
On this version of the reader story, “If I have been to explain my monetary journey in a single line, I’d say: It’s been a lifetime of unusual beginnings, supported by extraordinary folks, and pushed by quiet persistence.”
Opinions printed in reader tales needn’t symbolize the views of freefincal or its editors. We should recognize a number of options to the cash administration puzzle and empathise with numerous views. Articles are sometimes not checked for grammar except it’s essential to convey the best that means and protect the tone and feelings of the writers.
If you want to contribute to the DIY neighborhood on this method, ship your audits to freefincal AT Gmail dot com. You may publish them anonymously if you want.
I certified as a Chartered Accountant at 21, however my story started at 17 once I stepped into articleship. Whereas most youngsters have been exploring school life, I attended VAT audits and nervously ready tax recordsdata I may barely interpret.
One of many earliest cash classes I absorbed got here from watching my father’s struggles with debt. He ran a small enterprise that confronted repeated setbacks, and the stress of repaying loans formed my pondering from a really younger age. That have made me deeply cautious of borrowing, and it’s why I’ve persistently chosen a minimal or no-debt path all through my journey.
My household couldn’t afford my training, so my uncle stepped in and made it potential. There was destructive inheritance and household loans to be paid off, however there was a chance, and I used to be decided to not waste it.
After the tenth customary, I moved to Pune with one bag and a head filled with hope. I knew nobody, however the journey by way of skilled training, guided by beneficiant mentors, helped me discover my approach.
In 2011, I certified and began my observe after a brief stint in employment. The wage I used to get was modest and never sufficient to repay inherited loans and assist my household concurrently. So I had no choice however to take up no matter work got here—Excise, Service Tax, VAT—that slowly constructed a basis. By the point GST got here in, I used to be already deeply rooted in oblique tax. Some name it imaginative and prescient—I name it luck.
Being knowledgeable differs from being salaried — money flows will not be linear, and consumer charges are sometimes acquired in elements, not month-to-month. This provides a layer of uncertainty, and planning turns into much more crucial.
Practically 15 years later, I’ve constructed a modest however steady monetary base—sufficient to cowl about 15 instances my annual bills (15X). My investments in fairness, debt, treasured metals, and liquid funds provide peace fairly than pomp.
Right now, at age 35, I dwell with my spouse, son, specifically abled sister, and dependent mother and father—six of us—in a totally owned, debt-free dwelling. My spouse additionally actively helps me with workplace work, making certain I can handle skilled obligations extra effectively.
I started monitoring markets severely within the 2014 Bull Run. I by no means discovered multibaggers or timed entries. However I stayed constant. Common investments, staying beneath means, and a deep respect for simplicity have been my compass.
I owe quite a bit to the training from Freefincal, Subramoney, and different considerate voices on Twitter. These platforms helped me see past noise to worth asset allocation, danger, and behavioural self-discipline.
Charlie Munger’s quote about avoiding “girls, liquor, and leverage” caught with me.
My present allocation:
– 40% fairness, principally passive and a few PPFAS
– 25% in gold and silver ETFs
– 25% in debt, together with PPF
– 10% liquid, for contingency
I’m nonetheless studying, nonetheless constructing. I don’t think about myself “settled,” however I really feel safe, not from extraordinary returns however measured choices and quiet steering from beneficiant communities.
Reader tales printed earlier:
As common readers might know, we publish a private monetary audit every December – that is the 2024 version: Portfolio Audit 2024: The Annual Review of My Goal-Based Investments. We requested common readers to share how they assessment their investments and observe monetary targets.
- First audit: How Suhas tracks his MF investments and reviews financial goals.
- Second audit: How Avadhoot Joshi evaluates his investment portfolio.
- Third audit: How a single mom is on track to financial freedom
- Fourth audit: How Gowtham started goal-based investing & took control of his money
- Fifth audit: Why my financial independence & early retirement plans were postponed by four years
- Sixth audit: How Abhisek funded his marriage & is on track to financial freedom.
- Seventh audit: How Rohit’s early struggles defined his investment journey
- Eighth audit: Why my investments are still on track despite job loss and lower income.
- Ninth audit: How a retirement planning calculation scared me to take action
- Tenth audit: I made several investment mistakes but have turned my life around.
- Eleventh audit: My net worth doubled in the last financial year, thanks to patient investing!
- Twelveth audit: My financial journey: from novice to goal-based investor.
- Thirteenth audit: My journey: from a negative net worth to goal-based investing.
- Fourteenth audit: From Fixed Deposits to Goal-based investing in MFs.
- Fifteenth audit: My 10-year financial journey – mistakes made and lessons learnt.
