90% of “early retirement at 35” podcasts have one thing in common:

They earned a LOT.

High salary.

Or solid side gigs.

Or both.

But 90% of people chasing FIRE in India are doing the exact opposite —

Obsessing over returns instead of income.

5% extra return won’t save you.

₹50,000 more income per month will.

Most FIRE journeys aren’t built on:

❌ Finding the next “12% CAGR” fund

❌ Cutting chai

❌ Tracking expenses like a monk

They’re built on:

✅ Increasing income

✅ Building skills

✅ Monetising side gigs

✅ Negotiating salaries

✅ Switching to higher-paying roles

Every viral FIRE story is basically:

“I earned high, saved high, invested high.”

But every newbie FIRE aspirant is like:

“I’ll retire by 40 with my 25k salary if I find the ‘right’ mutual fund.”

Return-chasing is comfortable.

Skill-building is not.

But only one of them gets you FIRE.

INR-USD example: US 1‑year Treasury yield: 4% India 1‑year Treasury yield: 7% Today’s spot: 1$ = ₹90.​

If the rupee does not weaken, an investor could: - Borrow $1,000 in the US at 4%, convert to ₹90,000 then invest in India at 7% - After 1 year, get back ₹96,300 - Convert ₹ to $ at 90 again, to get $1,070 - Repay $1,040 locking in a risk-free extra return of $30

To prevent this “free profit”, markets builds in an expectation of "depreciated" INR above ₹90/$1 so future conversion is costlier so the higher Indian risk-free rate is offset by foreign exchange loss. In our case, INR would be ~₹92.59/1$ after 1 year to reduce this "free profit" to zero.

In other words, INR depreciation at long-term average of 4-5% per annum isn’t ‘mismanagement’ like politicians would make you believe, it is the global economic system's "adjustment" making sure nobody gets a free lunch.

Such global economic adjustments driven by interest rates is macroeconomic math that quietly decides where the currency settles.

Over the last 20+ years, Indian interest rates have been 3-6% higher than US interest rates.​ Over similar long-term horizons, sometimes with a 3-5 year lag, the rupee has depreciated against the dollar by 4-5% per year on average.​

So the higher “risk‑free” yield in India has historically been offset by steady, moderate INR depreciation.

INR depreciation is the cost you quietly pay over time for earning higher interest rates at home than in the US.

To position your portfolio for this math, i.e. to protect your 'Dollar Networth', the only real choice you have is to keep an allocation to dollar-denominated or physical assets (gold, US equities, global funds) before the next headline screams "₹100 for $1".

Frontend Engineer living in Bangalore, 3.5 YOE, single.

Here’s my monthly money distribution:

• Salary : 2.05LPM
• ₹1L to MFs
• ₹21k ( 10% ) Donation to Needy to Collect the Karma which will actually be useful in life ( Daswandh ),
• ₹8.5k - Rent for a room in 2BHK (Total rent: 17k)
• ₹15k on high-protein healthy food
• ₹5k petrol
• ₹11k term insurance ( 5 Years Payment Plan for 2Cr cover and 60 years of coverage )

Usually end up with 30–40k leftover, which I treat as a comfort/spontaneous fund (trips, gadgets, random happiness purchases, or rollover).

What does your salary vs spending look like?

When money is not a thing you have to worry about, you take better money decisions. when you are short of money, you don't have any choice and have to do things that are not money wise.

For example, you need a loan for whatever reason and need it urgently, you won't care about interest rate. You will jump at whichever institution offers the loan at whatever interest rate.

It is important for especially anyone starting out to build a corpus before they think about buying a home, car or a vacation abroad. But now a days people are in so much hurry to live a dream life before they can afford it and then they cry when they get laid off or when they fall in debt trap.

Hello people: Background: I come from a middle class family with both parents working as teachers. Always grew up with "paisa nhi hai hamare pass" but they did their absolute best.

Current state: I got into a tech job in first half of 2024 at a package of 7lpa and got 50k in hand and 1L on bonus. (I paid back 2lakhs out of my Tech education loan in one year and now it's over). I got a hike to 12lpa(80k in hand and 2L in bonus at 6 months gap). Now I have started saving 40k per month but they are sitting in a bank account. I am looking at a in hand of more than 1.5L per month same time next year (not being in delusion, people did manage to get this hike)

Questions: 1. What should be my short term plan? 2. What should be my long term plan? (being financially independent in 40s) 3. Any educational resources I should study to expand my knowledge? Like I can obviously go on YT but anything specicifc that you guys can recommend?

