💸 The One-Year Delay That Cost Me ₹42 Lakhs: A Personal Lesson in Investing Early
By: A guy who wished he had listened sooner In the mid-1990s, fresh out of college, my best friend Murugan and I landed our first jobs. We had done everything together—college, celebrations, job hunting—and now we were both earning just under ₹20,000 a month. Life was good. Or so I thought. PC: vrouge.co 📢 The Advice I Ignored One day, Murugan told me his father, a retired bank manager, had given him a piece of golden advice: “Start investing now. Even a small, regular amount will grow more than you can imagine.” Inspired by that, Murugan immediately started a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) in equity mutual funds. ₹5,000 a month. That was nearly 25% of his salary! He didn’t stop there—he increased the SIP by 10% every year , no matter what. When he shared his plan with me, I chuckled and said: “We’re just 22, da! Why rush into all this investment stuff? We’ve got 30-35 years ahead of us.” Murugan just smiled and replied: “Every year counts. That’s what Appa...