I Almost Lost All My Savings in Crypto, But What Happened Next Changed My Life

Two months ago, I was sitting in my small apartment in Yaba, Lagos, staring at my phone like it held my entire future. Truth is—it actually did.

I had just put ₦1.2 million, basically all my savings, into a new cryptocurrency project that a friend swore was going to be the “next Bitcoin.” He even told me, “Guy, if you no enter now, na you go regret.”

I didn’t want to be the broke friend in five years, still hustling while everyone else was chilling in Dubai. So, I jumped in.

At first, it felt like I made the smartest decision of my life. The coin doubled in two weeks. My wallet balance made me feel like Dangote’s cousin. I even started fantasizing about buying a car.

But then—boom.

One night, while scrolling Twitter, I saw the hashtag trending: #CryptoCrash. My stomach dropped. I opened my Binance app, and the red charts screamed at me like Lagos traffic wardens. My ₦1.2 million had dropped to ₦400,000 overnight.

I froze.

“Baba God, no be me dem wan use do mumu,” I muttered, pacing around my room.

The next morning, I called my guy who convinced me.

“Bro, calm down,” he said casually, like I didn’t just lose nearly a year’s worth of savings. “The market will bounce back. Just HODL.”

But deep down, I knew I couldn’t afford to “just HODL.” Rent was coming up, and my parents still expected me to send money home.

A week later, something crazy happened.

I was in a Bolt ride from Lekki back to Yaba when the driver started playing a podcast about personal finance and investing. Normally, I’d plug in my AirPods and ignore, but something about the speaker’s calm voice caught me.

He was saying:

“If you don’t understand where your money is going, you’re not investing—you’re gambling.”

That line hit me like a slap.

I asked the driver, “Oga, abeg which podcast be this?”

He smiled in the rearview mirror. “Na Money Africa Podcast. You fit learn plenty things from here.”

That ride changed everything.

Instead of panicking and selling off my coins at a huge loss, I started learning. I spent nights on YouTube watching personal finance creators, reading blogs about diversified investing, and joining free Telegram groups on financial literacy.

For the first time in my life, I realized I didn’t need to chase “get-rich-quick” schemes. I could build wealth slowly and steadily through index funds, real estate crowdfunding, and emergency savings.

Fast forward one month—while my crypto was still down, I got an unexpected alert. ₦300,000.

Confused, I checked. Turns out I had invested in a mutual fund through my bank’s app (something I almost forgot I signed up for months ago). It matured right when I needed it the most.

It felt like God reminding me that diversification is key.

I laughed to myself, “So na mutual fund save me, not Bitcoin.”

Now, I still hold a little crypto (for the vibes), but most of my money goes into safer investments. I started budgeting, tracking my expenses, and even teaching my younger cousins about money management.

I don’t invest because of FOMO anymore—I invest because I understand it.

Me (panicking at 2 AM): “Jesus! My money don vanish oh!”

My friend: “Bro relax. Na normal market dip. Just HODL.”

Me (grabbing my head): “Normal? ₦800,000 no be beans, abeg.”

Bolt Driver: “Young man, you dey stress yourself. Listen to this podcast, you go sabi wetin you dey do with money.”

Podcast Voice: “Don’t gamble with your future. Invest with knowledge.”

Me (softly): “…Na true.”

Today, whenever someone asks me about personal finance, I just smile and say:

“Crypto nearly finished me, but personal finance saved me.”

Because sometimes, the biggest profits are not in numbers—they’re in the lessons that save you from losing it all.