D.I.V.A of the Month – July 2012
D.I.V.A of the Month – July 2012
Precious Sakala is efficiently leveraging every financial opportunity she gets … Read more to find out how this D.I.V.A gets her money to work for her.
Lelemba: Who is Precious?
Precious: I like to define myself by the letters in my name…
P-is for my name – I am “Precious” – when I was born I was given a different name and couldn’t stop crying & in my tradition that means the child has rejected the name (well it could have been colic, lol), but when I was renamed Precious, I immediately stopped crying and became a peaceful baby J. R-realistic, E-energetic, C-courageous (bungee jumped to prove it J), I-inspirational, O-optimistic, U-understanding (am not very understanding and it’s something I need to work on), S-special, S***.
Lelemba: Tell us what you do for a living?
Precious: I work for a bank and currently heading the Organisational Learning, Development and HR Strategy.
Lelemba: Why did you make the choice to buy an investment property instead of a house for you to live in first?
Precious: I want to maximise the opportunities of making money whilst I am still young and energetic so I can retire early and do things I can’t fully do with a full time job e.g. tour the world.
Lelemba: How long had you saved for the money you used to renovate for?
Precious: Believe it or not, I am not the type of person who spends money on impulse… I need to have a plan (even though I love my shoes, clothes and handbags). So I got a bonus from my previous employer and didn’t have any immediate use for it so I saved it. Then when I joined the bank, I was given a car so I sold off the one I had, got a bonus at my new job, got my leave pay and put all that money in a fixed account for a year (I was still thinking about what to do with the money). In addition I would put away any excess money I would have on monthly basis into this fixed account too.
Lelemba: How has the experience of renovating the place been?
Precious: The whole experience has been a mixture of emotions; sometimes frustrating with contractors, but most of all I have discovered strengths I never knew I had. It was daunting in the beginning, but seeing the complete house makeover has given me so much joy and increased my self-belief – Yes I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!!! (Phil 4:13)
Lelemba: What are your plans for the future?
Precious: Invest more, save more and retire early.