My friend is also my new teacher...

Meeting friends after a long time is always fun, isn't it ?

But if they add some value to what you are doing it makes the meeting even better :)

Today was one such day...

A very good friend of mine came down to Mumbai today. He called me and asked if I was in...

I did not have much to do and so when he called in asking about my plans for the day , I immediately asked him to come down to my place.

He came and we caught up on several things. 

He loves trekking and travel and has passion for it, and hence started his own venture and is now doing what he loves doing the most. Yes he too is now doing what I do, following one's passion. The movie #3idiots is my all time favorite and I learned some very good and important lessons for life after watching it, following my passion being one of them. 

My friend is an events organizer at Hyderabad Trekking Club -HTC and does off site programs for corporate clients and also for individuals in small groups on weekends in and around Hyderabad.

Having known this, I asked him how is he managing to get the crowd and all....

Although he had a bus to catch in about two hours, he was kind enough to share with me his learning's. I am very grateful of him for doing that.

In very simple way and just few minutes he showed me how he created his facebook page and promotes it. He gave me a tutorial on this and that helped me in understanding the basic idea behind creating the page and how it helps get a bigger audience :)

He also shared with me his other social media presence where he can be found and he was all over, and now I know his twitter handle is @itzmesrikanth , and click here >>> for his Instagram where he shares the photographs from his travels and events.

I was always media shy, so much so that I do not like posting even my own pics anywhere on social media or in personal collections of even my friends and families.

I started writing as a hobby and it turned into passion which I pursued and this resulted in my writing blog posts. Initially my audience were limited to my few friends and clients through whatsapp, but very recently I did took to social media platform.

I try to share my experience and learning's and want to help others in the situations who find themselves where at some time in life I was in, and the things I did to sail through them and emerge out as a better and wiser and stronger individual. The things which worked for me may or may not work for all but it will give the readers a certain direction to move forward.

So in order to reach out to a larger audience I took to social media and now I have my facebook account and have created a twitter handle too :)

Today my friend helped me with how to create a facebook page tutorial so that I can reach out to even wider audience globally. So yes, do not be surprised if soon you receive note from me about my new facebook page :)

But I first need to do some more researching and exploring and experimenting before I finally launch it.

Keeping oneself open to new learning's not only expands our spectrum but also is a great adventure and fun. And in doing so I can see the child in me again who is ever curios and excited to know more.

The journey so far was very exciting and fun, and I look forward for much more adventure and new learning's as I travel this path of life with you all as my fellow traveler's and companions :)

Please leave your comments on this page before leaving this page :) Thank you so much for reading this post and even bigger thank you for sharing this post with your folks.

P.S : Do watch this video in case you want to find out how to figure out your calling. I loved seeing this video.

Source: Priya Kumar youtube channel

#Studentoflife #friends #love #teacher

Woh ek tara

Chamakte chand ko tou,
har koi dekhna chahta hai,
Main dhoondta hoonn,
Uss sitare ko.....
Jo tim timata rahta hai,
Ghane andhiyaron mein bhi.

                                                        - Nilesh Sharma

PTA meetings ...

A friend called me today to tell how she raised some issues at her child's #PTA (Parent Teacher Association) meeting in the school, and now she is concerned, what if her child might be subjected to ill treatment from his teachers ?

I could see that she was worried and all...

I asked her if the points she raised were just her views or other parents also agreed to it ?

She said, others also supported.

Good I said, then what is bothering you ?

She said the class teacher with whom they were interacting was not taking the issues seriously and this lead to heated debate.

Incidentally the school's principal who was passing by the class heard the commotion and came in asking about it. 

Parents informed him what happened and the principal took charge of the meeting from there on.

He asked all the parents to jot down there concerns on a piece of paper along with their contact details and their kid's name and class details. He assured them that he will personally go through all of them and will try to arrive at a mutually favorable decision. 

Now since my friend was one of the parents who had submitted her issues/ points on that piece of paper along with details of herself and her ward, she is worried now, "WHAT IF" ???

Have you as a parent also faced the same situation ?

If yes, this is what I would like to ask you as a parent ?

Why is the concept of PTA meeting evolved??? Is it just for the name sake or is it truly a platform where in you parent and the teachers can interact with each other and try to acknowledge and help improvise your wards overall learning experience ? 

Also is it not the responsibility of the school to ensure that your child excel in whatever they do ? Please remember these kids are not just your ward they are also the representatives of the schools. 

When they complete there education and move out into the real world the question will come, where did you study ? And at this moment it is not about you but the school where they studied. So the schools image is also at stake.

School is the place where a child is taught so many things. And this usually includes imparting bookish knowledge, monitoring their moral conduct, identifying their talent and creative interest and chanelising and developing their recreational faculties. 

A school is not just a place to earn a degree, its a workshop and an institution where kids are prepared and trained to transform into not just good students and better human beings but they are also prepared to carry a certain level of conduct which will help the nation and the world to be a better place to live.

After your home, school is the second best place which not only offers education it also instills value system into your child. 

My humble appeal to you all, the members of Parent Teacher Association (PTA) [anywhere and everywhere on this planet]. #PTA meetings is your chance to interact  and work with each other and ensure that the welfare of your child/ student is supreme. 

P.S: This post is also my gratitude and tribute to all the teachers and the educational institutions all over the world.

