₦airaland Forum

RETIREMENT BENEFITS DOESN’T PAY BILLS :WHAT 30+ YEARS CAN STILL LEAVE YOU WITH

They threw him a big retirement party.
Music, speeches, praise. A “dedicated man” who gave his best years to the system.

Then it ended.

He went home with an envelope.

Inside was his gratuity. Enough to settle a few debts, fix a leaking roof… but nowhere near enough to secure the future.

Thirty years of work.
No house.
No business.
No meaningful investments.
Just a pension struggling against inflation.

That quiet moment after the celebration is the part nobody talks about.

_____

This is not an isolated story. It is the reality many people walk into after decades of honest work.

The mistake is simple but costly:

Confusing income with wealth.

Salary feels steady, so it feels safe. But salary alone rarely builds anything that lasts. Especially in an economy where inflation keeps eroding value year after year.

Take a real example.

Around 2011 or 2012, ₦1.5 million could buy three plots of land in some parts of Nigeria.

Today, those same plots can go for tens of millions.

Meanwhile, a car bought for that same ₦1.5 million has lost most of its value.

That is not bad luck. That is how money works.

Assets appreciate.
Liabilities depreciate.

If most of what you own is losing value, then time is not working in your favor.

Another hard truth.

Hard work is important, but by itself, it does not guarantee financial security.

People work hard for decades and still retire with very little because:

They never moved from earning to building.
They saved, but did not invest wisely.
They depended on a system that was never designed to make them financially independent.

Look around.

Opportunities exist:

Land in developing areas.
Small businesses that can scale over time.
Investments that compound quietly.

None of them require perfection.
But all of them require awareness and action.

The shift that matters

Stop measuring life only by years of service.
Start measuring it by:

What you own.
What grows while you sleep.
What will still feed you when salary stops.

Because retirement is not the end of life. It is the beginning of a new phase.

And that phase can either be peaceful… or painfully dependent.

Final thought

Applause fades quickly.
Income stops eventually.

What remains is what you built.

Plan early. Act wisely.

What do you think about this?

Average Nigerians have the mentality of working for others, be it government or private..Even at that, you should have aside business.

A teacher can never buy a Ferrari even if she works for 50 years

Plan your life well my fellow Nairalanders, salary is not enough to secure your future.

Seems like you know me in person and actually wrote it for me

TheMensch:
Seems like you know me in person and actually wrote it for me

That is a coincidence then.

Many need this.

Except those who invested in stock while doing private or Government jobs get retired well .

" He who says the wool is not heavy has only taken some enough to ignite a fire"..........African proverb.

Bottom line:

There are retirement benefits and there are retirement stipends.

Remove Tinubu and APC for Nigeria to progress

Else

Downwards
Downwards
Downwards
Downwards
Downwards
Downwards
Downwards

To sub southern Sudan
Such a proud woeful performer

SO WHICH ROOF e go fix since e no get HOUSE? abi na e dey fix for oga landlord? e be like say the man sef NO DEY TRUTHFUL with us jaaare

Dpsychologist:
few debts, fix a leaking roof… but nowhere near enough to secure the future.
What do you think about this?

FUTURE after 35 years in SERVICE?

A FAILED to PLAN, is a PLAN to FAIL

ZaddyJ:
Except those who invested in stock while doing private or Government jobs get retired well .

Are you serious. With the level of depreciation and inflation what is left of your stock value.

Naira is at its lowest level.

Buying stock might not bail you out especially in this shitty tinubu's economy.

Baba I gbadun yr write up, infact it just gave me some thoughts 👍👍👍🙏🙏

Tenses:
Are you serious. With the level of depreciation and inflation what is left of your stock value.

Naira is at its lowest level.

Buying stock might don't bail you out especially in this shitty tinubu's economy.

Oga do you have stock? If you don’t have then gerrahere and stop mentioning me.

Dpsychologist:
Plan your life well my fellow Nairalanders, salary is not enough to secure your future.

Lol, salary pass salary o

Tenses:
Are you serious. With the level of depreciation and inflation what is left of your stock value.

Naira is at its lowest level.

Buying stock might don't bail you out especially in this shitty tinubu's economy.

That is how they mislead people.

