An Investor’s

Guide to

Making Love

Work
Table of content.

Preface ...................................................................................... i

Invest in Knowledge .............................................................. 1

Invest in Gifting ...................................................................... 5

Invest Together ....................................................................... 9

Invest in Experiences ........................................................... 13

Invest in your Partner .......................................................... 17

Invest in Yourself ................................................................... 21

 Preface.
To all lovers everywhere, we salute you. It can’t be easy
initiating, maintaining and reigniting the flames of love
in this economy. Love is pretty expensive - a bouquet of
flowers, depending on the vendor you patronize, costs
between N36,000 to N101,000 forgusake! A romantic
dinner for two at a fancy restaurant - you are talking
about N50,000 or waaayyyy more. And that’s not to
talk of the sometimes arduous journey from meeting
your lover, navigating through the proverbial talking
stage before becoming official. It’s really not easy. But,
it is worth it when you find real love. And we have proof.



Within these pages, you’ll find personal stories, pieces

of practical advice, and words of wisdom from people
who are making love work. I believe you can do the
same, and that the content of this guide will help you
navigate the beautiful, patient, kind, but sometimes
troubled and murky waters we call love.

With love and joy,

Ope from Cowrywise

i An Investor’s Guide to Making Love Work

Invest in Knowledge:
Finding your other
half is 99% hard work,
1% luck.
Busola Jeje,

Portfolio Manager.

Dating: 3 years.

1
An Investor’s Guide to Making Love Work
 We have all heard about the concept of Soul Mates:
Boy meets Girl, instant connection builds, both realize
they have multiple things in common and then boom! -
They end up together forever. While romantic comedies
and K-dramas might have sold this to us, oftentimes
love does not work this way - at least that is not how it
worked for me. 

Building the love story or relationship of your dreams is

very similar to building your wealth; You cannot rely on
luck, you have to genuinely put in hard work. As
difficult as it is to invest in financial knowledge, it is a
non-negotiable and a key precursor to deciding
whether to invest in that stock, that mutual fund or that
private enterprise. 

The same principles apply to building a life

partnership. You have to invest in thoroughly knowing
your partner! Here are a few things that have helped
my relationship (going on 3 solid years! )
What they like or dislike: Oftentimes, I have come
across Twitter folks on the timeline bashing people
that ask for a person’s dislikes and likes as a first
date question .
2
 While this is hilarious, it’s pretty important to know the
person you’re dating and what makes them happy or
sad. I don’t watch football, but my partner does so I
followed the recent AFCON matches religiously. It was
super fun to banter with my partner on Iwobi and
Aina’s mishaps
Their motivations and ambitions for the future: If
you plan on being with somebody long-term, you
need to know what their long-term goals are and
what are their driving forces. In my personal
experience, having a goal of “I want to blow” is
simply not enough! I believe everyone should have a
personal statement that reflects their life choices,
whether it’s to be the top x% in your field, or to
create “x” impact in the medical society etc, those
key statements are what will inspire you even when
the going is tough and rough.
Your financial compatibility: In the words of a
famous and distinguished, literature-focused
musician, Davido, “Love is sweet oh, when money
enters love is sweeter”. Money matters is such a
touchy subject for people, but it's something you
need to know your partner’s stance on.
3
 Are they cool with debt? If so, what type of debt? Debt
towards productive uses or for consumption? Is their
lifestyle compatible with their income sources? These
are critical areas you need to clearly know your
partner’s perspectives.
What their strongly held beliefs are: Everybody has
strong beliefs about multiple things, especially
spirituality and politics. You often tend to see
people at loggerheads with these topics.
Personally, these are topics I would like to know
where my partner stands at the very beginning, so
during elections we are not in a constant state of
turmoil .

Well, we have come to the end of this piece! I believe

knowing all of these points, (and more because the list
is not exhaustive!) are important to truly discovering
and building your soul mate, and building a sustainable
and fruitful love life. 


4
 Invest in Gifting:

Love- the gift that

keeps on giving.
Einstein Yunusa,

Finance Manager.

Dating: 1 year.

2
5 An Investor’s Guide to Making Love Work
 We can make impactful statements in people’s lives in
so many ways. I think the most recent one that stood
out for me came on 20th January 2024 - my birthday. I
woke up to a brand new PS 5 and a customised FC
Barcelona Official Jersey with my name on it. Lim
could not have pulled that off in a single month or even
in 5 months giving her numerous financial
commitments. According to her, she had planned and
saved for months to achieve that. She did not just get
me any gift, she got me what she knew I loved the most
- literally, she put her money where her heart is .  