Mausam ki Bahaar...

Paani ki fuhaar, aur hawaon ki guhaar,
Barsaati hai kudrat, humpe beintehaa pyaar,
Baitho jo zara tham ke, dekho tou khile mann se,
Har taraf nazar aayegi tumhe, mausamon ki bahaar..

                                                           - Nilesh Sharma

Lamha...

Jo beet gaya, vo lamha tha.
Jo tut gaya, vo sapna tha.
Jo thahhar gaya wohi apna hai.
Bas ise jatan se rakhna hai...

                       - Nilesh Sharma

Marriages are made in HEAVEN !!!

I have often heard the saying ‘MARRIAGES ARE MADE IN HEAVEN’ have you too??? Yes.

And if this statement is as true as it is meant to be, then why do people tie the Knot here on Earth???? 

Probably because it is the norm of the society. Everybody is getting married so I should too, right? 

Well I don’t agree. You may ask me why? It is because I have my own reasons to say so and if you want to know what makes me think so, then please continue reading…..

I am always interested in learning and understanding about lot of subjects and things of which I know nothing and the ones I am particularly interested in. So I ask questions sometimes to myself sometimes to others, and sometimes observing from nature all around us. 

The questions I asked with regard to Marriage are as below:

Who created this norm? The obvious answer was us the humans.

So why was this institution created? Probably because we were moving towards civilization, and civilized beings like to have things in order, or else what will be difference between humans and animal’s right?

Okay got it so far, so what is a marriage? This I asked to people, some friends, relatives, colleagues and likes in general. Almost everybody except me seemed to know the answer.

Some said marriage is a bond where two strangers come together and decide to spend rest of their lives together. Stay together take care of each other in good and bad, rich and poor, health and suffering and so many more things, the more I asked more were their opinions. Good, so what are the core ingredients of a marriage? Again the unanimous answer mostly came down to the following four things:

LOVE, TRUST, UNDERSTANDING and RESPECT.

Wow, now this is a sure shot recipe for a successful marriage and it sounds so right and logical too, isn’t it? So, my next question was, if people already know so much about marriage, then why are most of the couples not happy??? Why do I see so many sad faces of married people? Why are they not happy? Why are divorce rates going up? Why families end up as a broken family…..Why??? This is one side. But on the other side I also see some happy families too, very happy in fact. And when I look at them I feel as if they are made for each other. And looking at these kind of families and marriages, I understand the meaning of the saying “MARRIAGES ARE MADE IN HEAVEN”

So what is it that these people are doing differently which others are not because of which some are

happy and most of them not ??? Listed below are my observations, let me know yours:

When I observed closely, this is what I found common, in all the Happy Marriages. And it all works on the same four ingredients which I mentioned earlier. 

Each of the partner LOVES each other unconditionally, So LOVE is…

They TRUST their partner completely and support their every decisions even if sometimes they do not agree with them. They understand each other so well emotionally, intellectually and physically that they sometimes do not even need words to convey what they want. And lastly but most importantly they RESPECT each other for what they are and treat each other as equals.

 It does not matter who is earning how much? Who has what educational qualification? And who is managing the house? Each one shares the responsibility equally.

What all these happy couples do, and have in common is the knowledge, understanding and application of all the above four basic ingredients. So in my words, I like to put it this way, LOVE, TRUST, UNDERSTANDING AND RESPECT, are the four pillars on which stands a very strong building of a relationship called MARRIAGE. At least one of the above is needed to sustain a Marriage, and if you have all of them you will be one of the happiest and the best couple, the blessed ones who are made for each other “TILL DEATH DO US PART”. Happiness Forever 

New and Revamped....

Dear Friends,

September 16th, 2016 was the day when I wrote my first post for my blog and published it. I had shared it with just one friend of mine, then.

The idea behind writing the posts on my blog was to share my learnings and experiences, thoughts and ideas. I was not even sure if anybody would read them, but to my great surprise not only some of you read it but also resonated with the posts I wrote. We got connected and what started as an experiment became my second profession ;)

You all lovely people not only read them but some of you even left your comments on my blog. And a large section of you all shared your thoughts with me on my whatsapp messenger, email, text messages and by calling me on my mobile phone.

I am very grateful to you all for your act of kindness and I want to thank you all for keeping the connection alive, which in turn helped me going, and I continued writing.

Some of you liked everything I wrote and some of you helped me improve by becoming my critics. Thank you all for your support. The journey so far has been rich and fulfilling.

It’s been a while and lot of you have been asking me why am I not on social media?

So the good news is now you all can follow me on twitter:) My twitter handle is @Nilesharmaa

I have always kept my self open for new things, ideas, experiments and everything which I have not come across yet....

Writing was one such experience, I  experimented and explored and here I am now, close to becoming a professional writer of sort ;)))

Initially I had designed a very basic blog design, but today I have done a bit redesigning... Yes I do not know if you have noticed this but, I have added some new features to my blog design.

So whats new now ???

Well, to begin with I have changed the background, you will see serene image of water :)

To help you read on a particular subject I have added labels like Love, relationships, poetry's, etc...

