After having an aloo party for snacks at the office, I meandered into a deep conversation with my colleagues. The chat started about the approach to savings and wealth building. I felt appreciative when younger colleagues at work reasoned against my decision to not buy a home. One of them suggested investing in land instead of a home, as I was against owning a house. Another colleague shared how he has focused on investing in land.
The discussion continued for 30-odd minutes, but it was an informative discussion where everyone shared their strategies and decisions regarding personal finances.
As we walked to our respective workstations, I realized that I failed to have any strategy for my finances. The workday, a long six-day workweek, was winding down. As I drove back home to be alone with my pet, the reflection about the discussion continued to linger in my mind.
Despite my belief that I am adept at managing the finances of companies, my personal finance skills are naive and full of irrationality.
After taking a bath and settling into my bed with the AC set to 20 degrees Celsius, I was alone with my thoughts. My colleagues seemed far more adept at managing their personal finances than I was. What was I doing at their age?
I always had a complicated relationship with money. I treated money as a medium of exchange when I wasn’t constrained by its availability and with fear when I lacked it.
I don’t know when in my life I harbored a fear of running out of money, which paradoxically led me to neglect thinking about savings and wealth building altogether. Strange as it may sound, I focused solely on surviving each month.
I thought one day I would have enough and never really wanted much of it. I never loved money. I feared it.
This approach kept me content in the short term but left me with a net worth far below what it could have been. I always had a short-term view of my finances and life, focusing on immediate happiness rather than future security.
Maybe it’s too late for me, but let me try to prioritize financial planning and savings, not just for immediate peace of mind, but for the twilight of my life that is just a decade away.
Comments