- Sixteenth audit (half 1): How I achieved financial independence without mutual funds or stocks.
- Sixteenth audit (half 2): Lessons from my financial independence journey and future investment plans.
- Seventeenth audit: How I plan to achieve financial independence and move to my native place
- Eighteenth audit: I used the current bull run to reduce my mutual funds from 14 to 4!
- Nineteenth audit: How a conservative investor created his financial plan
- Twentieth audit: I plan to achieve financial independence by 46; this is my master plan
- Twenty-first audit: I have made many investment mistakes but am on course to financial independence by 45.
- Twenty-second audit: I felt worthless six years ago but have achieved financial stability today
- Twenty-third audit: My financial journey was directionless until age 40: this is how I made up for lost time
- Twenty-fourth audit: Why I increased equity MF investments by 275% and reduced PPF contributions.
- Twenty-fifth audit: How I track financial goals without worrying about returns
- Twenty-sixth audit: I am 24 and started investing 1Y ago, but what am I investing for?
- Twenty-seventh audit: How we plan to achieve a retirement corpus 50 times our annual expenses.
- Twenty-eighth audit: I thought equity investing was a gamble, but now I aim to hold 60% equity for retirement
- Twenty-ninth audit: My journey: From 5 lakhs in debt to building a corpus worth six years in retirement
- Thirtieth audit: My investment journey: From random purchases to a goal-based portfolio
- Thirty-first audit: My investment journey: from product-driven to process-driven
- Thirty-second audit: How a young couple is trying to balance travelling and investing
- Thirty-third audit: My journey: From Rs. 30 bank balance to financial independence
- Thirty-fourth audit: Our journey: From scratch to a net worth of 18 times annual expenses.
- Thirty-fifth audit: From a net worth of Rs. 6000 to auto-pilot goal-based investing
- Thirty-sixth audit: How I retired from corporate bondage at 46, two years ago!
- Thirty-seventh audit: How I learnt to keep it simple and build a net worth 19 times my annual expenses
- Thirty-eighth audit: How Abhineeth plans to achieve financial independence and build a house.
- Thirty-ninth audit: How Sahil plans to achieve financial independence by efficient tracking
- Fortieth audit: My Journey to a Ten Crore Portfolio
- Forty-first audit: Burdened with debt for several years, I am now aggressively investing in equity
- Forty-second audit: From Engineer to Librarian after Financial Independence and Early Retirement (FIRE)
- Forty-third audit: I lost six months’ income in F&O and ditched it for systematic investing
- Forty-fourth audit: My retirement plan to handle the harsh realities of the IT industry
- Forty-fifth audit: My investment journey: mistakes, 10 years of MF investing and recovery
- Forty-sixth audit: My MF portfolio is worth six crores despite multiple mistakes
- Forty-seventh audit: Saving, Investing, and Running Marathons: My 25-year Journey to Financial Independence
- Forty-eighth audit: Never Too Late to Start: How I Became Financially Savvy at 40
- Forty-ninth audit: My Investment Journey to a net worth 29 times my annual expenses
- Fiftieth audit: How I audit my portfolio without tracking returns
- Fifty-first audit: Financial Lessons Learned During and After a PhD
- Fifty-second audit: Investment & Financial journey of a 23 year old
- Fifty-third audit: The system I use to draw income and spend after retirement securely
- Fifty-fourth audit: From Start-Up Employee to Millionaire: A Success Story of Resilience and Smart Investing
- Fifty-fifth audit: 25-Year-Old Software Engineer’s Investment Journey: From Stocks to Mutual Funds and Beyond
- Fifty-sixth audit: Crossing the Million Mark: Our Journey to the First Crore
- Fifty-seventh audit: Navigating Market Volatility: How an IT Professional Transformed His Investment Approach for Retirement
- Fifty-eighth audit: How Sahil achieved a 10X retirement corpus by efficient portfolio tracking
- FIfty-ninth audit: How I achieved financial freedom by 45 without onsite assignments or ESOPs
- Sixtieth audit: Building Wealth on a Government Salary: Lessons Learned
- Sixty-first audit: Minimalism, Index Funds, and Staying Calm: My Investing Journey at 28
- Sixty-second audit: Building Wealth and Breaking Barriers: How Swati Took Control of Her Financial Future
- Sixty-third audit: My financial journey: How I missed the Compounding Bus!
- Sixty-fourth audit: My MF investment journey: From thematic funds to a 3-fund portfolio
- Sixty fifth audit: How a Random Call Changed My Financial Life
These printed audits have had a compounding impact on readers. If you want to contribute to the DIY neighborhood on this method, ship your audits to freefincal AT Gmail. You can even publish them anonymously.
Do share this text with your pals utilizing the buttons beneath.
🔥Enjoy massive discounts on our courses, robo-advisory tool and exclusive investor circle! 🔥& be part of our neighborhood of 7000+ customers!
Use our Robo-advisory Tool for a start-to-finish financial plan! ⇐ Greater than 2,500 buyers and advisors use this!
Track your mutual funds and stock investments with this Google Sheet!
We additionally publish month-to-month equity mutual funds, debt and hybrid mutual funds, index funds and ETF screeners and momentum, low-volatility stock screeners.



