Hi fam,
Last week, my brother made a post on social media thanking me for sponsoring his education in the UK. He said he couldn’t have done it without me, and I cried when I saw it.
Seeing him graduate with a Distinction in MSc Management made every sacrifice worth it, and I want to be honest with you about what that sacrifice actually looked like.
For over a year, I’ve been financially supporting my brother since he moved to the UK. Starting from Visa fees, flight, tuition, living expenses, the whole 9-yards. It wasn’t a one-off payment but a monthly commitment that quietly ate into everything else.
During that same period, I had been planning to buy a buy-to-let investment property. I’d done the research and I knew the areas I wanted to invest in. I was ready to take that next step in building my property portfolio, but I couldn’t do both, so I made a choice and I chose my brother.
I’m not going to give you the exact figures, but I’ll tell you this: the money I spent on his education could have been a deposit on an investment property. It could have been generating rental income by now and growing my net worth on paper. Instead, it went towards transport, fees, groceries, and making sure my brother could focus on his studies without the stress of wondering how he’d survive in a new country.
Some months were harder than others, and there were times when I looked at my accounts and felt the squeeze. I questioned whether I was making the right call, but I kept coming back to the same thought: an investment property can wait, and this opportunity for my brother could not.
The personal finance books and videos don’t tell you that sometimes the best investment you can make isn’t in real estate or index funds. Sometimes it’s in people.
My brother now has a UK Master’s degree and opportunities that didn’t exist for him before. In the long run, having a sibling who is established and thriving takes pressure off me, so it’s not just generosity but also strategy.
More than that, it aligned with my values. I talk a lot about building wealth, but what’s the point of wealth if you can’t use it to change the lives of the people you love?
Truth be told, there were moments when the opportunity cost felt very real, especially when I saw other people buying properties and felt like I was falling behind. There were moments when I wondered if anyone would ever do the same for me. But comparison is a thief, and my journey isn't the same as anyone else's.
The property market will still be there 👀 hopefully, so I can still achieve this goal of mine.
I delayed one financial milestone to create another kind of wealth entirely, the kind that doesn’t show up on a net worth spreadsheet but matters just as much.
I played a part in setting up my brother for life, and no buy-to-let could have given me that feeling 🥹.
Have you ever made a financial decision that didn’t make sense on paper but made complete sense for your life? I’d love to hear about it, so just hit reply.
And if you’re currently sacrificing something to support someone you love, I see you. It’s not easy, but sometimes the “wrong” financial decision is exactly the right one.
XOXO,
Chidera 💰