And whats best part of my blog is that now my blogs can be read in OVER 100 languages... see "SELECT LANGUAGE" button just above the Title of the blog. (This feature available in Web Version only). If you are seeing my blog on mobile go to the bottom of the page, there you will get a link "View in Web" click on it and select your preferred language to read :)

So now, not only can you read my blogs in your preferred language, you can also share my blogs to your friends or relatives irrespective of language and country barrier and they can read it in their preferred language too. I just did that..... sent it to my Mom who prefers reading it in Hindi :)

So far I used to send my new posts to you all via whatsapp, but now I have added "Follow me by email" option... so any one of you who wants to be updated with my new post can just type in your email address and submit. You will be the first to receive my new post by email in your mailbox and this will ensure that you are not missing out on my new posts :)

You see I did not know any thing about these features but then I researched, explored, experimented and viola here is my revamped Blog :)

Send in your valuable feedback and any thing else you want to suggest to make this blog even better. It could also be a particular question you may want to ask, feel free. If I have anything to share from my life experiences I will be happy to help :)

And yes, please do not forget to key in your email address for my future posts....

Love is Freedom...

LOVE without any reason,
LOVE without any conditions,
LOVE without any limitations

LOVE without any Expectations,

In freedom LOVE resides,
In LOVE I see PARADISE...

Selfless LOVE …..

Recently a good friend of mine asked me something, which most of us ask to ourselves as well as others at some point of time in life.

Is it possible to LOVE somebody SELFLESSLY?

This is a very deep, meaningful and thought provoking question, isn’t it?

The answer to this is both simple yet difficult. It is simple to understand yet very difficult to accept and even more difficult to practice.

To begin with first of please know this, that LOVE is everywhere. It is all around us but we seldom notice and acknowledge it.

How, you may ask? Well let me try to explain it with the help of taking Natures example.

Nature is a very good example of SELFLESS LOVE. Our loving or hating does not affect its serving.

The sunlight is very important for us and sun everyday does so when it showers it’s sunlight on us and it do not expect anything in return. Sunrise and sunsets are both considered to be the most beautiful phase and almost everybody just adores the beauty of sun at these times. But at the peak of afternoon the same sun almost burns us.

Like everything else the sun too passes through a cycle wherein it is very cool when it rises and then its heat becomes unbearable as it rises to its peak and then again it starts mellowing down eventually, leading to a beautiful sunset.

So even though sun which is acknowledged and praised for its beautiful Sunrise and Sunsets, the same sun is being cursed for the heat it throws at us during the peak of afternoon. When its summer we wish for rain or winter, when it starts raining we wish it were summer or winter, while in winter we pray for summer. Isn’t it.

So who is to be blamed the sun, or rain or winter?

I feel no one should be blamed. We all just need to have the grace and humility to accept and acknowledge it as it is. It will perform its function the way it is meant to be, that was how it was in past, it is now and will be in future. Our being happy or sad with them will not make them change how they function. But as humans we have the gift and capability to change ourselves and our attitude at looking at everything.

Sun, Moon, Water, Earth, Plants, Air are supreme examples of selfless love. But then love is not just sweet always it comes with its bitterness as well. And we absolutely cannot change a thing about it.

As with sun, Moonlight is important at night, it helps one navigate the path in the dark (but today thanks to technology we do not even give Moon the credit it deserves on a dark night). Water quenches our thirst, yet the same water has brought tsunamis and have caused havoc. Earth offers us its body on which we make roads and buildings, yet at times it caves in. Plants and trees offers us medicine and fruits and vegetables and yet we are ruthlessly choping them off. Air which brings in cool breeze, at times turns into violent storm which destroys everything that comes in its path.

We as humans too go through this same kind of phases which we know and understand as emotions. Sometimes we are happy sometimes we are sad, sometimes we laugh and sometimes we cry, sometimes we love sometimes we hate, sometimes we praise yet at several occasions we curse.

So even when we are the same person don’t we all go through these phases. This is how we are designed and this how everybody and everything around us is. We all pass through various emotional phases under various circumstances, and that reflects in the way we react to them.

When we look at others as we are and if we develop the ability to accept them as they are without trying to change them, we will be at peace.

And the day we will learn to acknowledge and appreciate the other person the way they are, we will be able to LOVE SELFLESSLY. However, if we fail to develop this sense of gratitude, then the same love will become a cause of pain, misery, curse and everything else. It will garner negativity in our soul and negativity only destroys it never blooms.

LOVE is one of the most powerful emotion and each of us is equally capable of LOVING everyone else selflessly, but it needs a sense of awareness, realization, patience and above all practice to remain that way always.

Expecting others to LOVE us back is not selfless LOVE. It then will become a business transaction. 

Super saleswoman….

The other day I was travelling by train to some place. I always carry a book with me when I am travelling and not driving.

On this day too I had a book with me. It was about an hour’s journey. Most of my fellow travelers were engrossed in their mobile screens with earphones on. Some were playing games, others watching movies and some listening to music. And then there were some who were sleeping and few others were just watching here and there.

During the journey lots of vendors came, all trying to sell something or the other. In order to attract attention these people usually say things loud enough about their products and promote them to all travelers around them. Anyone who is interested in the product see it, and if liked buy them.

Although I was into my book reading throughout the journey, I managed to hear them coming and going because of their loud speeches.

Just about five minutes before my stop was to come, I closed the book and looked around. And what I saw, just amazed me. There was a lady selling some sweets and toffees.

