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Monique is in her 30s, and lives in East London with her husband and two young children. Her current situation is probably where most people find themselves, especially if they have recently started a family and have bought a home.
“I have a full-time job as a bookkeeper and still run a direct sales team in my spare time, just to be able to make ends meet. I don’t live extravagantly, yet find myself running in circles with the debt I have.”
The big dream:
Monique’s dream is simple – she doesn’t want to be rich, but she does want to be comfortable and not be kept awake at night worrying about financial difficulties.
“I want to be free of debt; to be able to afford things that matter to me. Like being able to finish my bookkeeping studies, to be able to send my children to good schools and to save for an annual holiday with my family.”
Worst financial mistake:
Monique borrowed R50 000 as a personal loan to start a business with someone.
“I thought I was playing it safe and even had a legal agreement in place. Yet the person squandered the money and politely claims to have no assets and is currently ‘unemployed’.”
Her adviser:
Jacques Venter joined Absa in 2008, prior to working with Metropolitan and Momentum.
“Every new client brings their own set of challenges and this gives me the opportunity help people invest wisely, to enable them to grow their money and achieve their goals,” he says.
Monique is at the point of making her business work.
“We set three priorities – consolidating her debt, building her business to make more money and curbing spending. She is currently using one bank account for both her personal and business banking. Our first step is to open a separate account for her business. She accepts that she will have to make sacrifices and change her spending habits to build a successful business.”