It has become a very regular practice between us. We

find ways to show that we are constantly thinking
about ourselves through gifts. This may be as simple as
having pizza or cupcakes delivered to her office or
randomly taking her for an eat-out or buying her
skincare products. I find that over time, this has made
our bond a lot stronger. The expression on her face
when she receives the gift or the excitement on her
voice when she puts a call through to confirm that she
had received the parcel needs no reassuring.

I am going to get married to Lim in a few months and

gifts have had their part to play in building this bond.
6
 But as with many good things in life, money sits at the
heart of our ability to achieve our goals. We need to be
financially ready to do this. Tiny droplets of water, they
say, make a mighty ocean. You can start today to build
something that lasts in your finances and in your
relationships.

I hope to gift her a car some day and I can see my

future self so proud that I was able to achieve that. I
also know that starting today is my best chance at
achieving that. It is this understanding that prepares
me for what is to come. As with other times when I have
had to make her a gift, the steps to achieving this must
include
A Budget: You need to know how much it will cost
you to buy a PS 5 please and how long you can
conveniently save up for that. It is really important
to consider the possibility of price changes and
hedging against this risk. My suggestion would be
to create an investment plan on Cowrywise such
that you earn some interest over the period which
may just be enough to cover for the possible price
changes.

7
 Buy what she likes not what you like: I have gifted a
lot to know this. It is very important to know what
the person you are gifting loves. In fact, through
gifts, you are able to assure the person that you
know them well enough. Outcomes of
conversations, activities that they do repeatedly,
your item that they use more than you do are a few
pointers to spotting gift items you should consider. I
find that with Lim, there are items she likes that are
really expensive while there are those that cost little
to nothing. Let’s just say, I try to create a balance
and my budget helps to keep that in check
Start early: Time and money are important factors
towards building this bond. The earlier you begin to
plan and save towards making her happy, the
better.



They say, it’s the thought that counts... ehhhh... but we

have to make it count. Making it count requires careful
planning and consideration for what we look to
achieve in the future. For Lim, it was fostering our bond
through gifts and planting seeds that make impactful
statements in the lives of those around her.




What would it be for you?
8
 Invest Together:

No be by joint account
alone.


Yarmirama Jeremiah,

Senior Product Manager

Married: 1 month.





3
9 An Investor’s Guide to Making Love Work
 The essence of marriage or a relationship is two people
coming together to share their lives. Each individual
gives themselves to the other and lets the other into
their space. It’s one of the most profound life
experiences I have had. You have someone with whom
you can really, truly share everything; your mistakes,
insecurities, finances, highs, lows, whatever you can
think of, and you ideally get to do so without fear,
restraint or shame. Let’s talk a bit about investing as
couples, shall we? 

There are differing opinions concerning couples

investing together. Each relationship is different, and
my advice would be to understand the principles for
successfully investing together as a couple and fit
them into your scenario. The idea of marriage or a
relationship is to share your life with the other person,
and as you likely have come to realise, living life
requires money, and not discussing money or working
together when it comes to money can create
unnecessary tension in a relationship. Whether you’re
planning your wedding, handling needs within your
house, travelling, or putting a roof over your head, it all
boils down to money.
10
 Couples can and should invest together. The idea isn’t
necessarily to have a joint investment account but to
embrace collaboration and accountability. It is these
two principles that my husband and I live by
Collaboration: My husband and I are aware of and
in agreement on our goals and their priorities, our
income, our current investments, debts, our monthly
spending plan and so on. We also know what a rich
life looks like to us. These are necessary
conversations so you understand what matters to
your partner and vice versa. This knowledge would
help with structuring your investments and
supporting each other. Your goals may be similar
and prioritised in the same order or not. The main
focus here is to be willing to work together

Accountability: The fact that we’re both in sync on

what matters and how we handle our finances
keeps us both committed and focused on the main
goal we have at the time. We know each other’s
investment decisions and accounts, and it helps
build trust and makes us learn from each other. As a
couple, you should be able to discuss each other’s
investment decisions.
11
 Being accountable is really to help you stay committed

and can even foster unity and closeness in your

relationship. Your partner can always serve as a

sounding board to analyse the decisions you want to

make, and you also get a free cheerleader.

At Cowrywise, we built the Money Duo product to help

you and your partner to effortlessly and securely

invest together. Money Duo provides couples with the

opportunity to build wealth together, plan financially

for different goals, and have visibility into each other’s

investment actions and status so they can spur each

other (healthy competition is always a good idea).

