3 investments you can start for your child today with just GH¢50

• Start investing for your child with as little as GH¢50.

• Consider educational policies, mutual funds or GSE shares.

• Start early and invest consistently to benefit from compound growth.

You do not need a large salary or millions of cedis to start building wealth for your child. Starting early, contributing consistently and giving the money enough time to grow can make a significant difference by the time your child reaches university or adulthood.

Financial expert Patrick Baah Abankwa has highlighted three investment options parents in Ghana can consider, starting with as little as GH¢50.

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Educational or wealth policies, including products such as WealthMaster, combine long-term savings with insurance protection.

These plans are designed around major financial milestones in a child's life, including secondary school, university or starting a business. Parents make regular contributions towards a predetermined maturity period, allowing them to build a dedicated fund for future expenses.

A major advantage of some of these policies is the protection they provide if the parent dies or becomes unable to continue paying premiums.

Abankwah explained that "most of these policies come with a built-in waiver of premium", meaning that if something happens to the parent, the policy can still mature and provide funds for the child's education.

Parents considering this option should compare the benefits, premiums, maturity values, exclusions and terms before signing up.

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Mutual funds provide another way for parents to start investing with relatively small amounts.

Under this arrangement, money from multiple investors is pooled together and managed by professional fund managers licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Parents can choose between different types of funds depending on their investment horizon and tolerance for risk. Equity funds generally offer greater growth potential but come with higher investment risk, making them more suitable for longer-term goals. Money market and fixed-income funds tend to provide more moderate and stable returns.

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Abankwa said parents can establish standing orders with contributions starting from about GH¢50 to GH¢100 per month.

The key advantage is consistency. A parent who begins investing when a child is very young could have more than 15 years for contributions and returns to compound before the child reaches university age.

Parents can also consider setting up a trust account in the child's name through an SEC-licensed asset manager.

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Parents who are comfortable with greater investment risk can also consider buying shares of listed companies on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) on behalf of their children.

This gives the child an opportunity to become a shareholder in established companies while potentially benefiting from both capital appreciation and dividends.

If the value of the shares increases over time, the investment can generate capital gains. Some companies also pay dividends to shareholders from their profits.

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Abankwa recommends reinvesting dividends rather than immediately spending them. Over a period of 10 to 20 years, reinvested dividends can purchase additional shares and potentially accelerate the growth of the investment.

To begin, parents can open a Central Securities Depository (CSD) account through a licensed GSE stockbroker using the required identification documents, including the child's birth certificate and the parent's Ghana Card.

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The central message from Abankwah's recommendations is that parents should not wait until they have substantial money before starting to invest for their children.

"You don't need millions of Cedis to begin," he said, encouraging parents to "start small, automate your contributions, and let consistency do the heavy lifting."

While GH¢50 may appear insignificant as a one-off investment, regular contributions over many years can create a meaningful financial cushion.

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Parents should, however, consider fees, investment risks, expected returns, liquidity and the reputation and regulatory status of any provider before committing their money.

Starting early gives children something money alone cannot buy later: time for their investments to grow.