{"id":265605,"date":"2025-11-06T02:50:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T02:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/265605\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T02:50:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T02:50:10","slug":"my-path-from-early-investing-struggles-to-financial-freedom-and-wisdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/265605\/","title":{"rendered":"My Path from Early Investing Struggles to Financial Freedom and Wisdom"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this edition of the reader story<\/a>, Rajkumar documents his path from early investing struggles to financial freedom and wisdom.<\/p>\n

About this series:\u00a0I am grateful to readers for sharing intimate details about their financial lives, which benefits us all. Some of the previous editions are linked at the bottom of this article. You can also access the full reader story archive.<\/a><\/p>\n

Opinions expressed in reader stories do not necessarily represent the views of freefincal or its editors. We must appreciate multiple solutions to the money management puzzle and empathise with diverse views. Articles are typically not checked for grammar unless it is necessary to convey the right meaning and preserve the tone and emotions of the writers.<\/p>\n

If you would like to contribute to the DIY community in this manner, send your audits to freefincal AT Gmail dot com. You can publish them anonymously if you wish.<\/p>\n

I started working at 21 in 2006, full of hope but unsure where it would lead. In my very first month, a friend casually mentioned stocks. That small conversation quietly shaped everything that followed.<\/p>\n

In the beginning, I was all over the place\u2014chasing tips, jumping into stocks and mutual funds without much thought. Returns were modest, as you\u2019d expect from someone learning the hard way.<\/p>\n

Then 2009 hit. The market crash nearly erased what little I\u2019d built. Instead of stepping back, I made the usual mistakes: selling funds in panic, buying random stocks hoping for quick wins. It was messy, but each stumble taught me something.<\/p>\n

Getting married in 2012 changed my outlook. Responsibility crept in, and I started taking mutual funds seriously. I kept it simple\u2014just five funds: one Large Cap, one Mid Cap, one Small Cap, one Flexi Cap. No clutter, no chasing every new scheme. Over time, I saw the real magic of compounding. Once the base grew, the gains started accelerating on their own\u2014not from clever moves, but from time and consistency.<\/p>\n

In 2017, I moved to the Gulf for work. Life abroad came with higher income and new temptations. I increased my SIPs steadily. By 2020, the portfolio crossed \u20b91 crore. At one point, I was investing \u20b92 lakh a month\u2014not to show off, but because I finally could.<\/p>\n

The 2020 crash was brutal. I did put fresh money into stocks at the bottom, and yes, it paid off when markets recovered. But then came the mistake I regret most: overconfidence. Influenced by the wrong crowd, I got into F&O trading. It felt exciting at first. By 2022, it had wiped out nearly \u20b92 crore.<\/p>\n

That was a dark phase. I could\u2019ve walked away entirely. But with my parents\u2019 quiet support and a lot of reflection, I went back to basics. I leaned on research, patience, and later, trusted PMS advisors.<\/p>\n

Slowly, things turned around. From near collapse, the portfolio grew to \u20b95 crore. Then 2024 became a strong year. I realized I didn\u2019t need to do it all alone. I signed up with an AIF for professional guidance. It\u2019s given decent returns so far\u2014I\u2019m watching, learning, not assuming.<\/p>\n

Right now, about 80% of my money\u2014\u20b97.5 crore out of \u20b99 crore\u2014is in equities and mutual funds. That\u2019s higher than I\u2019d like long-term. I plan to gradually reduce it, bit by bit, toward balance. Still, assuming a modest 14\u201315% average return (nothing guaranteed, of course), the Rule of 72 suggests this \u20b97.5 crore could quietly double in about 5 years. It\u2019s not a promise\u2014just math, and a reminder to stay grounded.<\/p>\n

Today, the portfolio stands at \u20b99 crore. The number matters less than the lessons: keep it simple, stay the course, learn from falls, and don\u2019t be too proud to ask for help.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a success story to boast about. It\u2019s just one person\u2019s winding road \u2013 proof that patience, humility, and a few good decisions can carry you further than you\u2019d ever expect.<\/p>\n

