5 Money Moves Nigerians Should Make Before 2025 Ends

As 2025 draws to a close, many people in Nigeria are under pressure. Prices of food items are rising, the naira is weak, school fees are coming, and December expenses are plenty: travel, weddings, parties, village trips, church and family support. 

It is easy to say, “Let me just survive this December. I will plan my money next year.” But that is how the same money stress continues every year.

Now is actually a good time to pause and look at your money calmly. You don’t need to be rich or be a finance expert. You can still make some simple financial decisions before the year ends that will help you breathe better in 2026.

Here are 5 Money Moves Nigerians Should Make Before 2025 Ends:

1. Check and rebalance your investments

Rebalancing simply means “adjusting” your investments so that one part does not become too big and too risky. During the year, some things may have done very well, like dollar investments, some stocks or crypto. If you leave them to grow without control, they can become a large part of your total money. If those prices fall suddenly, your loss will also be very big.

Before the year ends, look at where your money is kept. If one area has grown a lot, you can sell a small part and move that money into safer places like treasury bills, government bonds, money market funds or other low-risk options. 

This is very important if you are 50 years and above, because you are getting closer to the time when you will use that money for school fees, rent, hospital bills and feeding in retirement. At that stage, you need more peace of mind and less risk.

2. If you are still working, look at your retirement plan

If you are still working, this is a good time to check how ready you are for retirement. Start with your pension. Log into your pension account and see how much you have saved. Check if your employer has been paying regularly every month or if there are missing months. Many people only discover problems when it is already late.

Ask yourself if you can increase your pension contribution a little from next year, even if it is by a small amount. It can make a big difference over many years. If you are self-employed or running a small business and do not have any pension, think of joining a micro-pension plan or starting your own long-term investment, where you save every month in a mutual fund or fixed-income product. The goal is to make retirement saving a habit, not something you only do “when money comes.”

3. If you are retired, protect your monthly cash

If you have stopped working and now use your savings and investments to live, your main focus should be protecting your monthly income. Instead of taking money from your investments anyhow, try to do it in a planned way.

First, look at which investments went up the most this year. You can sell some of those and keep part of the money in very safe and easy-to-access places, like savings and money market funds. Try to build enough cash to cover at least six to twelve months of your normal expenses.

This way, you have money ready for your needs, you are not forced to sell risky investments when prices are low, and you sleep better at night. The older you are, the more important this is. Money you need soon should not be in something that can jump up and down every week.

4. Look again at your insurance before you renew

The end of the year is also a good time to check your insurance. Many Nigerians don’t have enough cover, or they are paying for plans that no longer fit their life.

Start with health insurance. Look at your current HMO plan. Ask yourself: Are you happy with the hospitals on the list? Is the care good enough? Does the plan cover the drugs and treatment you usually need? Has your family size changed this year? If your employer’s plan is weak, you may add a small private plan or upgrade if you can afford it.

Next, think about life insurance if people depend on your income. A simple life cover can help your family if anything happens to you. Check if your company or pension already includes life cover and if it is enough.

Also, check your car and home insurance. With the high cost of cars, building materials and repairs, paying for damage from your pocket can be very painful. Make sure your cover is up to date and still useful for your kind of car, house or shop. Don’t just renew last year’s policy without checking. Prices change, your life changes, and sometimes a better plan is available for the same or even lower cost.

5. Plan your December giving and charity

In Nigeria, December is full of giving. There is family pressure, village projects, church and mosque programmes, charity work and many personal requests. If you are not careful, you will give and give until you borrow for January rent and school fees.

Before that happens, sit down and decide how much you can give this December without going into debt or disturbing important bills next year. Write down that amount. After that, choose the people and causes that matter most to you. Maybe it is one relative who really needs help, a trusted charity, your place of worship or a community project you believe in.

It is better to give in a planned way than to give to everyone and later regret it. If you notice that you support the same charities or projects every year, you can also plan a smaller, regular amount every month in 2026 instead of one big, stressful payment in December. If your giving is large and you run a business, a tax or financial adviser can help you design a more organised way to do it.