⚠️ Caution: Long but my little lessons in Stock buying in the NSE

A beginner-friendly investing lesson I learned the hard way Let me tell you a short story about confidence and impatience Recently, I sold some shares on the Nairobi Securities Exchange using the Faida trading app. After the sale, the app showed that I was about to receive KES 5,076. (btw this is my first time selling shares on the NSE) Naturally, my brain said: “Ah yes. I am now financially responsible.” I was not. Step 1: What selling shares actually means  When you sell shares in Kenya: You don’t get the money immediately It takes about 3 working days to fully land in your account. During that time, the app showed the money as "future settlement amount" a.k.a “coming soon” Step 2: What I did with my “almost money” Instead of waiting for the money to actually arrive, I immediately used it to buy more shares. I bought a few shares made Small purchases here and there which even included 1 Safaricom share... 😠 when I was done I had paid more fees than I waved.   What I learned Every time you buy or sell shares, you pay: * A broker (the middleman) * The stock exchange * Regulators These fees are small per trade — about 2–3%. But here’s the trap 👇 * ## The big mistake beginners make (me included) ### Small purchases get punished Buying shares worth: * KES 2,000 → fees feel reasonable * KES 30 → fees feel personal When I bought: * 1 Safaricom share → fees ate a big chunk of the money * Small amounts of Equity and Co-op → fees took a bigger bite * Co-op twice instead of once → I paid fees twice for the same idea It’s like: * Going to the ATM five times * Paying withdrawal fees each time * Instead of withdrawing once * ## What I did right (credit where it’s due) One purchase made sense: * NCBA shares (KES 2,432) Because the amount was bigger: Fees were smaller relative to the money* * More of my cash actually went into investment * ## The lesson  Here’s what I learned, in the simplest way possible: ### ❌ What NOT to do * Don’t buy shares in very tiny amounts * Don’t buy the same company multiple times in one day * Don’t rush just because the app shows “money coming” ### ✅ What to do instead * Save up and buy in one bigger chunk * Aim to spend at least KES 2,000+ per purchase * Buy fewer times, not more times * Be patient — patience is cheaper than fees * ## My new rule (borrow it if you want) > If the fees hurt more than the excitement of buying, don’t buy. * ## Final thoughts I didn’t lose money. I didn’t make a terrible decision. I just paid school fees to the market. Investing isn’t only about what you buy. It’s also about how you buy. Next time, I’ll be calmer, slower, and a lot less dramatic — because nothing humbles you faster than trading all day and ending with fees in bulk 😆**