Covid19 has taught us some financial lessons the hard way. The fragility of lives has induced people to think about the financial preparedness of their families in the event of any unfortunate situation. Preparedness here implies not just the wealth – the financial assets accumulated for the family. It is also about how the family is able to access all the key financial information with less effort or hassle. As the main bread earner, if your family depends not just on your

In all my years of experience in the financial advisory profession, I can surely tell that the science behind getting wealthy is very elementary. There is no secret to getting wealthy. Getting wealthy is not just confined to people who are earning high incomes or doing business or investing in properties or taking bets in stock markets, commodities, foreign currency, etc. Earning big money is a skill, but managing that money well is even a bigger skill. Even an individual wit

People hear inspiring rags to riches stories many times. But there are also stories where people have gone broke, really broke. Yes, it is true. Take the case of Bollywood film stars. They earn crores, own big houses, drive swanky cars, travel in private jets, wear branded clothes and accessories. They enjoy all the luxuries in the world. It is difficult to imagine that they can ever get into any financial trouble. Heavy debt and financial mismanagement have landed many celeb

“*Shatayushi Bhava” – A blessing or a curse. A few years back I had written an article on the increasing life spans of Indians and whether we should consider this as a blessing or a curse. Blessing because we get to live longer than our ancestors but at the same time it could be a curse if that increased life span is spent in ill health and financially weak. *Shatayushi- One who lives for 100 years. Gerontologists (Scientists who study life spans) all over the world have writ

These trying times have taught us to slow down and self-reflect on many things in our life. It has signalled to act on certain tasks which we may have procrastinated for a really long time. Like for e.g., people are taking some time out to declutter their homes. It is actually very therapeutic. It is like decluttering our minds because we then have to focus on lesser things. Less is more! This virtue can be extended to our financial life. This lockdown presents an opportunit

Covid-19 is one of the worst humanitarian crisis mankind has faced in recent times. Under a lockdown, we all are facing fear and anxiety in the wake of uncertainty. However, this ironic situation of a lockdown can also be viewed through a positive lens. It has taught us many things – to slow down and reflect, appreciate nature, optimise resources, value relationships, etc. And, there are financial lessons to learn as well. First and foremost: Emergency Fund: The primary thi

Nowadays, almost every 9 out of 10 messages on WhatsApp you will read would be related to Corona Virus. There are also videos where the self-proclaimed experts would talk about home remedies and preventive measures to deal with it. Further, you will see debates on media channels about how Corona Virus is adversely affecting the global economy including India. Then we have the Yes Bank fiasco which has shaken every common man’s trust in depositing money with banks. The power

Mobile apps in our smartphones have become a ubiquitous part of our everyday lives. They are fast and convenient. Apps are just a swipe away – Amazon for shopping, Ola/Uber for travel, Zomato for food orders, etc. However, this high dependence on mobile apps is also enticing us to spend more. Add to that, the discount offers and cash back deals are too hard to resist. We aimlessly spend gobs of time scouting for attractive deals and buy that extra jacket or footwear just beca

An emergency fund is an essential buffer to tide over in unforeseen circumstances. You need a safety net when life throws those harsh bouncers at you. Most financial advisors advocate an emergency fund equivalent to 6 months living expenses. Living expenses here include only the necessary costs such as grocery, utility bills, EMIs, insurance premiums, children’s school/tuition fees, etc. While 6 months is taken as a rule of thumb, it cannot be a blanket solution as personal s

Think about regular recurring expenses and travel has become one. Frequent getaways are common today for the millennials to unwind. This is unlike the older generation which waited till retirement to plan an international trip or travelled just once in a year. Today, short vacations are common, be it an adventure trip or just relaxing in a resort. These are undertaken 2-3 times in a year and the cost of these short trips start from a minimum Rs.20,000 each. If one stays in a

With India’s top airline Jet Airways going bankrupt, thousands of employees were laid off. Layoffs today are for real. Be it in a small entity or a big business with giant market share. Whether a company is in financial distress or wants to cut costs or simply not satisfied with the performance of its employee, the writing on the wall is not obvious. One can never be prepared for a job loss. Not mentally. And 99 per cent are not prepared financially either. The thought of a p

While parents always have the best intentions for their children, their instincts at times do not prove correct to take the best decisions for their kids. Be it sheer ignorance or guilt or over-protectiveness, parents many a times commit financial blunders which can prove expensive in the long run. There are universal errors that parents with children of all ages make. The only difference is the older the child gets, the less time a parent has to correct it. Here are a few cr

Your parents are your well-wishers, no doubt. It is natural to take their advice at face value because you think they are experienced and cannot go wrong. While they don a lot of hats for you – parent, friend, teacher, etc., do not let them be your financial advisor. Chances are their views on money, career, housing will not be applicable to your life now. Although they would be wise in advocating the basic tenets of financial discipline – regular saving and investing, not al

Free financial advice comes from all corners whether you are starting out or well established. In personal money matters, people look to their families, relatives, etc for casual advice. Informal financial advice is also often dispensed during casual conversations between friends, work colleagues, etc. The advice is sought out of trust or relying upon other’s investing experiences. While the advice given is innocuous, it can be dangerous in harming your finances over the long

Mr. Patel aged 45 has never invested in the stock markets. He has been a silent witness to the spectacular run in the markets since 2004. The reason lies in a deep-seated notion about equity he has long held since his college days. This belief comes from the experience of his father who lost a big chunk of savings in the stock markets in the 1990s. The substantial loss disrupted the goals and clouded the family’s finances for a really long time. Since then, Mr. Patel thinks s

‘Two are better than one…for if they fall, one will lift up the other’ This cannot be more apt but for siblings who can be great companions for life. In this age of nuclear and short families, couples while envisioning the future of their only child, do contemplate having a second child as they would take care of each other after them. Some also get unexpected surprises. While a second baby, expected or unexpected is always welcome, it also means adding up to expenses. While

As the year 2017 draws to an end and you look forward to a new year, making new resolutions must be weighing on your mind. Everyone likes new beginnings and people look for special occasions to make a new start. They are naturally motivated, just like a child is excited to have neat handwriting in a new notebook at the beginning of an academic term. Observe the parks or the gyms in your vicinity on January 1 of every year. You will see they would be comparatively more crowded

Our careers fill about 30-35 years of our working life. That is a huge time frame to make big money. Just like every area of our life including personal finance requires planning, so does our career. There has to be a strategy, a vision which can provide the right direction to our professional life. While it is important to take the right steps for a successful career, it is equally important to not make mistakes. We all make a few typical mistakes in our profession. From som

In this information age, the human mind gets more attracted to an event or news which is popular amongst the crowd. Have you wondered how rumours are created? When a large number of people keep on forwarding news on social media without even checking the veracity of it. For instance, the news of the legendary actor Dilip Kumar passing away has been doing the rounds on Wats App very frequently. People mindlessly copy the actions of others and share the news even though it coul

The recent incident where a Tech Mahindra employee was fired over the phone was shocking. In the exit interview, the employee was threatened to quit on a day’s notice failing which he would not get the experience letter and basic salary. Job layoffs are a reality in today’s world. It is not just about the pink slips but the way they are handed over to employees in short periods, not giving then appropriate time to hunt for other opportunities. Job layoffs can happen to anyone