With Money Duo, you and your partner can contribute

towards your goals in a way that suits you, and each

person gets access to their funds only.  

In summary, investing together isn’t so much about

opening a joint account but embracing values such as

openness, accountability, and collaboration. You’re a

team at the end of the day.






12
 Invest in wealth that

lasts two lifetimes.

Introducing Money Duo

Money Duo is a joint plan for modern couples plan towards a
rich lifestyle, invest and achieve major milestones together.

Plan.
Invest.
Build wealth together.

Set tangible milestones Hit your goals faster by Knock off important
customized just for you and earning rich returns on your milestones and build long-
your partner. investments. lasting wealth.

Find out more on cowrywise.com/duo

 Invest in Experiences:
Moments become
lasting memories.


Khose Dania Grillo,

Product Manager.

Married: 3 years.

4
13 An Investor’s Guide to Making Love Work
 Being married for three years has taught me that
relationships are like muscles—they need consistent
effort to stay strong. As the saying goes, our
experiences shape us. Think about it: why do certain
memories stick with us? It's all about the experiences.
Remember that guy you left? He 'showed you
pepper'—pepper being the experience. Or how about
knowing she was the one? You were 'walking on cloud
nine'—cloud nine being the experience. Investing in
shared experiences can breathe new life into any
relationship and often solidify your commitment to
each other. Now, you might assume that crafting the
ideal relationship requires a hefty budget. While there
may be some truth to that, it's all about how you
approach it. Let me share three strategies that have
proven effective for us
Follow the money: My school of thought is that
there's an experience for every budget. You
probably want to be sipping margaritas in Cancun
but perhaps a cozy picnic at IITA, Ibadan is what
your pocket suggests for now. Listen to it. By doing
so, you avoid postponing experiences until you have
'enough' money for the extravagant ones or
overspending beyond your means.
14
 Plus, costs tend to rise over time. Reflecting on my

journey with Biyi—from walking along Herbert

Macaulay way to hopping on Okadas to Ozone

Cinemas in Yaba and concerts during our dating days,

to now enjoying international trips and more lavish

experiences in marriage—I realise the importance of

aligning our experiences with our financial reality. It

makes me wonder how different things would be if we

hadn't prioritised this balance

Create meaningful traditions: Growing up,

Christmas meant surviving a cooking marathon and

sharing the meals with neighbours—now cooking

was therapeutic for me but cooking yourself out to

the point of exhaustion was hardly my idea of a

season to be jolly! Meanwhile, my husband's family

dedicated Easter to slow-cooking black beans for

Frejon and he always looked forward to this. After

we got married, we quickly realized the importance

of creating our own experiences and introduced

rituals we both love - Sunday dining outs, Friday

movie nights, quarterly friend gatherings, bi-

monthly baking experiments, and yearly holiday

escapes. Biyi still enjoys his Frejon every Easter

(which I learned to make by the way), and I'm still

15
the jolly good neighbour with the premium meals.
 Our marriage thrives on experiences we both cherish -
what I like to call a win-win
Pursue shared experiences: Whether it's a passion
project, a side hustle, or a significant milestone,
working together towards a common goal is key. It's
all too easy to get caught up in individual pursuits,
but collaborating towards a shared goal allows you
to discover a central point in your marriage where
your experiences truly intersect. You naturally
become each other's accountability partners,
jointly responsible for achieving that objective.
Perhaps you've planned to expand your knowledge
by taking a joint course or committing to monthly
book readings. Maybe you're both focused on
fitness goals and considering a joint gym
membership. Or perhaps you've decided to
dedicate your weekends to volunteering at a non-
profit.

These shared experiences not only deepen your

understanding of each other but also add an exciting
dynamic to your relationship. 


16
 Invest in Your Partner:
Some people are
worth melting for.




Nifemi Sola-Ojo,

Software Engineer.

Dating: 3 years.

5
17 An Investor’s Guide to Making Love Work
 Word on the street is that women marry up, and men
down. The street also advises that men shouldn't marry
too far down. But please, don't quote me on all this; I
am just echoing the street. I, for one, do not believe
that statuses are cast in stone. An individual can move
up and down the socio-economic ladder based on the
choices they make with their resources. The resources
we basically have at our disposal are time and money.

So, I intend to marry pretty soon, and no one is going to

be down any ladder. In fact, there is no ladder. I have
made certain decisions with my resources when it
comes to my partner and I — us. 

