A sweet, a piggy bank, and a life-changing lesson
I normally would ask my mom, but due to our family's financial situation, I wouldn't press forward for wants when the household was managing daily needs. That was my first real experience with the difference between needs and wants — the sweet was a want, not a need.
I started helping my uncle with household chores — buying things from the shop, cleaning his room. He worked in a government company and was occupied, so he gave me the change remaining from shopping as a reward. Initially I spent it immediately on sweets and ice lollies. But I slowly realised: if I spend every time I receive, I'll have nothing when I truly need something later.
I started a tin can piggy bank and entrusted it to my mom — my first bank. As I grew, I received cash prizes as academic scholarships on my school's annual day and added those to my savings, prioritising art materials and books over instant treats.
I opened a savings bank account as a minor with a Co-operative bank and deposited my earnings. When the balance grew, I moved it into a Fixed Deposit for higher interest — my first encounter with compounding.
My elder sister enrolled in the Indian Chartered Accountant course — one of the world's most rigorous professional qualifications. It piqued my interest. I joined Commerce in High School, specialised in Finance and Accountancy, enrolled in the CA course, and completed three years of intense internship in accounting, audit, taxation, and consultancy.
I began paper-trading on Moneycontrol.com, built my confidence, then opened a real trading account and started recommending mutual funds to my family. The old saying holds: don't put all your eggs in one basket.
That journey — from a kid who couldn't afford a sweet, to a Chartered Accountant building financial futures in the UAE — is why MoolahCraft exists. Financial literacy is not a skill for the rich. It is a life skill for everyone.
— Founder · MoolahCraft · Chartered Accountant, UAE