Early Planning For Early Financial Freedom

Menaka Seetharaman (45) is a yoga teacher and a therapist. Her husband, Harjinder Singh Sidhu, runs a human resources (HR) consulting firm. The couple is secure in terms of their financial health, and Menaka recently bought her first home in Shimla. Menaka, a former HR professional herself, says she never imagined she would be financially secure at such a young age and live her life on her own terms so effortlessly. She says her journey towards financial freedom began 14 years ago, when she was in her early 30s. She was independent and single, and came from a family which had a rather conservative outlook in terms of money management. Her family’s affinity to traditional investment avenues—fixed deposits, and keeping cash locked in bank accounts—made her risk-averse. But she was keen to grow her wealth. It was during the global financial meltdown of the last decade,...