A reader asks, “Sir, My wife and I are both working in the same company and do wish to have children. We are both aged 27. We have just started working in well-paid jobs, so our networth is essentially zero. Our dream is to put an end to salaried existence in at least 13 years’…

In this article, we discuss some common mistakes that should be avoided while planning for early retirement. What is early retirement? This typically means quitting a salaried job to do what a person loves (for free or otherwise). Today 55 is the normal retirement age. So early retirement is approximately 45 years or earlier. See;…

A reader writes, “I work only for money and have not identified my passion yet. I am not sure if I can identify it. I would also blame my character as I seek change quite too often. If I plan to achieve FIRE (financial independence and early retirement) by the age of 45, I don’t…

A reader who prefers anonymity asks, “Am I on track to achieve Financial Independence (FI) in the next 13 years?  I intend to continue working in a corporate setup for as long as my mind, body and employer (current or future) allow. The FI target is more to ensure that money is no longer an…

While most of us talk about living in the moment or focusing on happiness instead of money, financial freedom is a mandatory goal. It ensures that we have enough in times of need, and we can go without slogging to survive for some years of life. Financial freedom is mostly about saving enough to sustain…

I often get emails from readers who wish to achieve financial independence as soon as possible and retire early from their salaried jobs. The first question I ask is, “why do you seek early retirement?” Some people offer a crisp, clear response: “I have always wanted to pursue my passion in the fine arts; I…

A reader who wishes to be anonymous wanted to know the corpus need to retire in India by age 45. Before we get down to the calculation, “retire by 45” requires some clarification. This means goodbye to regular employment, to a salaried job. This does not mean the person will sit around all day doing…

Raghu asks, “Dear Pattu Sir, I have just started my career as a school teacher in a tier II city. I also take tuitions to supplement my income. Thanks to our families frugal existences and early initiation into personal finance, I have been able to comfortably make ends meet and invest the rest (thanks to…

We present a beginner’s guide to financial freedom dispelling common myths and misunderstandings on the subject. 1 What is financial freedom (FF)? A period of time when a person is not compelled to work for a living. This means having enough money to pay for known and known expenses, recurring and one-time expenses and associated…

Here is a simple formula to check your progress to financial freedom. It can tell you how long you need to be a salaried employee and shift the focus of portfolio review from returns to the corpus worth and, in the case context of retirement, how long would it last. It will work in any…

When I wrote the last article about how a minimalistic lifestyle can help you save money, people had some obvious questions and apprehensions. Some were sceptical that a lot of skimping may take the joy out of living and some others were worried about society and extravagant families waiting to judge them. About the author:…

In this article, author Smriti Tuteja explains how a minimalist lifestyle will help you save money as well as time to do things that give you joy. About the author: Smriti is an author, freelance content writer and avid reader. She quit her six-year-long IT career to embrace her love for writing. Her previous article…

Many of us cannot stand the thought of losing money; we cannot stand the thought of not getting regular income. This prevents us from taking career risks or investing risks. Some recognise that they are making a mistake but cannot break out of this mental barrier. The “logic” is quite simple: If you do not…

In this article, author Smriti Tuteja explains why having a baby doesn’t mean ending your financial independence and discusses options to earn money from home after a maternity break. About the author: Smriti is a freelance content writer and an avid reader. She quit her six-year-long IT career to embrace her love for writing. Her…