This 21-year-old thought he’d make it big in crypto trading in 2021, but he ended up in a $5k debt and almost dropped out of school. But that’s in the past. In the three years that have followed, he’s settled his debts, built a full-time career and created two businesses all before graduation. How did he get here and what are his next steps?

This 27-year-old got into photography at university after his dad lost his job and could no longer pay him an allowance. Eight years later, he’s still at it. Add that to his 9-5 as a communications officer, and he earns an average monthly income of ₦1.4m. With things looking up, he’s confident about his finances hitting the next level — $10k/month — in the next four years.

The 32-year-old customer experience researcher in this #NairaLife was forced to start afresh in 2016 due to an unplanned pregnancy that led to her father cutting her off. Eight years later, she’s now a financially stable mother of two — thanks to her ₦1.5m/month salary. How did she get here and what’s next for her?

The 28-year-old mobile engineer in this #NairaLife has come a long way in his relationship with money. He’s gone from careless spending to building an impressive $80k safety net by living below his means. He’s now navigating the insecurity that comes with a tech career, after surviving two layoffs in seven months.

The 31-year-old artist in this #Nairalife has had her share of terrible luck in businesses and relationships. In 2015, she lost a lucrative detergent business after an ex-partner defaulted on a ₦450k loan. Then, in 2022, an agribusiness she co-owned with another partner went belly up after a series of bad decisions plunged her into a ₦13m debt, getting arrested and losing her apartment.

In 2021, the 33-year-old admin officer in this #NairaLife was forced to leave her seven-year marriage with her two children. Years of financial abuse had begun to evolve into physical abuse. She also went from having zero income for years to juggling three jobs and then solely providing for her children on a ₦45k salary. Her life is much better now, and it started with one job change.

Phoebe* (35) and Joe* (41) have been married for 11 years, although a money-related fight almost ended their relationship before it even started. They run a traditional one-income household, and Joe manages the family’s finances. How did they get there, and how is this dynamic working out for them?

Michelle* (24) and JC* (32) are both freelancers who started their Aba - Keffi long-distance relationship almost three years ago. In this #NairaLife, they talk about working through their different spending habits, coming through for each other during bad financial periods because of their income instability, and plans to move in together later this year.

This 28-year-old banker’s ₦165k/month salary isn’t what pays the bills. He’s a self-taught dog breeder and dealer who got into the dog business by chance in 2018. Now, he makes up to ₦1m monthly and doesn’t see himself ever going broke again. This is his #NairaLife.

In February 2023, this 25-year-old UI/UX designer had three jobs. A month later, she lost two of them. She’s currently unemployed, but runs a thrift business and YouTube channel. She hopes to add cocoa farming to that list one day.