spirit Cities.

[B]

Okay?

[A]

Yes. And we also shot content on Ben, so Oil Palm Plantation.

[B]

Okay?

[A]

Yes. It's doing very well. You can buy shares from there. And just recently one of the companies appreciated by thousand percent. So if you had saved 10,000 cedis after last year, now you're making 100,000 CDs from buying the Shares, I mean,

[B]

but what's the point of buying like using your money today as a 20 year old to buy shares. Like what's really the end goal for buying shares?

[A]

For your future. That's fine. Okay. For your future. We didn't grow up learning about shares. I don't think well my time. My parents didn't sit me down to teach me. I didn't even know what shares were. Right. But now 30 seats is here. We are teaching you about shares. You can start now. The money you would invest into in Tibetan. Please buy shares with them. With the money.

[B]

Well, somebody is thinking, well, if I buy shares and I have to wait a whole year for a price of a company to go from one CD20 perspective to two CD50, then what's the point?

[A]

The point is that you don't get huge money in one minute. No, nobody gets huge money in one minute. I'm here. I want to be the MP for Caswa. I am not the MP for Caswa. And I cannot just wake up and be the MP for Caswa or expect that I buy TomTom for somebody and because of that I'll be an MP. No, it's a process. It's a process. You need to go through the process. Just buy the shares, forget about it. Just come back after one year and it will amaze you. And it's even teaching you to be disciplined. Because if you're not disciplined, you cannot grow money and you cannot keep money.

[B]

Like you see in. In the lives of a lot of young people in Ghana. What's one responsibility that takes a lot of money from young people?

[A]

Expenses.

[B]

Okay, from.

[A]

From food, daily activities. Let me give you an example. I'm an NSS personnel. I see my bosses always buying 100 cedis. Jollof, I want to buy 100 cities. Jollof, are you your boss? You are not your boss. Your boss has worked hard to be where he is. And as he is fine spending 100 cedis on jollof for lunch. My dear, who are you? How much are you taking for NSS expenses? So we teach you to cut down certain expenses. And let me tell you, in the long run you'll be glad you did.

[B]

Like, how do you actually build the discipline? Because saving money is hard. While you're speaking, you know, I was just thinking about When I was 17 years, I used to work teach this lady Chance in London. I used to teach her computer repair services. Okay, so you know, I'll go to a house and then you know, she used to pay me. I think around the time, about 18 pounds an hour. I used to work with her on Wednesdays. I never saved any money. Never saved any money, but she was paying me £18. And on Wednesdays, I used to do about three or four hours, maybe two, maybe three hours with her, but I never saved any money.

[A]

It's.

[B]

It's really hard.

[A]

It's.

[B]

It's hard, like the level of discipline required for a teenager to save money. It's.

[A]

It's.

[B]

We don't speak about it enough, especially when by the time I get my money, you know, there's Air Max 90s. I want to buy.

[A]

Oh, my God, iPhone 17 Pro Max.

[B]

Right? So, I mean. I mean, there was a time even when the government used to give us. I only got it for one year. The government used to give us £30 a week. Right. Just. Just being. Just going to school.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

You know, and I never did anything with that money. Nothing substantial that I can tell you I did, but probably sent it back home for my siblings to. To, you know, to. To help Connected Minds podcast.