Reader stories published earlier:<\/p>\n

As regular readers may know, we publish a personal financial audit each December \u2013 this is the 2024 edition: Portfolio Audit 2024: The Annual Review of My Goal-Based Investments<\/a>. We asked regular readers to share how they review their investments and track financial goals.<\/p>\n

First audit:\u00a0How Suhas tracks his MF investments and reviews financial goals<\/a>.Second audit:\u00a0\u00a0How Avadhoot Joshi evaluates his investment portfolio<\/a>.Third audit:\u00a0How a single mom is on track to financial freedom<\/a>Fourth audit:\u00a0How Gowtham started goal-based investing & took control of his money<\/a>Fifth audit:\u00a0Why my financial independence & early retirement plans were postponed by four years<\/a>Sixth audit:\u00a0\u00a0How Abhisek funded his marriage & is on track to financial freedom<\/a>.Seventh audit:\u00a0How Rohit\u2019s early struggles defined his investment journey<\/a>Eighth audit:\u00a0Why my investments are still on track despite job loss and lower income<\/a>.Ninth audit:\u00a0How a retirement planning calculation scared me to take action<\/a>Tenth audit:\u00a0I made several investment mistakes but have turned my life around.<\/a>Eleventh audit:\u00a0My net worth doubled in the last financial year, thanks to patient investing!<\/a>Twelfth audit:\u00a0My financial journey: from novice to goal-based investor<\/a>.Thirteenth audit:\u00a0My journey: from a negative net worth to goal-based investing<\/a>.Fourteenth audit:\u00a0From Fixed Deposits to Goal-based investing in MFs<\/a>.Fifteenth audit:\u00a0My 10-year financial journey \u2013 mistakes made and lessons learnt<\/a>.Sixteenth audit (part 1):\u00a0How I achieved financial independence without mutual funds or stocks<\/a>.Sixteenth audit (part 2):\u00a0Lessons from my financial independence journey and future investment plans<\/a>.Seventeenth audit:\u00a0How I plan to achieve financial independence and move to my native place<\/a>Eighteenth audit:\u00a0I used the current bull run to reduce my mutual funds from 14 to 4!<\/a>Nineteenth audit:\u00a0How a conservative investor created his financial plan<\/a>Twentieth audit:\u00a0I plan to achieve financial independence by 46; this is my master plan<\/a>Twenty-first audit:\u00a0\u00a0I have made many investment mistakes but am on course to financial independence by 45<\/a>.Twenty-second audit:\u00a0I felt worthless six years ago but have achieved financial stability today<\/a>Twenty-third audit:\u00a0My financial journey was directionless until age 40: this is how I made up for lost time<\/a>Twenty-fourth audit:\u00a0Why I increased equity MF investments by 275% and reduced PPF contributions<\/a>.Twenty-fifth audit:\u00a0How I track financial goals without worrying about returns<\/a>Twenty-sixth audit:\u00a0I am 24 and started investing 1Y ago, but what am I investing for?<\/a>Twenty-seventh audit:\u00a0How we plan to achieve a retirement corpus 50 times our annual expenses<\/a>.Twenty-eighth audit:\u00a0I thought equity investing was a gamble, but now I aim to hold 60% equity for retirement<\/a>Twenty-ninth audit:\u00a0My journey: From 5 lakhs in debt to building a corpus worth six years in retirement<\/a>Thirtieth audit:\u00a0My investment journey: From random purchases to a goal-based portfolio<\/a>Thirty-first audit:\u00a0My investment journey: from product-driven to process-driven<\/a>Thirty-second audit:\u00a0How a young couple is trying to balance travelling and investing<\/a>Thirty-third audit:\u00a0My journey: From Rs. 30 bank balance to financial independence<\/a>Thirty-fourth audit:\u00a0Our journey: From scratch to a net worth of 18 times annual expenses<\/a>.Thirty-fifth audit:\u00a0From a net worth of Rs. 6000 to auto-pilot goal-based investing<\/a>Thirty-sixth audit:\u00a0How I retired from corporate bondage at 46, two years ago!