Podcast: Let’s Get RICH With PATTU! Every single Indian CAN grow their wealth!

You can watch podcast episodes on the OfSpin Media Friends YouTube Channel.

🔥Now Watch Let’s Get Rich With Pattu தமிழில் (in Tamil)! 🔥
- Do you may have a remark concerning the above article? Attain out to us on Twitter: @freefincal or @pattufreefincal
- Have a query? Subscribe to our publication utilizing the shape beneath.
- Hit ‘reply’ to any e mail from us! We don’t provide customized funding recommendation. We are able to write an in depth article with out mentioning your identify you probably have a generic query.
Join 32,000+ readers and get free money management solutions delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to get posts via email! (Hyperlink takes you to our e mail sign-up kind)
About The Creator
Dr M. Pattabiraman(PhD) is the founder, managing editor and first creator of freefincal. He’s an affiliate professor on the Indian Institute of Know-how, Madras. He has over ten years of expertise publishing information evaluation, analysis and monetary product growth. Join with him by way of Twitter(X), Linkedin, or YouTube. Pattabiraman has co-authored three print books: (1) You can be rich too with goal-based investing (CNBC TV18) for DIY buyers. (2) Gamechanger for younger earners. (3) Chinchu Gets a Superpower! for youths. He has additionally written seven different free e-books on varied cash administration matters. He’s a patron and co-founder of “Fee-only India,” an organisation selling unbiased, commission-free funding recommendation.
Our flagship course! Learn to manage your portfolio like a pro to achieve your goals regardless of market conditions! ⇐ Greater than 3,000 buyers and advisors are a part of our unique neighborhood! Get readability on the best way to plan on your targets and obtain the required corpus regardless of the market situation is!! Watch the primary lecture without spending a dime! One-time fee! No recurring charges! Life-long entry to movies! Cut back concern, uncertainty and doubt whereas investing! Discover ways to plan on your targets earlier than and after retirement with confidence.
Our new course! Increase your income by getting people to pay for your skills! ⇐ Greater than 700 salaried workers, entrepreneurs and monetary advisors are a part of our unique neighborhood! Discover ways to get folks to pay on your expertise! Whether or not you’re a skilled or small enterprise proprietor who needs extra shoppers by way of on-line visibility or a salaried individual wanting a facet earnings or passive earnings, we’ll present you the best way to obtain this by showcasing your expertise and constructing a neighborhood that trusts and pays you! (watch 1st lecture without spending a dime). One-time fee! No recurring charges! Life-long entry to movies!
Our new book for kids: “Chinchu Gets a Superpower!” is now available!

Most investor issues may be traced to a scarcity of knowledgeable decision-making. We made unhealthy choices and cash errors once we began incomes and spent years undoing these errors. Why ought to our kids undergo the identical ache? What is that this ebook about? As mother and father, what would it not be if we needed to groom one means in our kids that’s key not solely to cash administration and investing however to any facet of life? My reply: Sound Determination Making. So, on this ebook, we meet Chinchu, who’s about to show 10. What he needs for his birthday and the way his mother and father plan for it, in addition to instructing him a number of key concepts of decision-making and cash administration, is the narrative. What readers say!

Should-read ebook even for adults! That is one thing that each dad or mum ought to train their youngsters proper from their younger age. The significance of cash administration and choice making based mostly on their needs and wishes. Very properly written in easy phrases. – Arun.
Buy the book: Chinchu gets a superpower for your child!
How to profit from content writing: Our new book is for these keen on getting facet earnings by way of content material writing. It’s accessible at a 50% low cost for Rs. 500 solely!
Do you wish to examine if the market is overvalued or undervalued? Use our market valuation tool (it’ll work with any index!), or get the Tactical Buy/Sell timing tool!
We publish month-to-month mutual fund screeners and momentum, low-volatility stock screeners.
About freefincal & its content material coverage. Freefincal is a Information Media Group devoted to offering unique evaluation, experiences, critiques and insights on mutual funds, shares, investing, retirement and private finance developments. We accomplish that with out battle of curiosity and bias. Observe us on Google News. Freefincal serves greater than three million readers a yr (5 million web page views) with articles based mostly solely on factual data and detailed evaluation by its authors. All statements made might be verified with credible and educated sources earlier than publication. Freefincal doesn’t publish paid articles, promotions, PR, satire or opinions with out knowledge. All opinions might be inferences backed by verifiable, reproducible proof/knowledge. Contact data: To get in contact, use this contact form. (Sponsored posts or paid collaborations won’t be entertained.)
Join with us on social media
Our publications
You Can Be Wealthy Too with Purpose-Primarily based Investing
Printed by CNBC TV18, this ebook is supposed that will help you ask the best questions and search the right solutions, and because it comes with 9 on-line calculators, you can even create customized options on your way of life! Get it now.
Gamechanger: Overlook Startups, Be a part of Company & Nonetheless Stay the Wealthy Life You Need

Your Final Information to Journey
That is an in-depth dive into trip planning, discovering low-cost flights, funds lodging, what to do when travelling, and the way travelling slowly is best financially and psychologically, with hyperlinks to the online pages and hand-holding at each step. Get the pdf for Rs 300 (instant download)