Investing

A caution.

Harrison Eleanor in Money & Momentum · 2026-05-27 05:24 · 123 claps · 5.7 min read

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Investing

A caution.

Photo by Edward Howell on Unsplash

Photo by Edward Howell on Unsplash

Investing in the modern world is quite tricky and kinda vague.

It’s also a broad term in a variety of great senses of what it means according to various people and methods, because it takes different forms to fulfill the investment as per one’s choice.

There is this allure of the investment and the jargon surrounding the word and terms of finances, which are confusing and somewhat understandable, but the real deal, in simple terms, is the compounding of money and avoiding inflation eroding our savings.

Yes! the beauty and satisfaction of compounding a few dollars, instead of not earning interest in bank accounts, or such negligible tiny interest, investment is the magic that does the steady sure assured growth of our money, by mostly the investor just doing nothing but only buying stocks or shares and letting the brokerage firm handle the rest as you get your cheque quarterly, depending on the type of dividends and method of pay out, which you can reinvest back to your shares or “eat”, best choice- invest back!

We are sold the “fear” that our money won’t be worth anything after such and such time period, actually, on a daily basis of creeping eroding inflation, and it’s better to make every dollar work for us while we sleep, quite a catchy and alluring phrase.

We all yearn to see growth, especially of our money, and herein lies the taphole that sinks many. The love of money, being said as the root of all evil, is caution that should be balanced from the beholder’s perspective.

Investment has seen many go through pains and losses, which is deemed as the tuition and a “must” happen as a welcoming initiation to this world. This isn’t amusing by any means when you’ve lost so much, and it's deemed “expected and necessary”.

And of course, having been burned this badly, we shouldn’t give up on investing but rather take all that happened as a lesson and get into the game again. Because if you don’t, it means you’re falling behind and denying yourself the ultra-benefits of what investment means, but again, as I mentioned, it could take various forms. Not only do people invest in stocks and shares, but they can also

. your business(es)

. building(s) to be rented out

education- with a view to a better salary or upskilling your skills to be more marketable and valuable
farming
investing in others’ business with a view of shared profit, not in the market way of buying shares or stocks through middlemen, but via individual discussions of friends or acquaintances
shylock loaning- (just don't be the one borrowing from the loan sharks)
etc.- add what you’d like to leverage with your money

Investing, for example, in shares or stocks, done online, is very tricky. As our world mostly revolves around online everything, “trust” can be easily manufactured with well-formatted persuasion tactics.

I did my research and decided to “start early” as we are all urged and let time do its compounding magic, so that we’ll be grateful for. So I found the name of the company that I was going to start my investment journey with, and all seemed well laid out and legit. I decided to go ahead and make the minimum deposit, which is where I should’ve been very extra cautious.

The investment company, also known as a brokerage firm, asked for certifications that are necessary for the process. But tell me which legit company will ask you for your social security certificate, a photo of an ATM card on both sides, your identification card on both sides, or your passport, without any bank details or means of topping up your account or investment?

Because after you make the initial deposit, there should be a continuous increase in the growth of the bought shares, brought about by you, the investor, deciding to buy more stocks by making a deposit into your account, and it is also not a crime to decide to leave the initial stocks bought as the only ones you’ll hold.

Bank details of an account shared to make such deposits as and when you’d deem fit are shared in the onboarding process. As for me, I was given a mobile money option to send the cash, which, if you look at it, is convenient but tricky and scammy, as that route is suspicious and again conveniently dangerous, not standard, sensibly accepted practice.

Identification documents are excusable as necessary documentation, plus social security, which sometimes is a requirement to prove that you pay taxes as a law-abiding citizen, and formal in many platforms, but not the certificate! just the number.

Looking at this from a different angle, these are your personal identifications that work as perfect ingredients for identity theft, which is a necessary evil if you ask me. That is, if you decide to do anything online, these are requirements that are usually asked for and expected.

Now the ATM card photo is totally whacky and scammy in all manner of the word. Just why would a brokerage firm ask you to send that? It's the perfect way to steal your money using modern technology. This shouldn’t be anywhere near the “required documents”.

Firstly, I check with the firm for their list of documentation needed to start investing with them, and if I see any of the listed as an ATM card and a physical certificate of my social security, I duck out fast. I have also reported some sites as being scammy and illegal, but that's all I can do, I think they’re still operating or rebranding.

Does this mean I am so infallible or can't be scammed? no! Am human and can fall prey to some sophisticated, elaborate high-tech ones (fingers crossed it doesn't happen), which has happened to some individuals who have experience in this field and who’ve done their due diligence, which turned out to be all just a well-laid-out elaborate fraud scheme.

To err on the side of utmost caution will serve you well, and better yet, just to physically go to the offices of the brokerage firm and do all your processing there, but DON’T give out your ATM card there too!

Then there are the cloned firms, you think you’re in some big-name, well-established, internationally recognized, well-renowned firm, only to realize that criminals set up shop with that name, only to steal people’s identity and money. And the common fears of firms sometimes going under, filing for bankruptcy, misappropriating funds, the economy tanks, natural disasters happen, and markets crash.

Does this mean I don't invest? No, I do, because where there is no risk and fear reigns, there couldn't be any change or improvement. Just that I take to heart to “never invest in something you’re not ready to lose”. It's risky, but I do it because at the end of the day, we all need to get teeth into the game, learn, lose, fail, get up, keep going, learn the lesson, and keep on, with more caution and experience.

It's also heartbreaking, and one could vow never to invest, if once or several times, due to some circumstances on your part or entirely not yours, something happens that makes your investment go up in smoke. But such is life, and money matters.

✍️ From the Founder of Threads of Life, Money & Momentum.

— Arpita Srivastava

Money & Momentum is dedicated to honest conversations about money mindset, earning more, and building income beyond a salary. This is not about hype or get-rich-quick promises. It’s about clarity, responsibility, identity shifts, and real momentum.