Jawad Hamdani 
A few years ago, a relative of mine was setting up a new bank account and the officer asked him whether he wanted a conventional or Islamic account. He paused for a few seconds, then said “Islamic” mostly because it felt like the safer answer in front of other people at the branch. He had … Read more
The first time I went to open a bank account on my own, I came back without one. Not because the bank refused me, but because I showed up without the right documents. The officer listed everything I was missing, handed me a requirements slip, and told me to come back. I felt embarrassed walking … Read more
When I was around 18, my father took me to a bank to open my first account. I sat across from the bank officer, nodded at everything he said, signed where he pointed, and walked out with a passbook and absolutely no idea what I had just signed up for. Was it a savings account? … Read more
I have a friend who put a decent chunk of his savings into a “guaranteed high-return” investment scheme a few years ago. Someone in his social circle vouched for it, the returns sounded amazing, and he thought he had finally found a smarter way to grow his money. Within eight months, the scheme collapsed. He … Read more
The first time someone suggested I invest in a mutual fund, I nodded along like I knew exactly what they were talking about. I didn’t. I went home, looked it up, and ended up more confused than before. Every explanation I found was either too technical or too vague. Terms like NAV, expense ratio, fund … Read more
When I first thought about investing, I assumed it was something you did after you had “enough” money. I didn’t have a clear number in my head, but I imagined it was somewhere in the hundreds of thousands. So I kept waiting. Waiting for a raise, waiting for a bonus, waiting for some magical moment … Read more
A few years back, a friend of mine inherited some money after his father passed away. Not a life-changing amount, but enough to matter. He wanted to invest it wisely, so he started asking around. One person told him to put it all in stocks. Another said bonds were safer. A third person told him … Read more