You might say so what’s so unusual about it. There was something very special about her, please continue reading……

What was very unusual about this lady was that she was not saying anything at all to sell the sweets and toffees, yet I saw some people buying them. I was a little surprised and puzzled as well. I paid attention and observed her for few moments. Soon I realized she was mute.

So how did she manage to make a sale? This is what she did.

She held the sweets and toffee bag (not a very big one, there were about half a kilogram of sweets and toffee in it) in her right hand, and walked in front of the travelers, shook and thrust the hand which held the bag containing sweets and toffes in front of their eyes and managed to take out a very feeble voice which was more like a grumble as in like Unmmmm, unmmm.

People would look at her first and then at her hand and would understand that she were trying to sell the sweets. Some bought them, some simply ignored, and some looked away.

A sales person is usually the one who is known for his talks and use of sweet tongue, but here was this lady who without even saying anything was making the sales and a livelihood. 

This lady did not allow her disability to earn a living out of pity of others, instead she used her eyes, hands and smile to compensate for what she lacked. There was only one feeling which I felt for that lady at that moment and it was, immense amount of RESPECT.

My station came and I alighted from the train, but not without buying sweets from her :)

Does being Famous means, they are the only BEST....

Really???

Do you all really think that the famous is the only BEST? The more you pay the best you get?

I don’t think so.

Lata Mangeshkar, Amitabh Bachhan, Sachin Tendulkar, Sania Mirza, Gulzar Sahab and many more who are famous, they all are the synonyms to the BEST in whatever field they are. No two ways about that. But are they the only best?

There are so many good singers, actors, players, poets and others who are out their, giving their best.

So why do we always vouch for only those who have established or have made name?

There are so many talented people all around us but do we care to recognize and/ or acknowledge them.

I personally know so many people who are delivering their best in the field that they are in, but they are not craving for any fame or recognition. Nor are they doing what they know best for the sake of money. They just do what they do, because that is the only best way that they know to do it. To deliver, to help, to be of service, and to be useful.

Now why I am blabbering about this?

Well I have a reason and I want you all to know about it.

This is a very recent incident, and a story which happened with one of my clients. He and his wife are both doctors (General Physicians) and they are doing well in their field. And they are known, admired and respected for their work.

Their son was diagnosed with Hernia and he was supposed to be operated. Now being doctors themselves they were having enough contacts and doctor friends who could have performed this simple surgery, but they wanted the BEST. So the doctor they zeroed down was one of the most renowned doctors of India. 

Before they went there, he of course consulted me and I recommended to him a very good hospital in Thane which is run by a charitable trust and I have had some of my other clients treated there and who had given me a very positive feedback with regard to the hospital, doctors, staff and the procedure and all. I suggested him to visit that hospital atleast once, before taking a final call.

They did not go there.

Instead they went for the doctor they wished to go. The surgery was scheduled, it was to be performed in not to mention one of the FIVE STAR hospitals in Thane. The estimate for the whole procedure for two days was 1.63 lakhs. Now because this was a pre-scheduled surgery and since this client of mine had a Health insurance plan he registered himself for the cashless hospitalization procedure, a week before the surgery.

To his shock the claim for cashless facility was rejected. He asked me why the claim was rejected and I explained to him that at times even if the hospital is on panel and cashless procedures can happen the claim can be rejected, but then we can file for the reimbursement. But for that to happen, first you need to go ahead with the procedure, pay the money upfront from your pocket and then wait for the reimbursement to come.

He was not in favor of that and was very furious at me that the claim for cashless was rejected. He also did not want to spend so much money from his own pocket.

I genuinely wanted to help him. I have some really good friends in pharmaceuticals field and I found out from them, who was a good pediatric surgeon in the closest vicinity, where my client resided. They gave me names, and I found one most common in all the list, and this doctor was in Kalyan.

I called my client and suggested the name of this new doctor, and he said he already knows him. I asked him what was he waiting for then?

The very next day they went to see him, and the surgery was performed. The operation went beautifully, the kid is safe and recovering well :)

To their surprise the cost of the whole procedure was just 1/4^th of what was given to him by this FIVE star hospital at Thane.

What I really want to convey here is this… it’s not that only high charging hospitals or the famous personalities are able to deliver the best results. 

There are so many infamous yet some of the BEST people around us, whom we do not even care to consider and give a chance.

These people know precisely what their job is and what their responsibilities are, and believe me when I say this, they are good at it. 

They too are the BEST, it’s just that they are not famous yet, or may be are not interested in being famous. They too believe in delivering their best, and they do it relentlessly, without expectation of any reward of fame. They are content and happy with what little they do and they are serving the community in a very humble and generous way, which is beyond our comprehension.

They are waiting for us to give them an opportunity. 

Success mantra….

Today I am going to share a learning which each of us should understand and apply in our day to day life. Although I myself follow this as much as possible, but never shared. 

But today while I was surfing through YOUTUBE videos, I came across this video and after seeing it felt like sharing it with you all.

What amazed me about this video was that how the host (PRIYA KUMAR) conveyed one of the most important lessons to some childrens through a simple game and which I feel each of us must bring into practice every day of our life.

So in this video, the host - PRIYA KUMAR, is addressing some children’s and she is asking them what all things they need to be successful…

All sorts of answers came in like; time, hard work, respect, education etc; but then PK says there is one more thing which is very important, and what that one thing is, is what she wants to demonstrate through a game.

