Save, But Also Spend: Edelweiss Mutual Fund CEO Radhika Gupta's Advice To Young Investors

People are often advised to be careful with their money, to limit their expenses and channel their savings as much as possible into investments. Although a smart financial advice, which many financial experts often vouch, this kind of approach can lead investors to adopt a mindset that unless their hard-earned money is compounding or sitting in an investment account, it is being wasted. They forget that spending on meaningful things today can also add value to life.

That's exactly what Radhika Gupta, MD and CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, reminded her followers in a recent post on X (formerly Twitter).

"My job is to sell SIPs (Systematic Investment Plans), but I always tell everyone - young and old - to take the time to enjoy the fruits of your hard work. Save, but also spend, on things that give you joy, because it makes the journey worth it," she said.

Life Is Not A Race, Says Gupta

Her post comes at a time when a generation of investors that are trying hard to be financially smart - saving aggressively, limiting their expenditures, investing early - and yet often feel burnt out in the process.

Gupta urged investors, especially young earners, to strike a balance and plan for tomorrow but also live for today.

"At the end of the day, life is not a race of who has the highest NAV (net asset value) of most rupees, but who has lived most joyfully. The middle path exists, and it is good one," she added in her post.

Ditch FIRE, Embrace Joy Of Living

Gupta began her post with a Hindi couplet which, when loosely translated, reflects the idea that it's not always the big milestones that matter, sometimes, even a small success feels incredibly fulfilling when you know how much effort went into it. She ended her post with a hashtag #MangoMillionaire.

Gupta recently released her new book, "Mango Millionaire: Smart Money Management for a Sweeter Life", which delves into common questions like how much you should spend and how much you should save. Should you rent or buy? How much debt is too much? Which insurance policy is right for you? How do you choose the best investment product?

Her post comes at a time when hustle culture is on the rise, and many young earners are drawn to the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement. FIRE is a philosophy that promotes aggressive saving and investing with the aim of retiring much earlier than conventional retirement plans allow.