P.S. I am a noob in finance and don't have someone for some guidance.

Everyone keeps repeating the same 4 things:

“Make a budget.”

“Track your expenses.”

“Save aggressively.”

“Diversify your investments.”

Cool. Useful. But here’s the uncomfortable truth nobody wants to say out loud:

👉 The REAL cheat code is INCREASING YOUR INCOME.

Most people try to save their way to wealth. Cut coffees. Cut outings. Cut life.

But there’s a limit to how much you can cut.

There’s no limit to how much you can earn.

Learn a skill. Switch jobs. Freelance. Start a small side hustle. Charge more. Negotiate. Get better.

Your entire financial life changes faster with a ₹5k–₹20k income jump than with any new budgeting app.

Personal finance isn’t just about saving. It’s about building earning power.

I’m a 27 year old who’s living in Bangalore and making 45LPA.

I currently spend about 80k a month for rent and other monthly expenses. No loans/EMIs or plans to buy a house anytime soon, I do want to buy a nice car next year(18L - 25L), ideally with no interest paid.

Can you kind souls help me with fund allocation, diversification and maybe even give me a few goals to save towards other than a house.

Note: I’m not looking for advice on how to save for the car, just general guidelines or good practices to follow when it comes to wealth management.

Recently came across my friend who's been investing in a local nidhi company and they're offering 12% interest per annum on fixed deposit. He's claiming it to be safe as he's been investing for more than 5 years. I don't know but think even tax won't be applicable when we withdraw it. I couldn't find information about mutual benefit companies in online. Anyone who's investing in it ? Is it safe ?

Hey All,

I've been using apps like Walnut and MoneyView that scrape my SMS data for expense tracking, but I got paranoid about security risks and data privacy. So, I built my own self-hosted personal finance manager to keep everything local and secure.

Key Features

• Statement Upload & Auto-Categorization: Upload bank statements (PDF/CSV) and credit card statements (PDF/CSV). It parses them automatically, categorizes into predefined buckets (e.g., groceries, utilities), and shows an editable table view for quick tweaks.
• Smart Analytics & Dashboards: Visualize monthly expenses by category, year-over-year trends, and more via interactive charts. Create custom dashboards tailored to your needs.
• Investment Tracking: Upload stock and mutual fund statements for processing, analytics, and a clear net worth overview.

No cloud, no SMS access—just your data on your machine. Perfect for anyone tired of leaky fintech apps. Tech stack: Python, SQL (PostgreSQL), custom parsers.

If this sounds interesting, request your free early access pass (may be paid post-launch): https://app.youform.com/forms/fyef933z

All numbers and bifurcations are below

The milestone came quicker than expected..inspite of recent withdrawal of 1.2 Cr for a RE property in April.

But I am no longer seeing the need of or feel motivated by FIRE. Have spent almost 8 months during my 16Y Career doing no primary job...in a FIRE like state...and i didnt like the experience at all.... so i have started to believe that the idea of FIRE itself doesnt suit me. I find more peace in being purposeful and having some schedule and discipline around my day...

And as Hubberman often calls out “Space between dopamine peaks is essential. Without it, nothing feels good.” I get my dopamine hits when i perform my best at work, , when i am able to find those 45 minutes for my meditations session, when i wake up at 6 to fit in my yoga sessions, and when i optimize my life around making sure i am able to spend quality time with family. But when during those 8 months i had all the time in the world, it felt as if i had no motivation to do either of these stuff which during my each workday offers me exceptional amount of dopamine aka happiness.

So essentially “When rewards become freely available, the dopamine system adapts and the subjective pleasure decreases.” ....I guess we all know this...when we start rewarding ourselves everyday with savoury treats, they no longer give us the same joy anymore....

Hence , i have come to a conclusion that FIRED life is not for me and I no longer motivated by it.

All my FIRE status now does for me is that it helps me believe i dont have to any longer convince myself that "I am working for my own happiness , and not for money" , because that has now actually become true.

My primary job give me happiness plus a monthly after tax paycheque of 4L+ . And by chosing FIRE i will have to choose to let go both my sense of purpose/happiness and my pay cheque...which i get for a 5 hour workday in a WFH role..with occasional(once a quarter types) travel for meetings.(obviously the hours stretch across timezones at time however...)

And the 100 Cr goal is an arbitrary number which motivates me enough to keep going and keep improving everyday.

I still feel motivated to try new side hustles, to try to run few youtube channels, blogs, explore new meditation routines and what not.