                               
Video Source- SONA KUMAR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

So the game is that each child were given a balloon and a tooth pick, and they were asked to blow it. They were then asked to ensure that their balloon stays blown for next ten minutes. Whosoever’s balloon stays up for ten minutes will win a prize :)

So the game begins and guess what? No one’s balloon lasted long enough and the game was over in less than three minutes….. Why? Because each participating child was busy blowing up others balloon so that only his or her balloon stays up till the end of ten minutes, so that he or she can win the prize….. and in the process each one ended up blowing up one another’s balloon and no one won :(

     

You must be wondering so what? That’s no big DEAL, Yesss…..

Well actually it is both a NO and a YES.

It’s NO big deal if you look at it merely as a game. But if you look at the whole game/ exercise from a human behavioral point of view and observe it carefully and relate it with your life, YES it is a big DEAL.

So what was the teaching of the game and which inspired me to write about it?

Each of us wants to be successful in all that we do, be it in professional or in personal life. And in order to achieve this success we all need help and support of others. No one can grow big or achieve success all on their own.

As much as we want to succeed in whatever we do, so do others. We must therefore respect everybody’s dream for success, and as often as possible, try to help and support them. When we wish well for others, they surely too will wish the same for us, isn’t it this a WIN, WIN situation for ALL :)

And yes, not only should we root for success of others, we must also ensure that we must stop those who try to be a hindrance in the path of others.

P.S: The host PRIYA KUMAR is a very famous and most sought after Motivational Speaker in the corporate circle nationally and internationally. She is also author of 10 books, and has won several international awards for her books.

Achieving Financial goals needs Discipline and Focus

In my business as a financial advisor, I have observed one thing and this disheartens me. People set goals for long term, and they also continue with investments till the end, yet sometimes they fail to achieve the desired corpus which was projected at the start of their financial journey.

You must be wondering, why?

You might be thinking that may be I do not know my job well....

Before you make any judgments, I want you to go through this complete article and then decide why it happens? How it happens and what goes wrong?

Usually when I meet a prospect and discuss with him what his/her or their short term, mid-term and long term goals are, they tell me their various financial goals. Once they give their list of the financial goals and the number of years in which they wish to achieve them, I take into consideration various other important factors viz; their income levels, current liabilities, expenses, current investments, their risk appetite etc.

Once armed with these details I do some number crunching and some working and give them a picture of their current financial standing. Then with that as background I help them prioritize their goals and the order of importance. Sometimes I ask them to postpone some goal/s as their current financial situation do not allow them to go for them now.

Once we are in agreement with that, then I go back and return once again with a road map/ financial plan for them which will be able to help them achieve their desired goals. Sometimes they start the plan as it is, while at others we take a step up plan route.

Everything goes well for initial three to five years but then things change. Now that the money is growing their focus diverts. And since they are already seeing the money available in the portfolio, they express their desire to withdraw some amount from this corpus in order to fulfill their new fancy.

Nothing wrong with that. But what they forget is that the corpus is being made for a goal which is still ten or twelve or fifteen years away. Most of the time this far off goal is either higher education of their kids or retirement of their own.

When one withdraws money in between, the future of these long term plans gets affected. I bring this to their notice that doing so is not what I would recommend as it will hamper their long term goals, for which we did the whole exercise and started the plan in very first place.Some of them understand the point I try to make and do not disturb the plan, while others say that this present thing is more important. And that, since we still have time for that other goal we will refill the amount which will be withdrawn as we go ahead.

In most of the cases I have seen that the refill never happens. Because every now and then something or the other which they feel is more important comes up.

What they also ignore or disregard is the fact that when they withdraw the money before the desired tenure, the whole purpose of the financial planning gets defeated. Why?

Because when a plan projection is made we take into consideration various parameters.... returns and tenure being one of the main criterias in it. What it means is that if the amount which I suggest after applying various hypothesis and calculations is invested regularly without any interruption for a particular goal as per the tenure, only then can the goal be achieved. If one withdraws money in between, the returns gets affected and so does the whole calculations and the workings for the plan.

And even if the refilling is to be done it will need much bigger amount then the one which was initially calculated.

In wealth creation or financial planning one does not need more MONEY, one only needs more TIME. 

You cannot postpone your kid’s higher education because you do not have enough money. Can you? Yes, for once you may postpone your retirement, but then would you really would want that?

In my working experience of more than seventeen years as a financial advisor, this is what I have observed, analyzed and realized. Higher education of your kids, your own retirement, and your family’s health and financial security are your basic needs and they need to be covered first. Everything else can be added up later on when your finances allows that.

So my friends if you really want to achieve the financial goals you desire, please start investing as soon as you can, and once you start it please do not deviate from the plan.

Job of a good financial advisor is to come up with a realistic and workable plan for you, and then help you achieve it. Annual review, regular monitoring of your portfolio and making the necessary course corrections as and when needed is both his job and his responsibility. You just make sure that you follow the plan, keep the required discipline and stay focused on the goals that you want to achieve. And he will ensure that you achieve all your financial goals as smoothly as possible, without any stress :)

Living beings and the Lifeless things......

Today while looking out of my balcony while I was looking at the mountains, and this thought crossed my mind.

