Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Money matters don’t worry them
|
Gen-next makes its money work harder with help from financial professionals
|
Photo: Shaju John
Investing time In smart savings
They are smart and young. They live in the fast lane, earn more, spend more and now save more. They understand their money, set bigger goals with shorter deadlines. And, consultants help them take charge of their personal finances. There is definitel
y a changing attitude towards finances and savings.
“It took a while to get acquainted with numbers,” says Manish Gajjaria, 24, a software engineer working in Pune. “My idea of investment was to approach a stock broker. Now, I have diverted my money to equity linked saving schemes and mutual funds that offer immense tax benefits and also ensures steady investment,” he adds.
Help at hand
He says youngsters need guidance while handling money. “Most go in for random savings schemes in the first quarter just to escape the tax net. Now, I track my investments online and I am happy with the way they are growing. With consistent hikes, there is no dent in our regular spending,” he adds.
Just nine months into the job and Dhanya Mohan, who is 24 and works in Ernst and Young in Bangalore, is already into investments. “Though keen on saving taxes, I don’t want to take any risks. So, the stock market is a strict no and it is mutual funds. instead. I took help from consultants to make investment decisions,” she adds.
Educating youngsters on personal finance are ‘wellness consultants’. who banish the myth that finance is tough. “All you need to do is simplify,” says Pradeep Yuvraj, director of Finerva Financial Education and Wellness Consulting Solutions, the only authorised users in India of the global Personal Financial Well-being (PFW) Scale where an eight-questions tool allows one to estimate the financial stress in an individual as low, high, mild and harsh.
“Most youngsters earn from Rs.10, 000 to 80,000, feel happy about their spending power, swipe credit cards generously, and become aware of the debt trap only after two years when the tax deductions begin in the salary,” he adds. And, the financial stress begins to mount. “Their productivity suffers when they are not able to manage their money,” Pradeep says.
The inability to handle finances creates an emotional crisis, says consultant psychiatrist Ponni Muralidharan.
“But youngsters, who are independent and tech savvy, find easy solutions. They learn about new age investment options and start investing, as there is surplus money at their disposal,” she adds.
Hemalatha Dhanapal, 29, who is now working with CTS, says even freshers are into tax-planning and take their money seriously. Finerva, with offices across the country, takes the education to corporate houses through a number of tailor-made sessions, counselling, presentations and e-learning modules to help employees rearrange their finances.
Most companies educate employees on tax compliance and tax savings“If they want to go in for mutual funds, we tell them the advantage of a Unit linked Insurance plan, which is a combination of mutual funds and insurance. We advise them against investing only in order to save tax (e.g a housing loan). At the end of 20 years, the income tax will be a lot lesser than the huge interest rates paid in the form of EMIs,” Pradeep explains.
He says that as professional consultants, “We draw a financial blue print for our clients’ future.”
Understand your budget and savings
Keep a record of monthly expenses
Visit
www.finerva.com,
www.investopedia.com,
www.moneycontrol.com,
www.educatedinvestor.com,
www.ethomasgarman.net
K. JESHI
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
|