Share acquisition is a better alternative for people who are old or who cannot handle the hustles and hassles of starting their own businesses.
All the rich men you know, Dangote, Otedola, Elumelu, Rabiu, Jim Ovia etc. are rich and are getting richer because they have emourmous amount of shares in their own company, companies they acquired or other people 's businesses.

Anyone who is working needs to get into share acquisition religiously, take advice from your brokers on good dividend paying stocks to buy for steady capital acquisition. The more of them you have, the better your retirement will be.

ghm:
That is how they mislead people.

Share acquisition is a better alternative for people who are old or who cannot handle the hustles and hassles of starting their own businesses.
All the rich men you know, Dangote, Otedola, Elumelu, Rabiu, Jim Ovia etc. are rich and are getting richer because they have emourmous amount of shares in their own company, companies they acquired or other people 's businesses.

Anyone who is working needs to get into share acquisition religiously, take advice from your brokers on good dividend paying stocks to buy for steady capital acquisition. The more of them you have, the better your retirement will be.

"Enormous Shares" you say.

How many salary earners can acquire these Enormous Shares you talked about.

It's only this Enormous Shares that can survive this terrible economy.

Thanks for this Op.
Na u try pass

The shift that matters

Stop measuring life only by years of service.
Start measuring it by:

What you own.
What grows while you sleep.
What will still feed you when salary stops.

Because retirement is not the end of life. It is the beginning of a new phase.

And that phase can either be peaceful… or painfully dependent.

Final thought

Applause fades quickly.
Income stops eventually.

What remains is what you built.

Gbam.

Retirement should be taken as a very serious matter as pensioners are going through hell out here. (in the Abuja)

I know some pensioners, leaving in satellite town here in Abuja and when you hear stories from them ,you feel like weeping, a mature man work for government for full 35 years with no house of his own, paying rent, children school fees, no saves and have to be pay for medication on a monthly,

My one kobo advice oh and may almighty God help us all

1. investment in insurance product should be considered for those still working (Work with a premium you can afford)
2. investment in stock and money market should also be considered (even if is 5k investment on a monthly bases) and let times do the hard work for you
3.building a house is a must for every working person now, if you cannot afford land and building in the city, please buy in your local government or village, as retiring without a house now na die (house rent no care for anybody oh rich or poor)

Build what will give you interest. You can own a cheap Motel, simple finishing 📌💯🤷🏿.

Chai, from tomorrow i will start saving...

In Nigeria where yearly salary hardly pay your yearly rent, feeding never dey oooo, talk more of school fees, transportation and the rest. What will you invest with when you barely exist. That is why corruption abound in the civil service and corporate organisations. However this is the best advice for salary earner.

helinues:
Average Nigerians have the mentality of working for others, be it government or private..Even at that, you should have aside business.

A teacher can never buy a Ferrari even if she works for 50 years

/

Then you think about it, the Ferrari you buy today will be used to spread clothes in 30 years in Nigeria.

/

helinues:
Average Nigerians have the mentality of working for others, be it government or private..Even at that, you should have aside business.

A teacher can never buy a Ferrari even if she works for 50 years

Is Ferrari the beginning and end of life?

Of what use is a life pampered with Ferrari that has no impact?

Alaye, you can do better than this.

SALARY


SALARY


SALARY


SALARY EARNER



Please noted.

ppogba:
Is Ferrari the beginning and end of life?

Of what use is a life pampered with Ferrari that has no impact?

Alaye, you can do better than this.

Why do you find it hard to comprehend my simple comments?

How much is a minimum wage, how much is a Ferrari?

InvertedHammer:
/

Then you think about it, the Ferrari you buy today will be used to spread clothes in 30 years in Nigeria.

/

Buy it first when it's reigning. In that 30 years time, na to switch to the latest

helinues:
Why do you find it hard to comprehend my simple comments?

How much is a minimum wage, how much is a Ferrari?

English comprehension has never been my problem.

Cheers.

ppogba:
English comprehension has never been my problem.

Cheers.

Then why are you triggered? My comments and probably the thread itself hit you unexpectedly

Ferrari is one of the expensive things a minimum wage earner can never afford except if the person is corrupt