Time: There is a fair distribution of this resource among

us. We all happen to have 24 hours a day. A good chunk
of mine is spent with bae trying to understand her. I am
still understanding. These periods spent together make
us aware of each other's goals and aspirations with the
purpose of later formulating a strategy to accomplish
them. Sincerely, most of these times are spent
daydreaming about the future and gushing about the
life that is about to come. My advice, invest in spending
quality time with your partner.

18
 Money: Love is sweet but sweeter when money enters.

Another word from the street. Since we are already

aware of each individual's dreams and have invested

time in formulating a collective goal. It has become

important that we create a plan on how to accomplish

them. Most dreams need money, and ours is not an

exception.

We are about entering a lifelong partnership, and

considering that we are in different stages in our

careers, our incomes aren't identical. She is an entry

level healthcare professional and I work for one of the

finest fintechs on the continent. She has dreams to

Japa, like most young healthcare professionals in the

country do. 

So, we invest in a passport, IELTS exams.

She's interested in picking up tech skills too, Product

Management to be specific. I may have one or two

things to do with that but that's not the point. Lol.. 

What do you do when your babe suddenly picks up

interest in becoming a tech sis with some dreams of co-

founding a healthcare startup in the nearest future but

she doesn't own a working laptop? Well, you buy her

one.



19
 In the great words of the Infra tech lead, he once said:

'If I don't spend my money on my babe, what else am I

to use my money for?'

I know I am going to continue to make these

investments forever, and I consider it an honour to be

able to do so. 

I’d recommend you do the same.






20
 Invest in Yourself:

The love you take is

equal to the love you
make.


Ebenezer Akintomide,

Lead, People and Culture.

Married: 4 years.

6
21 An Investor’s Guide to Making Love Work
 You’ve probably heard about or read the book Men Are

from Mars, Women Are from Venus. I thought that the

dating period was the construction project to build the

bridge between Mars and Venus, and marriage would

be as easy as putting road signs on the bridge to

complete the project. . 



From meeting each other, to falling in love, to talking

for hours on the phone each day, to exploring the city

together, taking nightly drives to buy shawarma or

suya, and taking 30 minutes to say good night. One

and half years after we first met, who would have

thought that the journey really starts when you finally

start doing life as a couple?

I remember the day someone asked I.J. how marriage

life is going, she smiled and said, without mincing

words, “it’s hard work.” I was puzzled and I asked

myself who smiles about hard work?. Some minutes of

reflection later, it began to make sense.

Here is what I found in four (4) years of marriage:

22
 Know thyself first: everyone tells you to take time to
study your partner before deciding to make them
your life partner, not much is said about knowing
yourself. I recently found out that I might be on the
autism spectrum and that realisation alone shed
light on how a number of things could have been
easier in over five (5) years of knowing I.J. Knowing
yourself makes it easy for you to help your partner
know you more intimately. Lesson one, know
yourself in and out, and understand what makes
you tick and why you act the way you do! Mind you,
you’ll keep learning as you continue to grow and
evolve
Know what needs work: Now you know yourself a
bit more; you are aware of your strengths and
weaknesses, and how to manage them. It’s critical
you invest in your physical and mental well-being -
register for new courses, get a degree, stay up-to-
date, pick up new skills that will help you add even
more value, and increase your earning power; you’ll
need it. Hit the gym, turn that one pack into a six,
eat healthy, expand your network, journal; the list is
endless.

23
 A better you and a partner also self-investing will form

a solid foundation for long-term success

Third, be deliberate: Whether it is about education,

skills development, your career, gigs or your love

life. Have plans and stick with them. Be flexible

enough to pivot when necessary. Stick to your guns

and see things through. Have goals and see them

through.

Making a home work is indeed hard work. You need to

put in the work to understand your partner, to leverage

your strengths while working on your weaknesses. It is

indeed 99% hard work. Most days, I wake up to the

natural beauty that is next to me and I am motivated to

put in the hard work of making our home thrive. The

other days are the 1% that luck carries us through.

24
Your future self will be
grateful.
Cowrywise is the dominant, digital-first wealth
management platform for the young generation of
Nigerians and Africans. We build products to help our
users (individuals and businesses) more easily access
financial services, cultivate better financial behaviour,
and make the most out of their money. 

Recently, we have encouraged users to think about their

future selves, in our #FutureSelf campaign. Your choice of
a life partner and how you choose to invest your money
have a great impact on your tomorrow. This is one of the
reasons why we built Money Duo; a joint savings plan for
couples. Money Duo helps couples plan for key milestones
in their lives while staying accountable and on track.

Find out more at cowrywise.com/duo.

Do share this guide with your friends and within your

circle. Your future self and theirs will be grateful.