The rocks, the wood, the metal, the deadflower, the rotten food and many such things.... they all appear as lifeless... but are they really?

The rocks from the mountains are used to consruct house in which we live, the wood is used to make furnitures which we use for our comfort, the metal is used for making car which helps us travel, the deadflower turns into manure, the rotten food is food for the microscopic and sometimes macroscopic organisms.... and so on... its like there is no end to this.

These all things may not be having life in themselves but they surely make our life easy. I appreciate and acknowledge these lifeless lives and this realization has added a new perspective to me for looking at everything from a new dimension, and that new dimension is 'LOVE'.... Love for all, the living beings and the lifeless things.

Ownership of House Vs Rental stay…..

There is a big debate when it comes to making a decision pertaining to House. Some believe owning a house is best thing to do, while few others feel staying on a rental flat is better.  If you are in the same dilemma this post will shed some light in helping you make an informed decision.

Let us first take a look at what happens when you buy a flat?

The first thing is how you want to buy this flat, meaning from own funds fully or will you be taking a loan? If own funds then there is not much to think go ahead and just buy it. However, if you are planning to raise a loan then you need to consider the following:

·         What will be the quantum of loan?

·         Whether your income supports this quantum?

·         What will be the loan tenure?

·         Will this be your last property purchase for self-use or is it the first?

Why above questions are important to answer, you will find out soon…

Typically it is observed that if you are buying 1^st property at an early age you probably do not have very high income to take up a 2 BHK apartment and hence will settle for 1 BHK flat. Over a period of time your income rises and so is the family… right? Now with this surplus income you are in a better position to move in a 2 BHK apartment. So in say 5-7 years you probably will sell your 1 BHK. After clearing the outstanding loan if any, the balance amount you will utilize to make down payment for new 2 BHK flat. This flat is also bought on loan most likely. If yes, you are again under burden of loan. As the flat is big so will be the EMI, property tax, maintenance and other related expenses.  In some cases people go a step ahead and buy 3BHK or 4 BHK after another 5-7 years. Typically this will be your last property for self-use, as you may be in your late 50’s or sixties.

Now, if you analyze the above scenario you will notice that in about 15-20 years of time horizon you change anywhere between 2- 3 houses. All the houses were bought on loan. Since in former years of loan most of the EMI (Equated Monthly Installment) goes towards interest payments you end up paying only interest in first 5-7 years. Not to forget the amounts you had spent on registration and stamp duty, and other relevant taxes, maintenance which you paid for the society, property taxes, and repairs and renovation and interior decoration if you did any. When you sell the property the money spend on these never comes back only property appreciation is what you get. One major change which happens during this phase is that children are growing and maybe after education will take up job and move out. Now only you and your partner is left out in this big 3 or 4 BHK. So now this big house is too big for just 2 people.

What happens when you stay on rent?

The rent amount is always less than the EMI amount. For e.g. if you decide to stay in a decent society in 1 BHK and if you decide to buy, you may end up paying about say Rs.38, 000/- as an EMI plus maintenance and property tax, etc. So typically if the cost of the flat is say rupees fifty lakhs, then close to 15 lakhs goes towards down payment and Stamp duty and registration charges. Whereas the same flat in same society will be available for a monthly rental of about Rs.12, 000/-You end up saving about Rs. 30,000/- every month. Start an SIP of this amount, and increase it over period of time as your earnings grow and as long as you wish to stay on rent.

When you stay on rent there is always a concern about changing the flat every 11 months, yes?

Well this is really not as big a concern as you may think. Why? Most of the investors buy flat for rental incomes. These investors are cash rich and may not be looking forward to sell their flat any time soon. Also these investors are open to enter into 33 months to 55 months of rent agreement. This helps you both in saving the cost of brokerage payment every year. The brokerage is paid only once in 55 months. Yes the rent increases typically by 10% every 11 months but then you do not have the burden of EMI. As your family size and income grows you may at any time decide to move to a bigger flat. When your responsibilities towards yours kid’s education and marriage is over they probably will move out and would like to stay on their own maybe in same city, or any other location depending upon their job placement.  Now when only you and your partner are left behind you may take a call how big a flat you people actually need, and take decision accordingly.

As mentioned earlier should you had invested the balance amounts available since no EMI’s were paid over these years, you will have enough corpus to buy the desired property from your own funds. The other benefit of this is you get upper hand in negotiations since you have the capacity to pay the entire amount in one single go J

So give some careful thought to the above two scenarios if you are looking forward towards making a decision of owning or renting a property. See which of the above two makes more sense to you based on your current financial position and family requirements, and just go ahead with your decision. 

We all need Motivation and Inspiration.....

Dear readers,

As I have mentioned in my profile, this blog is to express my thoughts, share my experiences and learnings. So keeping in tune with the same, today I wish to share this learning which I had learnt at some point of time but somehow had forgotten all about it.

Today I saw this really interesting video “Expect Divine Intervention” week 7, by Priya Kumar.

I have been following this 52 week series video for some time now. Priya is so committed in helping people achieve their goals that she has taken it unto herself to inspire and motivate all the aspirants who want to do something big in their life. Through her “Youtube” videos 52 week series which she calls “Creators of the future workshop” Priya is giving her best to ensure that you stay focused, and on track in achieving your goals. In order to do this, every Friday Priya posts one video wherein she shares a story, an idea or her personal experience, and at times advice. The idea is to keep us motivated and inspired and stay focused in achieving our goals. Be it becoming successful or grow rich or aspire to being the best in whatever one wants to do.

