Guidelines & Rules

The primary goal of “Savings” is to be in “Control” of our financial lives. 

Even an EMI that we pay for example on a land loan or educational loan - since it forces us to save in an appreciating asset - can be considered as “Savings”

Since our expenses and aspirations are and will always be greater than our income, we need to Save first and Spend the Rest. 

Extracting more savings out of our income, right upfront,  is a more practical approach than trying to control our expenses.

Protecting our income and savings from risks, from eroding “value of money” and from our own spending habits, are of the highest priority and importance to us.

We should invest in stock markets with only the surplus that is left after allocating our savings to other critical goals. What these critical goals are, can vary from person to person depending on their age and stage in life.

Medical and life Insurance, land, home, flat, jewellery, gold bars and coins, good school and college education, marriage corpus, pension corpus etc, are some of our important life time goals. These life time goals can co-exist with our life-style goals and can be achieved without sacrificing any of them. It only requires us to be in control and manage our finances smartly and intelligently.

When we invest in Stock Markets and Mutual Funds, we will do so not for speculation, but with long term intentions of 7-15 years and hence evaluate funds and portfolios based on their long term track records.

We will be cautious of advisors and agents who sell financial products and financial advice and instead prefer to listen to our peers, who share their own personal experience and financial journeys.

Even though Crypto Currencies claim to democratise money and promise to benefit people, we believe it is still at an early stage in its evolution and currently benefits only a few elites, techies and speculators. Supporters of Crypto still do not have clear answers to issues of governance, regulation, increasing inequality and risks. 

Borrowing from banks to create appreciating assets with strategic intent (such as a land loan, home loan, educational loan) is a good approach to force ourselves to save and also protect it from eroding value of money.

Due to increasing prices and eroding value of money, Consumer Durable loans at low interest rates are a good approach to acquiring lifestyle goods, as compared to saving money and buying later.

We will avoid borrowing unsecured loans (Personal loans, Micro Finance Loans etc) from lenders who charge exorbitant interest rates. 

If we are not eligible for low interest loans from regulated channels, it means we are already over-leveraged and hence we will sincerely seek solutions to manage and control our debt, instead of borrowing at high interest rates.

We will take control of our finances, and not allow ourselves to be thrown around by situations and events that suck us into helpless vicious cycles.

If we are self employed or run a business, we will earnestly try to prevent our business borrowings and liabilities from impeding into our personal finances and lives.

We will seek help from more knowledgeable people among our peers in the community.

No community member shall charge fees or seek compensation in kind, from another member. All advice, help and counselling shall be done on a pro-bono basis.

We will abide by the core values and philosophies of the community in all our words and actions. Anyone who is found to be working against them shall be brought to the notice of the Community Elders.

Community elders consisting of the founder and the disciplinary committee shall have the right to take disciplinary action on any member, including suspending and restricting their access to the community platform and removing them from primary membership. The decision of the committee shall be final and binding.

Sellers, Distributors, Agents and Advisors of Financial Products and Services are barred from promoting their products and services in the community personally or digitally. They are not allowed to approach members to solicit business. Please report if you find anyone engaged in this kind of activity. 

Specific sponsorship opportunities during our events, will be provided to brands of financial products, subject to restrictions on what they can and cannot do. Choice of sponsors will be governed by their alignment to our core values and philosophies.

This is a community that broadly represents the financial interests of the middle class families whose household family  income is in the range of Rs 2 Lacs Per year to Rs 20 Lacs per year. This criteria is subject to change (and might be different for other countries) as it is based on the value of money in India, in the year 2021.

If you are an elite whose income has already crossed Rs 20 Lacs PA (Or networth greater than Rs 200 Lacs), you can still join this community to be of service to others.

If you are dejected and frustrated and have no intention of sincerely and diligently seeking solutions to your financial needs, then this community is not for you.

If you are someone who plays in financial markets to “speculate”, “outsmart the rest” or “get rich quick”, then you don’t belong here.