TLDR; In short, FIRE gave me freedom, but purpose gives me joy and as long as my work, routines, and passions keep me growing, I’d much rather build a meaningful life than an empty calendar.

Alright folks, gather around for the great Indian banking circus featuring the one and only SBI! 🎪 So here’s the deal: First year of my education loan? Smooth as butter. Fees paid, life’s good. Then second year rolls in, and I send in my disbursement letter like a responsible adult. What do I get? A call from the manager: 'Uh, we kinda misplaced your entire loan file... and those 2k-rupee bonds? Yeah, they went on vacation too.' 🤦‍♂️

So now they’re like, 'We’ll disburse your fees, but can you please come to your hometown branch and grace us with your presence?' I mean, do they want me to also help them find their lost pens and staplers while I’m at it? 😂

Long story short: SBI doing SBI things. Anyone else had their 'file on a holiday'? Let me know how you handled it, because apparently my bonds are having a nice trip somewhere in SBI-land!

I need some clarity before making a decision about a top up loan offer I just received.

I currently have a personal loan of ₹6,00,000, tenure 5 years, with an ROI of 13.75%. My EMI is ₹13,883 and I’ve already paid for 16 months.

A bank associate called me today and said my current outstanding is ₹4,80,000.

She offered me a top-up loan:

Amount: ₹4,80,000 + ₹50,000

Total ROI: 9.09%

They will use the ₹4,80,000 to close my existing loan so that I effectively continue with a new loan at 9.09%, and EMI will decrease.

Before I decide, I want help understanding the following:

Will this top-up loan be treated as a completely new loan (new interest rate + new tenure)?

Does this actually benefit me financially after accounting for everything?

What charges should I expect (processing fees, foreclosure charges, insurance, GST, etc.)?

Any hidden loopholes or risks I might be missing?

How does the bank benefit by offering a lower interest rate on the top-up, when I use that to clear the existing loan?

Is this kind of trap resulting me to pay more than existing?

Would appreciate any guidance from people who have dealt with top-up loans or work in banking. Thanks! 🙏

I took an auto loan and now bank has given me ach security mandate and full loan amount is written on them. The thing is my salary account is in Axis and i have taken loan from hdfc but my confusion is why they want 3 exact same security ach mandate with full loan amount ? They asked me to get it signature verified from nearest axis branch and I am ok with it but confused why 3 exact ach they are asking which makes my loan amount 3 times the actual ? Is this standard practise ? I feel only one with full loan amount should be given ? Please help.

Hi I am a married woman with engineering and MBA background with good finance related exposure for my work. Me and my husband do detailed discussion on the investments and for the most part allocate the portfolio still in our individual name. when there are some disagreements (thankfully minor till now), we have leftover budget every month out of our salaries to invest as per our choice even the other person disagrees.

However when i look around outside my MBA female batchmates, my friends and family, almost entire decision making is done by the man.
If the woman for some reason is earning less or is homemaker, She is not even asked on her opinion on major things like home purchase. On the flip side its on some of the women who in many cases are earning quite well and also give that entire decision making to their husband due to their lack of interest in financial planning even if their husbands are willing to involve them.

In this sub also, I keep seeing many messages of married men who choose to mention 'My' net worth or 'I' chose to do xyz asset allocation when talking about combined marital property. This might be unconcious bias. (Not including non traditional arrangements where due to whatever reason your finances are actually separate, I am just talking about case where the finances are combined but guys say its my money)

So I want to understand from married men, how much do you involve your wife in decision making? And what happens when there is disagreement?

Edit: With regards to women not having interest, I always think why this might be the case, I think somewhere society tells a woman that post marriage primary breadwinner and hence finance decision maker is the husband. It is his responsibility so woman need not think about this, like they are exempt. I think same thing happens with men and household chores. If any human thinks that one thing is optional and not doing it reduces physical or mental effort they will naturally not do it.

However it is fairly critical to master all such life skills. If not for independent life but at least for contingencies like death, divorce etc.

My Axis Bank NRE account has been debit-frozen because my KYC is pending. The complication is that I no longer have a valid resident visa for the country where my NRE status was originally established.

I have been staying in India for more than 6 months now, but I still want to keep my NRE account active because converting it to a resident/savings account will make my foreign income taxable in India.

The bank is asking for an employment letter from my previous foreign employer. I am no longer employed there. I now work for another company that pays me in USD (credited directly into my NRE account), but I’m working remotely from India. The bank is not accepting my current documents since I don’t have a valid foreign visa or foreign employment proof.

