Dear Protribers,

A lot of us are still in the New Year zone, right? As we are sure most of us are still quite excited about the new year but is it just us or did January of 2022 just fly right about away? In any case, Proshare Foundation is still in the business of bringing you insightful knowledge on how to achieve financial independence which will lead you to financial wellness.

So, let’s start right away with these questions. What is your belief system about money and its management? What do you know about Belief Systems? Is it a term you have heard before? The dictionary meaning of Belief System – is a set of two or more beliefs, attitudes or both that are associated with one another in memory. Here is an interesting thought, do you know that we all have belief systems about money? A lot of us have picked up beliefs and attitudes unconsciously and even intentionally and these reflect in our day to day lives. Ironic, right?

You see, understanding money and having a firm grasp of Personal Finance requires intentionality. To imbibe good finance culture and attitudes, we need to first understand where we are on the financial education spectrum. Financial education or the lack of it plays a pivotal role in achieving financial wellness. A human being has 8 basic needs which forms the Pillars of Personal Finance and this is premised on the components of Belief Systems, the abilities to Make, Manage and Multiply money.

When we poll to gauge the understanding of people on their abilities to make, manage and multiply money, we often discover that while the emphasis for most trainers of financial education is on creating wealth however, we have since seen that the ability to create/make, manage and multiply wealth is often impaired by Belief systems.

Our understanding of Belief Systems come from well researched data and surveys to see the interaction of people and money and how this ultimately affects their abilities to make good financial decisions. Belief systems manifest in the forms of culture, religion, societal, behavioral and social influences; hence the reason why the start to having a healthy Personal Finance begin with unlearning, learning and relearning the right Belief systems.

Here are a series of questions to trigger your consciousness to understand what we mean by Belief systems.

1) Are you a saver, spender or hoarder?

2) Do you think money is the root of all evils?

3) Do you think taking a vacation or going on leave is a necessity or a luxury?

4) Are you a believer in the end justifying the means or the process is equally important?

5) Who was the first money influencer you encountered?

6) Do you think it is right for you to acquire assets or you feel guilty for thinking about it?

These and more are some questions that we do not take the time to adequately reflect on; there is no such thing as isolated thoughts, our thoughts are a culmination of things we have picked up here and there. It becomes our responsibility to ensure that we only take on knowledge and information that will only lead us to the path of Financial Wellness.

We have created a Financial Fitness Test (FFT) and Financial Fitness Diagnostics (FFD); the first addresses your financial standing in the present and your Belief Systems. The second validates the first as it gives you guidance on how to dig deep into to your financial figures, getting to discover why you act in certain ways towards money and finance; a result is presented to you at the end of your test. After being presented with the diagnosis of the test taken, it further presents you with a solution on how to remedy a bad or critical situation. If you will like to take advantage of our free Financial Tests; please visit our website: Proshare foundation or Protrader Africa

As we continue on the path of achieving Financial Wellness, be reminded that your belief systems can be unlearned and relearned because we evolve based on our daily experiences and exposure. However, the most important thing to learn is to know that achieving financial wellness is not a destination but a journey as one engages the pillars of personal finance and the cycle of one’s life journey.

The Belief system of a Retiree is quite different from one who is just getting into the labor market; hence the entry points we are in our life’s journey determines the right kind of belief systems one should embrace. Personal Finance can be learnt; you only need to be determined to learn the principles required to have financial independence.

This year at Proshare Foundation, as we focus on Wellness, we hope that you will also join us on this path to achieving a well desired wellness in the varying spheres of our lives. We must and we can as this is the only way to truly begin to live wholesome lives.

With love,
Team Proshare foundation.