<\/a>Thirty-seventh audit:\u00a0How I learnt to keep it simple and build a net worth 19 times my annual expenses<\/a>Thirty-eighth audit:\u00a0\u00a0How Abhineeth plans to achieve financial independence and build a house<\/a>.Thirty-ninth audit:\u00a0How Sahil plans to achieve financial independence by efficient tracking<\/a>Fortieth audit:\u00a0My Journey to a Ten Crore Portfolio<\/a>Forty-first audit:\u00a0Burdened with debt for several years, I am now aggressively investing in equity<\/a>Forty-second audit:\u00a0From Engineer to Librarian after Financial Independence and Early Retirement (FIRE)<\/a>Forty-third audit:\u00a0I lost six months\u2019 income in F&O and ditched it for systematic investing<\/a>Forty-fourth audit:\u00a0My retirement plan to handle the harsh realities of the IT industry<\/a>Forty-fifth audit:\u00a0My investment journey: mistakes, 10 years of MF investing and recovery<\/a>Forty-sixth audit:\u00a0My MF portfolio is worth six crores despite multiple mistakes<\/a>Forty-seventh audit:\u00a0Saving, Investing, and Running Marathons: My 25-year Journey to Financial Independence<\/a>Forty-eighth audit:\u00a0Never Too Late to Start: How I Became Financially Savvy at 40<\/a>Forty-ninth audit:\u00a0My Investment Journey to a net worth 29 times my annual expenses<\/a>Fiftieth audit:\u00a0How I audit my portfolio without tracking returns<\/a>Fifty-first audit:\u00a0Financial Lessons Learned During and After a PhD<\/a>Fifty-second audit:\u00a0Investment & Financial journey of a 23 year old<\/a>Fifty-third audit:\u00a0The system I use to draw income and spend after retirement securely<\/a>Fifty-fourth audit:\u00a0From Start-Up Employee to Millionaire: A Success Story of Resilience and Smart Investing<\/a>Fifty-fifth audit:\u00a025-Year-Old Software Engineer\u2019s Investment Journey: From Stocks to Mutual Funds and Beyond<\/a>Fifty-sixth audit:\u00a0Crossing the Million Mark: Our Journey to the First Crore<\/a>Fifty-seventh\u00a0audit:\u00a0Navigating Market Volatility: How an IT Professional Transformed His Investment Approach for Retirement<\/a>Fifty-eighth audit:\u00a0How Sahil achieved a 10X retirement corpus by efficient portfolio tracking<\/a>Fifty-ninth\u00a0audit:\u00a0How I achieved financial freedom by 45 without onsite assignments or ESOPs<\/a>Sixtieth audit:\u00a0Building Wealth on a Government Salary: Lessons Learned<\/a>Sixty-first audit:\u00a0Minimalism, Index Funds, and Staying Calm: My Investing Journey at 28<\/a>Sixty-second audit:\u00a0Building Wealth and Breaking Barriers: How Swati Took Control of Her Financial Future<\/a>Sixty-third audit: My financial journey: How I missed the Compounding Bus!<\/a>Sixty-fourth audit:\u00a0My MF investment journey: From thematic funds to a 3-fund portfolio<\/a>Sixty-fifth audit:\u00a0From Debt to \u20b91 Crore Liquid Net Worth: My Journey of Financial Awareness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These published audits have had a compounding effect on readers. If you would like to contribute to the DIY community in this manner, send your audits to freefincal AT Gmail. You can also publish them anonymously.<\/p>\n

