Money Chronicles: Three of my Children and I Use Cowrywise to Save and Invest

Money Chronicles showcase the honest money experiences of everyday people who use Cowrywise. We share a story on the 17th of every month. This month, we speak with Revd. Dr Joseph Akanbi, a dad who started using Cowrywise because his daughter introduced him to the app. He shares the impact using Cowrywise has had on he and his daughters. Dive in below to read our conversation! ⬇️

Hello Sir! Super grateful to have you here, can’t wait to get started. What’s your name and what do you do?

I am Revd. Dr. Joseph Akanbi. I am a Baptist Church Pastor at Ibukun Oluwa Baptist Church, Idimu, Lagos and I am 62 years old.

Great! Can you tell us your Cowrywise story? How did you find out about the app?

I got to know about Cowrywise through my daughter, Comfort Akanbi. She introduced me to the app in 2019 or so. I use the locked savings feature on the app and it has really helped.

Comfort must be amazing…What was it like saving money online? Did you have any objections?

I did not have any objection because my daughter introduced me to the app. She is an Economist and I know she cannot involve herself in anything that is dubious.

Kudos to your daughter for clarifying that Cowrywise is safe to use! What has changed with your finances since you’ve been using Cowrywise?

I use Cowrywise for my regular savings and this has been very helpful in meeting my financial goals, especially when my plans mature. Apart from my first daughter that introduced the app to me, my other two children have money with Cowrywise at different levels either, for regular savings or investment. They are doing fine with it. None of us regrets using Cowrywise.

Oh wow! We are glad to have your entire family covered! Elderly people often complain about using apps. How have you found it easy to navigate the Cowrywise app?

As I said, all my children use Cowrywise so if I have any difficulty, they are the ones that I inform. Like Yoruba people will say A kii dagba si ohun ti a ko ba mo which means “you are not older than what you don’t know“.

If you don’t understand something, ask people that know it.

Words to live by! Knowledge is indeed power. What is your best Cowrywise feature and why, Sir? 

For now, I use the app to save only so I’ll say the savings feature. But I believe that soon I will start investing on the app. I admire the ingenuity of Cowrywise.

So good to know that the savings feature is loved by many.

Let’s go back in time… What was it like growing up in Nigeria? What would you say about that time and now?

Growing up in those years was interesting because there was not much stress but also not so many opportunities. Now, there’s a lot of stress but it also comes with a lot of opportunities, depending on how one can make use of the them.

So true! 😄 How will you compare the value of money then to the value of money now?

Inflation is really eating deep into our economy and the average Nigerian household cannot afford the basic amenities of life. The purchasing power of money keeps decreasing and it is high time the policymakers do something drastic on the rising inflation rates.

We agree! That is why we often encourage our users to invest in Eurobond funds to secure their naira against inflation. 

As a father, what’s the most important money lesson you’ve learned? Any advice for young dads or soon-to-be dads?

Faithfulness in handling money is a major decision that helped me and it’s still helping me. Faithfulness and transparency with finances will help. As a father, one should have a large heart and a forgiving spirit. Have a genuine love for wife and children with a caring spirit.

Thank you for that tip. Faithfulness and transparency are very important values to uphold. What money habit did you start early that has now paid off?

My most important money habit is financial integrity. Anything that will tarnish my integrity, I always want to avoid it. I always cut my coat not according to my size but according to my material. I don’t always spend more than what I earn. I also tried my best as far as giving to God, starting with my tithe, which is a personal habit I uphold.

“Cut your coat according to your material.” That’s new and interesting. 😁 What money habit do you wish you started much earlier?

It is definitely in the area of investments. How I wish I knew what I know now. 

Oh wow… Thankfully, it’s never too late. Any suggestions for the team at Cowrywise?

I heard it briefly that Cowrywise always has something like Annual General Meeting (AGM) but I don’t think they carry everybody along on this. I believe I heard about it because of the involvement of my daughter, so I think the team needs to carry everybody along. 

Also, you can get older people like me to use Cowrywise to save and invest through some of our younger ones that use the app. Let’s encourage the younger ones to inform their parents, uncles, aunties and other relatives to know the benefits of using the Cowrywise app. Thank you.

Concerning the AGM, we’ve never actually held that, Sir. Maybe your daughter was referring to something else that sounded similar.

Any advice for someone who’s still stalling to open their own account due to one objection or the other?

Anybody who is still stalling to open their Cowrywise account due to one objection or the other should be encouraged by my testimony. Again, one should even know that it is risky not to take any risks. I can say it categorically that Cowrywise is reliable and trustworthy. They are true to their promises.

Wow. Means so much to hear this from you, Sir. Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you too.

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A major lesson from Revd. Dr. Joseph Akanbi is the importance of starting to invest early.

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