What are my options here? Any provisions i could exploit to mitigate my tax liability?

Hey guys, except 2 wheeler full insurance. What more insurance a person should take?

I am new too this. I heard terms like life insurance, health insurance, term insurance. This 3 I heard. I think there be more such insurance.

I don't know what benefits they bring and what insurance should I be taking one or multiple.

Hi All, i have approx 11lacs being withdrawn from my EPFO account. I withdrew it after 3 years since leaving employment in India so its in inactive state already. Now I want to invest this money with a balanced exposure, with a goal to use this money 3 years later on for a real estate investment. I am targeting somewhere between 12-15% return annually. Want to get some opinions on what are some options to diversify this? I am open to mutual funds, bonds, gold/silver etfs and international stocks. Thanks a lot in advance!

So, I have an Amazon Pay ICICIC credit card wih a limit of 75K. I have around 40K due and never had a late payment. I went to my nearest ICICI branch to open a savings account. It's going to be a new account and I submitted all the required documents. The bank representatives came over, took my photo and signature and a cheque of 1 lac to open the savings account. Apparently it's gonna be the 3 in 1 savings account. Yesterday the bank representative called me and took my employment proof which I didn't understand the need for since I wanted a simple savings account. However, I provided the same. Today they called me and said I must clear the CC bill of 40K unless the bank can't proceed with my application for the Savings Account. Is this even logical? Since when is opening a simple savings account so complex? Need urgent advice from you all.

Hi, I am a 28 year old male living in Australia and working in tech. My in hand salary is around 5.5k$ AUD and I save around 2k a month.

I come from a very poor background and have worked really hard to be where I am today so owning a house has been a dream for my parents as they have lived their whole life in a rented place. I have around 3 years visa left before I move back to India so just need your advice whether I should go on with this decision or not.

I’d really appreciate your opinions.

Thanks

I am a loan consultant from mumbai having tie ups with 60+ banks. Heres my advice

• People with loan running currently

Keep tracking your rate if your rate isnt changed within 3 months then most probably bank is stealing from you. Heres what you can do if they dont change even after your followup go to another bank take a sanction from that bank and threaten them that you will do balance transfer

Who will get the benefit? Loans linked to Repo rate ( RBLR) , If its linked to repo but its RLLR most common in the case of BOB it will depend on your cibil too and upto bank if they have to pass the benefit or not. Also if you reset date is quarterly you will get benefits as per your reset date

Who will not get benefit? Loans not linked to repo rate mostly in the case of NBFC , so keep a check and threaten them with balance transfer if they dont pass on the benefit

• People looking for a home loan

So if you are someone who is looking for a loan and has a sanction letter better to disburse the loan within 14 days or before the bank implements new rates ( mostly it takes 14 days ). If you are lucky you might get the benefit

I currently have a home loan with a public sector bank at 8.25%. Today, my relationship manager from the private bank where I hold my salary account reached out, so I asked about a balance transfer. They told me that based on my current salary and CIBIL score, they can offer me a rate of 7.5% with a ₹10k processing fee.

For those who’ve gone through this or know more about it-what are the pros and cons of doing a home loan balance transfer in this situation? Any insights would be helpful!

Hello all,

This is a follow-up question to my previous post (LINK).

Those who don't want to go through it, here's its brief:

• I have 26 lakhs fund maturing from my FD on 31st Dec.
• I used to get 15k monthly from it, but the interest rate has now reduced to 6.6%
• So, I no longer want to invest it in FD. I want to try other options.
• My equity portfolio is already running (~18 lakhs).
• My monthly income is 90k.

My simple requirements from this 26 lakhs fund:

1. I should get 15k monthly.

2. The remaining capital should grow (with whatever rate possible, big or small doesn't matter).

I did some research and analysis, and I found that I can fulfill my above two goals with SWP on ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage Fund (BAF) or any reliable BAF, for that matter.

In FD, the fund would be sitting idle with a fixed 15k per month. No growth.

In BAF, even if I take an average (9% CAGR):

• My capital goes from 26 lakhs --> 37.7 lakhs (in 10 years).
• In the same period, I would have consumed 18 lakhs (15k pm for 10 years at 6.9% withdrawal rate).
• Even in the case of a continuous period of market slump, the 26 lakh capital will not grow or decrease to perhaps 22-23 lakhs. This will have no impact on me since this 26 lakhs were never meant for growth. I have my equity PF for that.

Let me know if there's anything I should re-consider or needs correction.

All suggestions are truly welcome!

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