In this particular video with the help of an old story she has very beautifully explained that how everybody and every event that happens in our life is not merely an accident but a “Divine Intervention” in itself.

I got instantly connected to this particular video. My life experiences has also taught me the same and reached the same conclusion a long ago which Priya shares in this video.

I always try to keep an open mind, and indulge myself in experiencing the life as it happens. I meet wonderful people, exchange ideas, share stories and life experiences. From my personal experiences in this life so far, I am so very grateful to all the people whom I have met so far, as they have all directly or indirectly contributed greatly to my life. They have all helped me grow and evolve in to being whatever I am today. Although, I try every day to be conscious of my actions, sometimes I do go off track. Today this video by Priya helped me notice one such point.

While seeing this videos, it dawned on me that at times I start rambling only about myself without even asking the other person about his or her interests. Thank you so much Priya for your message, got it and absorbed it 

About Priya….all I know is that she is doing a great job and if you want to know more about her, as to who she is and what all she does, please log on to“www.priya-kumar.com”

I am sure her work will not only touch you, but will also inspire and motivate you all too, as she inspires me. I believe in appreciating and promoting the good work. I am doing my bit, and if you all too share the same feeling I humbly request you to please help her reach out to more lives.

Apologies

Dear All,
In my Post "Risk of not taking risks" published on16th October 2017, in the last line I had mentioned the title of my next article as "Good SIP, Bad SIP"
It is actually "Good EMI, Bad EMI"
I deeply regret the miscommunication and sincerely apologise for the same.

Good EMI, Bad EMI.....

It’s so strange the way people in general are dealing with money. In my interactions when I ask people I meet what they like, paying interest or earning interest? Almost all of them want to earn interest, and yet they end up paying one. Why is it happening?

As students while we were in school we have all learned in economics that wants are unlimited.  It is practically impossible to have everything we want. Yet we are overtaken by the innate desire to satisfy our wants.  The other big factor is, instant gratification and pride of ownership. New car is launched and we want to buy it, or a new phone is come into the market and we want to have it, the list is endless. And also practically everything today is available on EMI, be it mobile phone, or travel and tourism, electronics, automobiles, house, even insurance is now available on EMI the list is long. Some even come with zero down payment schemes.  So then how do we decide if buying things on EMI is good or bad?

I guess the following case study will help you understand this better.  Aman and Ajay decides to purchase a car. They both pay a certain down payment and balance amount is raised through loan. Let us say they are both paying an EMI of Rs.8600/ month for a 5 years loan tenure.

Now, Aman needed car because he uses his car every day for commuting to and fro for work and on week end’s he takes his family for outings too. Ajay on the other hand travels by train for his work place and never takes his car to office. Once a month he goes to shopping mall for grocery purchase, and in a fortnight he goes for outings with his family.

In Aman’s case since he is using his car to optimum his paying EMI is justified. But in Ajay’s case he is hardly using the car for 5 days, and almost 25 days of month his car is not used. On these 5 days when Ajay goes for outings or grocery purchase, even if he takes an air conditioned cab on all these days his total expense will be much lower than what he is paying as EMI. This my friends is a bad EMI. There is no visible need for him to own a car. The difference money could be used for something more useful.

This is just one example, there are so many things where money is spend unnecessarily. What is needed is the sensibility to ask your own self every time you want to buy something especially on EMI are these questions…… Do I really need this? How important this purchase is? And lastly whether it can be postponed? If the answer to these are all positive then by all means buy things on EMI, but if even one of the answers is negative please avoid the purchase.

Temptations are always there but how to take charge of them and not get carried away by them is something you need to learn and bring in to practice. It is not easy but if you are determined and want to live stress free life in the long run, this is precisely what you really need.

Risk, of not taking Risk…..

