Mentor blog

The Mentor blog empowers you with simple and effective insights and strategies that help you make smarter financial decisions and live happier lives. No matter how much or how little your job pays, put your money to work today.
Finance
Banking
Finance 101
Investing
Stock market

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Time value of money: Lotteries, growth and calculations
Finance 101
Time value of money: Lotteries, growth and calculations

Learn how time impacts the value of money, and how to do quick and simple calculations that help you determine optimal financial decisions in life.

Stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, and indexes
Stock market
Stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, and indexes

Walk into bank or open up the business section of any online news website, and you’ll quickly get bombarded and confused by what appears to be an endless number of complicated investment options. Finance people work hard to make you believe this false reality.

Why interest needs to be your primary interest
Finance 101
Why interest needs to be your primary interest

To understand investing, you must first understand interest. Learn about the origins of interest and the factors that influence it. By the end of the post you should understand how interest impacts your savings and your future.

The 5 commandments of a good investment portfolio
Investing
The 5 commandments of a good investment portfolio

A good investment portfolio should do a few things right. Failure to do any one of these things means the portfolio is not truly achieving your investment needs.

Companies: The building blocks of the stock market
Stock market
Companies: The building blocks of the stock market

Before you can attempt to understand the stock market, it’s important to first understand the building blocks behind it: companies. You must also understand how the stock market helps you profit from companies.

The importance of diversification
Investing
The importance of diversification

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. This is a very well-known saying, especially in investing. If you put all your effort or assets (the eggs) in one place (the basket) and fail, then the consequences of failure are catastrophic.

A crash course in how the economy works
Stock market
A crash course in how the economy works

Our jobs and savings are highly impacted by the health of the economy. Understand how changes in the economy will impact you and how cycles in an economy work, you are empowered. You become more prepared, less fearful, and less impulsive during downturns.

Shredding the craziest myths about investing
Investing
Shredding the craziest myths about investing

Here in the Middle East, there’s a serious lack of literacy around investing. In fact, over the years I’ve collected a list of top excuses against investing. Yes, I dare to call them excuses, not reasons. In this post, we rip these myths to shreds.

Stock exchanges and the three asset classes
Stock market
Stock exchanges and the three asset classes

Where do you go to buy avocados? The supermarket. Where do you go to buy electronics? Amazon.ae or the local electronics store. Investing in stocks is no different; it is essentially a transaction involving a buyer and a seller in a market.

How to choose an index ETF
Investing
How to choose an index ETF

By the end of this post you will have a pretty solid understanding about where to look for ETFs, how to judge them, and how to pick them to suit your particular investment goals.

Dividends: The glorious harvest of the stock market
Stock market
Dividends: The glorious harvest of the stock market

Before understanding dividends, we need to talk a little bit about earnings. A company’s earnings is basically the final profit it has left over after all expenses are paid. There are many things the company can choose to do with this profit.

Risk, volatility and correlation: ups & downs explained
Stock market
Risk, volatility and correlation: ups & downs explained

As we discussed in our myth busting post, there is a huge difference between risk and volatility. Risk measures the likelihood of an investment’s failure. Volatility measures the severity of ups and downs you experience throughout an investment.

Bonds: Investing in countries and governments
Stock market
Bonds: Investing in countries and governments

Governments spend money on different areas, all of which help provide necessary services to citizens. As you can probably imagine, these activities are costly. Raising money to ensure they are consistently managed is no easy feat. Say hello to bonds.

Effective investment strategies for youth in the Middle East
Finance 101
Effective investment strategies for youth in the Middle East

My personal mission is to empower youth in the Middle East with effective investment strategies that will help them make smarter financial decisions and live happier lives. Investing isn’t as exclusive, as scary or as complicated as it seems.

Is inflation your enemy or your friend?
Finance 101
Is inflation your enemy or your friend?

Investing correctly should, at the bare minimum, help you beat inflation. In this post, we explain the concept of inflation and its impact on your savings, earning power, and expenses.

Compounding: How youthfulness gives you a crazy advantage
Finance 101
Compounding: How youthfulness gives you a crazy advantage

Compounding is the big brother of interest. It is also known as the 8th wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it. He who doesn’t, pays it. This post demystifies the concept of compounding.