Life Planning

“*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 written enough about the subject to prove that long life span is a […]

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 situation varies from individual to individual. Here are a few scenarios which if relevant to your financial life would require you to beef […]

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 some mistakes, we can learn so that we do not repeat them in the […]