Most of the prospects I meet, are very reluctant when it comes to investing in Mutual Funds or shares. Their usual answer is “Even if I get l less returns it is fine, but I want safety” Are you too in the same boat? If yes, please continue reading….
I am taking help of this recent meeting which I had with one of my friend’s dad. This gentleman is in his 70’s and has never invested in Mutual funds or Shares. According to him these are very risky investment avenues. He is a big fan of Postal Schemes and Bank Fixed Deposit’s (FD’s). I know his son for some time now, who is a good friend of mine. I had suggested him several times in the past about starting Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) in Mutual Funds. Somehow he never did it. Recently when we met, I asked him why he is not investing in SIP’s. He said his father is very conservative and that he is not in favor of it, and he will not do any investments without his father’s approval.
So with this backdrop, I asked my friend to arrange my meeting with his father. We all met at his residence about two days later in the evening. Everyone was sitting in front of me. My friend, his wife, parents and his brother. This is what happened….
After initial greetings I asked his father’s view about investing in Mutual Funds. He immediately said “Nahi re baba humko kuch maloom nahi hai iske bare mein, paisa doob gaya tou” (No no….. we don’t know anything about mutual funds, what if we lose money?) I understood the problem, the problem was lack of knowledge and understanding of the product, and hence unwillingness to invest in it. Now I could have spoken lots of things supporting my statements but I tried using a different approach. This is what I asked … Uncle, is it not true that people die on road due to accidents, some even while walking and some while driving, so is it not risky to walk or drive on road? And even when you see accidents happening why still you go out on road? He said yes accidents do happen and I am aware of this, but I am careful and keep an eye while walking and crossing the roads. I said, well that’s right uncle, because you have identified the risk, you take all the necessary precautions while walking on the road and hence it is not that risky now, yes? He agreed to this point. Then I asked his wife, aunty fire is very dangerous and yet you use it in your day to day life in your house to prepare food and light candle in the house temple, why? She said yes she is aware of it but she knows how to control the flame of the gas and so it is not that dangerous anymore. To this I said, that is exactly what my point is. Everything has an inherent risk. But if we know and understand the risk it can work in our favor. With these two explanations, they were now in the listening mode and wanted to know more. 
His father asked, but Mutual Funds are private funds, what is the guarantee if they close the shops tomorrow (Now, this was a valid concern). So I asked him, if he worked in a government organization or private? He said private organization. Then, I asked him why he worked in a private organization, even when he knew that there is no job security in private sector companies? He explained how large and good the company he worked for was. He also told that he had several senior friends and relatives who were working in private sector companies.  Talking to them and seeing them working for several years gave him the confidence, of joining a private sector organization. Knowing this, I then explained to him how well regulated and transparent Mutual Funds industry is and hence safe. 
His next concern then was that the returns are not guaranteed in mutual funds. Again a very valid question. This time I asked him about something which he knew well. What about the bank or Post office interest rates, are they the same now as it was about 5 years back, or increasing? He said it has come down. Yes, it has come down and he knew this because he has seen this happening to his investments. Next I asked him, will the current interest rate remain same going forward in future? He said possibly no. So is it not a risk you are taking, I asked. He was speech less. 
I then told him that the bank or post office FD’s guarantees the rate of interest only for the time for which it is taken. No one can say with surety what the interest rates will be 2 or 3 or 5 years down the line. Also the interest rates for PPF has changed several times in the past. It has come down from as high as 12 % per annum  in the year 2000 to present interest rate of 7.80 % per annum. Knowing these facts you still continue investing in FD’s and PPF, why? He said he only knew about these two investment avenues as there is not much to understand.
The lack of awareness and understanding about Mutual funds has kept him away from trying or investing in these wonderful product. I assured him that he need not worry because I know and understand financial products and the risks associated with each of them, as this is what I have been doing for almost 16 years now. I told him that I will take all necessary steps to ensure that his son’s investments in Mutual funds are managed well and that he will make some good money in long run if he follows my guidance and advice.
Uncle was relieved, as by now he understood that I know and understand the Art and Science of managing risk associated with Mutual Funds and other investments products. That day, I left their house carrying signed cheques and application forms of his son to start investments in Mutual Funds SIP’s. 
My friends, not knowing something is a “RISK”. But, when you know the risk, all you have to do is understand how it can be managed. And if you do not have enough time and energy to understand or learn it, please do not feel hesitant to take help of an expert.  Just like having a family doctor is important so is having a family financial advisor. 
I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I did writing it. For more information and knowledge on investing please keep reading my posts. Next article coming out soon…. “Good SIP, Bad SIP”.

My observations while Making Tea …..

Making tea in the morning is a daily chore for most of us. A refreshing cup of tea is a great way to start our day. But have you noticed something beyond, than just making the tea? Okay, let me take you through a virtual tour and the important lesson behind this tea making process.

The tea making process involves some basic ingredients. The vessel to contain the water, fire to heat and bring out the desired outcome from tea leaves, sugar and milk; a tea-cup or the mug ( I personally prefer drinking my tea in a coffee mug) and most importantly the filter. Why filter? Because we only want to have the tea in its purest form and not the contents which made it, right? As much as the contents are important in the making process but the desired intake is the tea which we want to drink. This is what we look forward for every day in the mornings…. the little joy of life and great way to start our day, a good cup of TEA.

Now, why so much fuss over this tea making process and the tea itself?

Well if we observe closely and apply this to our day to day life we will find that each of us wants to lead a good life and grow as an individual also, every day. But we are not leaving alone, there are others with whom we all deal in our day to life. Our mind is like that water for the tea which is inside the container over the gas flame. Throughout the day we meet various people of which some are sweet like sugar, while some are bitter like the tea leaves, and most importantly do not forget about those who make our blood pressure shoot up, just like the fire which makes the water boil. While dealing with all these people we also look upon someone who is bright as a milk and who inspires us to look at the brighter side of life. Each one of these people is important and contribute in our life, and in making us who we are.

Each one has a role to play and we need to develop the humility and grace to understand the teaching or lessons they impart. It is only when we learn and understand how to extract/ filter (just like we filter the tea from its ingredients) the lessons which they are imparting without even knowing it themselves, will we appreciate the art and science of tea making and our own making too.
Just as making a good and refreshing tea every morning is our ultimate goal in making it, and then discarding the unwanted stuff from these ingredients, similarly to grow as an individual and becoming a good human being we must look out for the good things in all and stay away from those who are bringing negativity into our lives. This filtering needs to be practiced every day consciously until it becomes our second nature. If we are open to learning and growing as a person, we need to start paying attention to everything possible. All important life lessons are everywhere, even in tea making ;)