#JanoTohMano

Earlier this morning, I received a Whatsapp message saying that ‘You will be a millionaire in 12 days if you forward this message to 10 of your contacts. And if you fail to do that, you will lose all your money.’
Few minutes passed, another one popped up carrying some religious message and at the end, it read 'If you think this is a spam and delete it before forwarding to 10 of your contacts, you will be cursed.'
Duhh! And those messages were shared by a friend in a group. And I thought is she that naive?!
There are many around us like her. But imagine, can one forward message make us rich? Can one Whatsapp message brings us God's blessings? Well, if only…
Another incident I recollect now. I was driving back home with my Grandmother last week. On the way, we stopped for tea. There I saw a photo hanging at the cashier’s counter and it said 'Ennai paar yogam varum' (which means ‘Look at me! Fortune favours you’) with a Donkey standing decorated. I was wondering what all superstitions people believe to make money. If they believe looking at a donkey brings them luck, why not they pet a donkey instead of an 'unfortunate' cat? Hmph..
Well, in our country superstition plays an important part in how people make sense of randomness. We have a long history of people who believed in certain rituals, objects, animals or symbols that can be used to influence their luck. Now even in this modern era, there are people who still believe in such superstitions and trying to improvise it. Like that of WhatsApp messages. :P
Sometimes, superstitions come in the way of sound investments. Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund has created a video that showcases how we sometimes get caught up in rituals or superstitions instead of thinking and investing smartly. But you know, there is a very simple logic behind making money. #JanoTohMano
This quote is the very base of financial planning. Most of us look forward to a secure and comfortable future. But to get there, we got to be smart. We should use the money we earn to make more money. But why? One day we all want to retire. After working for most of our lives, we wish for a time where we can stop working and have choices on how we spend our time. The secret to a financially secure retirement is to start saving and investing early.
The first step will be to clearly understand how to save for retirement. Saving over the long term is ideal. In India, we have Public Provident Fund (PPF) in which we add a small part of our income into this account on a regular basis. The money we contribute over the years plus what it earns is the fund that will be ready to support one's retirement. This account is planned on a lifetime of savings, so don’t think of touching it until retirement. And this will save us taxes too.
The second step is to invest the savings. Investment is prone to risk and the best way to deal with it is to be well informed. Being informed makes us to take better decisions. Equity Mutual Funds (EMF) are the best way invest. Birla Sun Life is a pioneer in investment service. Investment needs discipline and they ensure high standards in this aspect.
There are other means of investments such as Insurance, Stocks, Gold, Real Estate and even Antiques. Everything needs research and homework to be done extensively. But investing in EMF with a trusted firm like Birla Sun Life is the safest option available for people in India. Because Birla Sun Life says #JanoTohMano. Know it and then accept it.
Imagine, it’s just like we order food in a restaurant and believe that good food needs enough time to cook and serve. While we fail to apply the same when it comes to mutual funds where we are always in a hurry for quick returns.
Financial planning should be a major part of every New Year’s beginning. It’s never too early to start saving and investing. Let us all take a resolution that we will save wise and invest smart for a better future for ourselves and the next generation.