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Naira Life Vol 133

Naira Life Vol 133

Also: The cohabiting couple living on ₦4m/month.

Toheeb Lanlehin
May 19, 2025

Volume 133

Good morning ☀️

You made it to another Monday morning. Before those work emails take over, take a quick look at this week's stories.

First, we have a 30-year-old on #NairaLife, and she’s earning more than ever — $7k/month income and steady freelance gigs. But the money isn’t enough, or it doesn’t feel like it. Now, it’s not just about her; it’s about building a secure life for her child so that she will never worry about money like she once did. The money wins are sweet, but the pressure is still kind of constant.

Moving on to Love Currency, a couple earning a combined ₦4m/month and cohabiting in Lagos work. It’s been four years of splitting everything, but financial differences — and one partner’s risk aversion — are consistent struggles.

Finally, we spoke to a woman whose banking salary grew 10x in 10 years, and then levelled up again when she switched sectors.

Let's get into it.

In this letter:

#NairaLife: The Digital Marketer Obsessed With Building Wealth for Her Child
Love Currency: The Customer Service Supervisor Cohabiting in Lagos on a Combined ₦4m Salary
My Banking Salary Grew by 10x in a Decade. Then I Switched Sectors and Hit ₦4.5m/Month
Ask Aunty M: How Do I Build My Emergency Savings Separate From My Regular Savings?
Where The Money At?!

#NairaLife: The Digital Marketer Obsessed With Building Wealth for Her Child

The 30-year-old in this #NairaLife struck gold with digital marketing in 2019 and really started making money in 2022. It’s 2025, and she’s at her most liquid yet with a $7k/month income and a $30k portfolio.

But she won’t rest until she can provide everything her child needs.

This is her #NairaLife

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The Customer Service Supervisor Cohabiting in Lagos on a Combined ₦4m Salary

Jack* (31) and Pat* (28) have lived together since 2020.

For #LoveCurrency, Jack talks about their 50-50 arrangement, the challenges of cohabiting for so long, and his uneasiness with Pat’s risk-averse approach to finances. Read the full story here

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My Banking Salary Grew by 10x in a Decade. Then I Switched Sectors and Hit ₦4.5m/Month

*Juliana, 35, started out earning ₦130k/month as a banking trainee. Today, she makes ₦4.5M/month as a project specialist in development finance. .

After a decade in banking, her payslips tell a story of remarkable growth and even greater impact. This is how she made it happen.

Ask Aunty M with Reni

I'm a lawyer and work as a legal and compliance officer for a finance company. My monthly income is ₦640,000. I have side incomes from CAC, legal consulting and the like that bring about ₦100-₦150k monthly, but this is not steady. While I have a good savings culture, I'm afraid I don't have emergency funds, and I also don't know if my savings are commensurate with what I earn. Mind you, I have spent the past two years preparing for grad school in the US, and I honestly believe that is the next step forward for my career. In 2022, I saved about ₦4 million, which is down about ₦2.5 million. The rest went into paying for transcripts, LSAC, my parents' hospital bills, etc. However, I'm sure that that amount should triple between now and next year's fall. I save ₦300k monthly from my earnings, and I don't know if that amount should double. I also have some investments here and there in the money market, commercial paper, real estate, shares, and dollar fixed deposits -- this should be about half a million. I also want to improve oan this. I used to have self-sponsored health insurance but stopped when they failed to pay for my new glasses. It felt like I was dashing money to people who didn't care about me. How do I have emergency savings separate from my regular savings? Also, do I need to do better with my savings? I'm the first child; although the black tax is there, it is not a must. I give what I can when I can. - Sugar, 28

Hi Sugar, thanks for writing in. Congrats on your job and your great salary + side hustles. You are very thoughtful about your finances and your life, so kudos.

The first step would be to house your emergency savings separately from all your other money. You already know how to save; you just need to have all your savings goals in separate accounts to track how much you have to reach your goal accurately. I gather that your priorities are an emergency fund, a black tax fund, and a grad school/japa fund. I suggest opening a high-interest account for each of these and contributing to them monthly. This way, if hospital bills pop up, you won't be taking from your grad school funds to help out. You may want to consider saving in dollars for things like your grad school fund because of the devaluation of the Naira.

You also asked if ₦300k is enough to save. Only you can answer that because it depends on your goals and the timeframe they need to be achieved. ₦300k is an amazing amount if you want to save ₦3.6m in a year, but if you need to save ₦5m in a year, it's not.

So, I want you to work backwards…what are your financial goals? How long do you have to save up for them? Once you know that, you can calculate how much you need to save toward each goal to reach your goals. Also, remember to account for your expenses.

I hope this helps.

Xoxo, Reni

If you're here, you probably have a money or work dilemma. Ask your question and we'll figure out an actionable solution for you.

Where The Money At?!

We can't say we're about the money and not actually help you find the money.

So we've compiled a list of job opportunities for you. Make sure you share this with anyone who might need it because in this community, we look out for each other.

Again, don’t mention. We gatchu.