Money Vichara

Retirement is something most of us dream about for years. No alarm clocks. No commute. No boss. More time with family, maybe some travel, maybe just slower mornings with an extra cup of chai. It sounds wonderful, and honestly, it is — in many ways. But there is one thing that quietly catches most people off guard when retirement actually arrives. The salary stops. And the expenses... just don't. They carry on as if nothing happened. Rent, groceries, electricity bills, medicines, the odd family function, the grandkids' birthday gifts — life keeps moving at exactly the same pace. The money going out stays familiar. But the money coming in? That's a completely different story now. And somewhere in that gap, things start to feel a little uneasy. That Monthly Credit — We Never Realise How Much We Depend On It Think about it. For 30-odd years of your working life, money has been arriving in your account every single month. You probably didn't even think about it much. Y...

 Let me ask you something. Why did you start investing? Most people I talk to give me answers like "to make money" or "everyone's doing SIPs, so I thought I should too" or my favorite – "my friend said this mutual fund is giving good returns." Look at it this way. Saying you invest to “make money” is like saying you study to “get marks.” True — but that’s not the real reason. Maybe you want to become a doctor, engineer, lawyer, artist, crack an exam, or learn something that helps you create a better future. Investing works the same way. Money by itself isn’t the goal. What that money helps you achieve — that’s the real goal. A home, your child’s education, peace in retirement, maybe even the freedom to work on your own terms. Your investments need that same clarity. They need a purpose. A destination. A dream they're working toward. That's exactly what goal-based investing is all about. What is Goal-Based Investing? Think of goal-based in...

The Morning That Looked Simple Three colleagues were supposed to attend a conference across the city. All three lived in the same neighbourhood. Same starting point. Same destination. Same city traffic waiting for them. But each chose differently. Amit, the youngest among them, looked at his bike and decided instantly. “Bike is best. I can weave through traffic. Fast and flexible.” Vidita, practical and calm, paused for a moment. “I’ll take an auto to the metro station and then the metro. It’s predictable. I can even revise my notes.” Dr. Rao, the senior professor, simply waited for his car. “Comfort matters,” he smiled. “It’s going to be a long day. No need to start it stressed.” Three people. Same place. Same goal. Three different choices. Nothing unusual so far. What the City Threw at Them As they started, the city did what cities always do. Traffic built up near the main junction. One road was blocked for emergency repairs. A political rally slowed an entire stretch. The s...

 A Simple Call That Created a Big Question I received a call from a friend one evening. His voice was full of confusion and frustration. He said,  "I don't understand this at all. Five years back, I invested ₹5 lakhs in equity and ₹5 lakhs in debt. My equity averaged 11% return per year. My debt averaged 9% per year." He paused, then continued, almost angrily: But  today, my equity portfolio value is less than my debt portfolio. If return is higher, corpus should be higher. That is basic maths, no?  L ess return asset is winning, and higher return asset is losing. How is this even possible?” His confusion was genuine. And honestly, his logic was also very natural. This is exactly how most people think. Higher return percentage means higher money. Bigger number means better outcome. We think like this because this is how we are trained to think in school, in jobs, in salaries, in growth, in performance, in marks. Everything in life works on simple averages and compa...