Do share this article with your friends using the buttons below.<\/p>\n

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About The Author \"Pattabiraman<\/a>Dr M. Pattabiraman<\/a> (PhD) is the founder, managing editor and primary author of freefincal. He is an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras<\/a>. He has over 13 years of experience publishing news analysis, research and financial product development. Connect with him via Twitter(X)<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a>, or YouTube<\/a>. Pattabiraman has co-authored three print books: (1) You can be rich too with goal-based investing<\/a> (CNBC TV18) for DIY investors. (2) Gamechanger<\/a> for young earners. (3) Chinchu Gets a Superpower!<\/a> for kids. He has also written seven other free e-books<\/a> on various money management topics. He is a patron and co-founder of \u201cFee-only India<\/a>,\u201d an organisation promoting unbiased, commission-free, AUM-independent investment advice. Our flagship course! Learn to manage your portfolio like a pro to achieve your goals regardless of market conditions!<\/a> \u21d0 More than 3,500 investors and advisors are part of our exclusive community! Get clarity on how to plan for your goals and achieve the necessary corpus no matter the market condition!! Watch the first lecture for free!\u00a0 One-time payment! No recurring fees! Life-long access to videos! Reduce fear, uncertainty and doubt while investing! Learn how to plan for your goals before and after retirement with confidence. Increase your income by getting people to pay for your skills!<\/a> \u21d0 More than 800 salaried employees, entrepreneurs and financial advisors are part of our exclusive community! Learn how to get people to pay for your skills! Whether you are a professional or small business owner seeking more clients through online visibility, or a salaried individual looking for a side income or passive income, we will show you how to achieve this by showcasing your skills and building a community that trusts and pays you. (watch 1st lecture for free). One-time payment! No recurring fees! Life-long access to videos!\u00a0 \u00a0 Our book for kids: \u201cChinchu Gets a Superpower!\u201d is now available!<\/a>\"Both<\/a>Both the boy and girl-version covers of “Chinchu Gets a superpower”. Most investor problems can be traced to a lack of informed decision-making. We made bad decisions and money mistakes when we started earning and spent years undoing these mistakes. Why should our children go through the same pain? What is this book about?\u00a0As parents, what would it be if we had to groom one ability in our children that is key not only to money management and investing but to any aspect of life? My answer: Sound Decision Making. So, in this book, we meet Chinchu, who is about to turn 10. The narrative revolves around what he wants for his birthday and how his parents plan for it, as well as teaching him several key ideas of decision-making and money management. What readers say!\"Feedback<\/a>Feedback from a young reader after reading Chinchu gets a Superpower!Must-read book even for adults! This is something that every parent should teach their kids right from their young age. The importance of money management and decision making based on their wants and needs. Very nicely written in simple terms. – Arun. Buy the book: Chinchu gets a superpower for your child!<\/a> How to profit from content writing<\/a>: Our new ebook is for those interested in getting a side income via content writing. It is available at a 50% discount for Rs. 500 only! Do you want to check if the market is overvalued or undervalued? Use our market valuation tool<\/a> (it will work with any index!), or get the Tactical Buy\/Sell timing tool<\/a>! We publish monthly mutual fund screeners <\/a>and momentum, low-volatility stock screeners<\/a>. About freefincal & its content policy. Freefincal is a News Media organisation dedicated to providing original analysis, reports, reviews and insights on mutual funds, stocks, investing, retirement and personal finance developments. We do so without conflict of interest and bias. Follow us on Google News<\/a>. Freefincal serves more than three million readers a year (5 million page views) with articles based only on factual information and detailed analysis by its authors. All statements made will be verified with credible and knowledgeable sources before publication. Freefincal does not publish paid articles, promotions, PR, satire or opinions without data. All opinions will be inferences backed by verifiable, reproducible evidence\/data. Contact Information: To get in touch, please use our\u00a0contact form<\/a>. (Sponsored posts or paid collaborations will not be entertained.) Connect with us on social media Our publications<\/p>\n

You Can Be Rich Too with Goal-Based Investing<\/p>\n

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