[STORY] I turned ₦500k into ₦5 million trading ETFs in 3 months

I didn’t plan to become “that guy” who preaches about personal finance, budgeting, and investing in ETFs, but here we are.

It started one humid Thursday evening in Lagos. I had just been paid, and my salary was sitting in my account, looking like fresh jollof rice at a party — untouched and tempting.

I opened Twitter (or X, if we’re being fancy), and the first post on my feed read:

“If your money isn’t working for you, you’re working for money.”

The tweet had over 20k likes, and below it was a thread about investing in gold, stocks, and mutual funds. The guy even had a pinned post that said, “I turned ₦500k into ₦5 million trading ETFs in 3 months.”

Now, I know what you’re thinking — red flag, right? But I was tired of being broke-smart and cash-poor.

So, I slid into his DMs.

“Hey bro, I saw your tweet on ETFs. How can I get started?”

He replied almost instantly, like he was waiting for me.

“Perfect timing, bro. We’re onboarding a few new investors this week. You can start small — ₦200,000 minimum.”

Two hundred thousand. I hesitated, then thought: If I don’t take risks, how will I ever grow?

He sent me a “company website,” which looked professional enough — charts, numbers, fake testimonials with names like Chuka E. and Mariam A., both claiming they made millions.

I sent the money.

The next morning, I woke up ready to check my “portfolio.” I logged in — only to see a 404 error.

Page not found.

I refreshed. Same thing.

My stomach dropped faster than Bitcoin during a market crash. I called the number he gave me — “The number you have dialed is not available.”

I sat there, staring at my phone, my heart sinking deeper than the naira.

That’s when my friend, Tolu, called.

“Guy, what’s up? You sound like NEPA just took your destiny.”

I sighed. “Bro, I think I’ve been scammed. I invested ₦200k in something called ETF Growth Solutions.”

Tolu burst into laughter. “ETF what? My guy, those people are everywhere online. Didn’t you check if they’re licensed or legit?”

“Licensed? I just saw charts, bro!”

He laughed again, “Welcome to the school of experience. First lesson: never invest in what you don’t understand.”

That night, I sat with my laptop and decided if I was going to lose ₦200k, I might as well learn something from it.

I went down a personal finance rabbit hole.

Watched YouTube videos on how to start investing in stocks, read blogs about ETFs vs mutual funds, and even downloaded a budgeting app.

Three days later, I opened an account with a legit investment platform (one actually registered with SEC).

I started small — ₦10,000 into a money market fund, ₦5,000 into a stock ETF, and ₦3,000 into a savings plan. I called it “Project Comeback.”

Weeks passed. Slowly, I started seeing returns — not much, but real, steady growth.

Fast forward three months.

One random afternoon, I got a text from an unknown number:

“Hey, sorry for what happened earlier. The ETF thing was fake. But I’ve started a legit business now. I can refund half if you help me promote my page.”

I almost blocked him, but curiosity got me.

We spoke on WhatsApp. He confessed that he was part of a group running fake investment scams, but after realizing the harm, he quit and started a real financial literacy platform.

I didn’t believe him, but I checked — and surprisingly, it looked real this time.

I told him, “Keep your ₦100k. Just don’t scam anyone again.”

He replied, “Respect, bro. You’re different.”

That moment hit me — the same guy who scammed me was now preaching about smart investing and financial discipline. Life had a twisted sense of humor.

Now, I teach my friends about personal finance, budgeting, investing for beginners, and long-term wealth building.

I tell them what I learned the hard way:

Don’t chase quick profits — compound interest is the real flex.

Always verify before investing — legit investments are registered.

Save first, invest next, spend last.

Sometimes, I even post about it online, and people DM me like I used to DM that guy. The irony isn’t lost on me.

One Sunday evening, while reviewing my portfolio, I saw a new message on Instagram:

“Hey, bro, saw your post about investing in gold and ETFs. How can I start?”

I smiled.

This time, I replied with a link — not a scam one, but a legit beginner’s guide.

Because sometimes, your biggest loss can become your greatest teacher.