The Best Time To Invest Is Not To Wait And Invest But To Invest And Wait
I’ll be honest: the line about “the best time to plant a tree” is one I’ve rolled my eyes at. It sounds like something printed on a mug. But the longer I think about money, the more I believe it’s the most useful sentence in personal finance. The best time to start investing was yesterday. The next best time is today.
The reason is arithmetic. Time does more of the work than talent, timing, or even the size of your contributions.
The cost of “I’ll start next year”
Take two people, both investing KES 10,000 a month. Assume a steady 10% annual return. It’s illustrative, not a promise, because real returns wobble.
The first starts today and invests for 20 years. She puts in KES 2.4 million of her own money and ends up with roughly KES 7.6 million.
The second waits five years, then invests for 15. He puts in KES 1.8 million and ends up with about KES 4.2 million.
Five years of waiting cost him over three million shillings. He didn’t earn less, work less, or choose worse. He just started later. Compounding rewards the early, and it quietly punishes the “I’ll get to it” crowd, which I have been a member of.
Why we wait anyway
I’ve heard every reason, and I’ve used most of them myself.
“I don’t have enough yet.” This one feels responsible, but it’s backwards. Starting small teaches you how markets behave, how your own nerves behave, and what a sensible portfolio looks like, and you learn it while the stakes are low.
“The market feels too high/too uncertain.” It always feels that way. There has never been a moment when everything looked calm and cheap and a wise voice said “now.” Waiting for certainty is waiting forever, and meanwhile inflation works against idle cash, steadily eroding what it buys. Anyone who has watched the price of unga, fuel, or school fees creep up knows this is no abstraction.
“I’ll do it when I understand it all.” No one understands it all. You need a clear goal, a time horizon, and a trusted partner to help you build around them.
The case for doing it with I&M Capital
Most people don’t fail at investing because they picked a bad asset. They fail because they never start, start and panic, or scatter their money across things they don’t understand. What helps most is a disciplined, professional partner who looks at your whole picture and helps you stick to the plan when emotions say otherwise.
That’s why I’d point you toward I&M Capital. It sits within the I&M Group, a name with deep roots in East African finance, and it brings institutional-grade thinking to the person who’s just beginning to build wealth.
For someone starting out, that matters in three ways:
Guidance that fits your life. A good advisor starts with your goals, whether that’s a home, school fees, a business, or retirement, and works backward. A product pushed at you without those questions is a sales pitch, not a plan.
Regional perspective. Markets in Kenya and across East Africa have their own rhythms, risks, and opportunities. Working with a team that lives and breathes this region beats borrowing advice written for a different economy.
Discipline built in. A structured plan, with regular contributions, sensible diversification, and periodic reviews, protects you from your worst instincts. That’s worth more than any hot tip.
What “now” actually looks like
Starting doesn’t require a windfall or a perfect plan. It requires three small decisions.
First, decide what the money is for. A goal with a date turns vague hope into a strategy.
Second, decide how much you can set aside consistently. Consistency beats impressive. A modest monthly amount you never skip will outperform a big lump sum you agonise over for two years.
Third, talk to someone qualified. Book the conversation with I&M Capital, bring your questions, and let them help you turn intention into a structure.
The only real mistake
I don’t believe in perfect investors. I believe in people who started, kept going, and let time do its quiet, enormous work. The ones I admire most never found the perfect moment. They stopped waiting for it.
Yesterday is gone, and no amount of regret recovers it. But today is still on offer, and it will be the “yesterday” of a future version of you who is either grateful or wishing you had begun.
Make that conversation your first step. Start with I&M Capital, and start now.
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