In episode 5 of Lit’EDTech Fiesta, Rumaisa Raza joins Daastan to talk about importance of conventional methods of investment. Rumaisa recently published her book “Old Money – The Millennial’s Manual for Traditional Investment”.
Meet Rumaisa Raza
Rumaisa Raza is a software engineer by profession and a published author. She is also a social activist and a therapist in the making. Her first book “Old Money – The Millennial’s Manual for Traditional Investment” is her way of sharing the lessons she learned while exploring the world of traditional investments.
About the book
Financial intelligence and investment models have confused most of us because they always seem too complex. This book holds a brief introduction to various financial instruments that anybody can utilize to make a fortune. It is a call for action to start planning your finances. Furthermore, it provides you the tools to start amassing wealth.
Rumaisa’s book is marketed as a self-help/motivation book. It dives into the conventional methods of investments such as real estate and stock market. Moreover, the book equips readers with essential tools to grow financially from scratch. For instance, the opening chapters of the book focus on spotting a property to invest in.
Let’s hear more about Rumaisa’s writing journey in her own words.
What inspired you to write?
Initially I did not intend to write a book. It was a research project that I was working on that sparked my interest in conventional investment. Therefore, I started researching more and more about the offline modes of business. The structure and methods of investments beyond the world of internet intrigued me. After sometime, I realised that my research work looked like a rough draft. Thus I planned to convert it into a book, along with a push from my friends. To me the inspiration lied in sharing the knowledge of conventional investments with the world in order to help people gain high rewarding investment opportunities.
How did you manage to write a book with a full time job?
The credit goes to my profession. I am glad that being a software engineer allows me to have a flexible work schedule so that I can give time and undivided attention to writing. In addition, writing is my passion and calling. Therefore, it has never felt like a burden to clear my schedule for writing. In fact, I love writing so much that I schedule other tasks around it not vice versa. Even though I graduated as a compute science major, writing is something that I have always enjoyed doing.
“If I could do just one thing everyday for the rest of my life, it would definitely be writing.”
Did your childhood contain any literary influences?
I had a lot of literary influences growing up. My father was a Urdu literature major and my mother was an avid reader. So, the environment in my home growing up encouraged habits like reading and writing. I remember my mother reading bedtime stories to me. Therefore, my childhood definitely played a huge role in developing my interest in writing.
Did your writing play any role in your professional life or vice versa?
The answer is Yes and No. Let me explain it through an analogy. As a software engineer, my work centres around making flow charts. We connect things step by steps. Similarly, while writing a book the same approach comes in application. For instance, you take a character and build a story around it step by step. One thing leads to another, you find the character on a seamless journey. Same is the case in software engineering, we make connections.
How lengthy was the process of writing this book?
Becoming a writer, let alone a published one was something I never envisioned myself doing. For me it was all very spontaneous. As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t intend to write a book. However, over the course of two years my research project took a turn and transformed itself into something resembling a draft of a book. So I started writing one chapter at a time. Then, I would forget and sleep on the draft for months. This pattern continued for a while but with the much needed motivation from my friends and Ommer, I compiled my book and published it.
What is your take on technology?
I believe online means of investments are volatile and isolating. In the past, there used to be buzzing market places with human beings interacting and making connections. Without internet, people were still making progress, earning a great livelihood and also becoming millionaires. While there are upsides of technology, life is still possible without it.
Rumaisa Raza’s advice to youth
“Read as much as you can, be experimental with your life. Get out of your comfort zone. You only get one life, make sure to live as authentically as possible in that borrowed time on earth.”
Daastan wishes Rumaisa Raza best of luck for her future endeavours. You can order her book here. Stay tuned for upcoming episodes of Lit’EDTech Fiesta!
