Wisdom Hatch

We are building India's Biggest Investment community on: www.wisdomhatch.com

Founder

Next EdVentures

Next EdVentures is an investment firm, specialising in Education sector. We don't consider Education as a "business", but as a "service". Therefore, we partner with like minded organisations and individuals; 
you will see all our products reasonably priced with excellent feedback from customers. 

Helped build these ventures from scratch: 

1. www.wisdomhatch.com

This is a career development & financial education related platform, which is now being used by over 5000 active students. 


2. www.MyMBAJourney.com, Partner (2015-Present)

- We support students applying to top MBA programs abroad. We have grown to become one of the most trusted names in MBA Admissions Consulting space with admits to Harvard, Stanford, Yale, INSEAD, LBS, MIT and the likes. 

- Unlike most Admissions Consultants, you can ACTUALLY SEE our clients speak about our work on videos (these are real and verifiable testimonials): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4D8GbPR0OwRCLbyRaCjY4A

3. www.GlobalCollegeinfo.com, Investor (2018-Present)

- A free network for High School students to access quality information about study abroad options. 

4. www.casesovercoffee.com (June 2020-Present)

- A peer-to-peer case prep platform, supporting students to hone their corporate and case solving skills. 

(++++ investments in over 20 other ventures)

Partner

UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network – Youth

Mentor

Consulting 

1. Dalberg Global Development Advisors 

2. Ministry of Finance

Senior Consultant

Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Associate

2014 Lok Sabha Elections, India

Manager

Government of India

- Prepare briefing drafts and write press articles for Minister of State (Rural Development). These drafts are  discussed during the Indian Parliament Sessions. 

- Analyse rural development schemes and provide strategic feedback to the MoRD.

Public Policy Consultant, Government of India

As the founder of Wisdom Hatch, I am building India's biggest investment community on www.wisdomhatch.com, where I combine my passion for teaching and entrepreneurship. I have over 10 years of experience in strategy, management consulting, and education, working with leading organizations such as BCG, Next EdVentures, and the Government of India.

I have helped launch and grow several ventures in the education sector, such as www.MyMBAJourney.com, which supports students applying to top MBA programs abroad. I am proud to have mentored hundreds of students who have landed at world-class universities such as Harvard, INSEAD, Wharton, MIT, and Columbia. I am also a mentor at UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network – Youth, where I contribute to the global goals of education, innovation, and social impact.

My wife Ayushi and I will be World Schooling our kids. 

What exactly is World Schooling? And, how did we get to this decision:- 

[1] We will be living across multiple countries over the next few years. 
Our kids would pursue local classes/activities (nothing high end). 

We would do things that everyday normal folks across different counties usually do. These immersive experiences would educate them (hopefully) about the world (hence, the name WORLD SCHOOLING). 

[2] The goal is to get a "range" of experiences. And, be extremely comfortable in terms of going outside our comfort zones. 

We have a nice comfortable life here in South Goa. 
Goa will be our home. 

But, the World will be our school. 

[3] At some stage: we will leave the decision (to our kids), if they would like to enrol in formal education (school or college). But, for the next 5-6 years, we don't see that happening. 

So our World Schooling experiment will continue. 

[4] You might have some natural questions:

- Is this legal? yes. 
- Is this for everyone? no. 
- What if the experiment fails? well then it fails. 
- Are you not scared? No. 

Anything worth doing involves risk. So does this move. 
That's how life works. 

[5] How can you benefit? 

- You can study the model that we are building (for free). 
- My wife is an Economist & has a strong eye for detail: she will manage the day-to-day grind; study finer points on curriculum design. 
- I am a trained Management Consultant: I bring the big picture. 

Both of us are designing topics around: Design Thinking, Communication, Personal finance for Kids, How to Learn etc (some topics that we feel are critical. And, are NOT taught). 

We don't want anyone's money. 
This is a passion driven exercise for us. 

We would be glad to share our experience: you could sign up for our newsletter here (we will try to release 1 newsletter every 1-2 weeks): https://lnkd.in/gkT8H4Sx

Akshat Shrivastava

Founder@Wisdom Hatch | Become a better investor --> WisdomHatch.com

Today is my birthday. And, if I have to sum up 1 key message that I have learnt in my entire career: 

Work hard. Make you and your family proud. 

If you lose your job tomorrow, NO ONE will help you:- 

[1] Your relatives.  
[2] Your friends. 
[3] And, DEFINITELY NOT the political party that you are singing praises for. 

Even on a flight: it is advised that in case of an emergency put the Oxygen mask on yourself first. And, then worry about others. 

If you are NOT strong, you will lack options. 

One bad economic cycle: and, the person who will get impacted the most will be YOU.

Gain knowledge. 
Learn about money.
Improve yourself everyday. 

A rich person has 100 different options. 
A person struggling for money has only 1: to depend on someone for survival.

[1] Gold prices have doubled in the last (~ 4 years) 
[2] Bitcoin has doubled in the last 1 year. 
[3] NIFTY has almost doubled last 4 years. 
[4] Good Real Estate has doubled last 4 years. 
[5] Your rent too has doubled in the last 4 years. 
[6] Your kid's education fee has almost doubled last 4 years. 

- People with no discretionary income suffered. 
- People who could invest (had discretionary income). And, chose to invest, benefitted. 
- People who could invest (had discretionary income). And chose NOT to invest, are NOW feeling the brunt. 

Next 5 years, the cycle is likely to repeat.
Why? governments WON'T stop printing more money. 

If you understand the game, you will thrive. 
If you choose not to understand the game, you will struggle. 

These are plain facts.

The best thing about having kids, is that -- with kids, you become kids again. And get to enjoy little things in life.  

- Play all day 
- Run more 
- Splash water 
- Smile 
- And, not worry about small things 

Happy Holi everyone. 
Hope you all had a great celebration :)

Dubai government has put its entire Real Estate data on a Blockchain. This basically means that: 

[1] You can see which Real Estate unit got sold for what EXACT price. 
[2] What date. When was the project started/delivered. 
[3] You can in-fact check the apartment/villa/townhouse number which got sold at what specific price. 

This is a fairly transparent Real Estate market (not saying it does not have problems) 

In India: 

[1] People are still figuring out: how much is the black/white component while doing RE transactions 
[2] What is the standard rate for brokerage? (brokers charge anywhere between 1-10%; jacking up of prices by brokers) 
[3] There is no escrow system: you pay the buyer (let's say 10%) before the deal being executed on good faith. They can take your money and run away. 

And, you can continue to litigate. 
These are harsh facts. 
And, people lose their entire life's saving trying to own a house. 

Since all the records are digitised now in India. I don't think it should be difficult to put everything on a blockchain. And, let people see the transparent picture.

If you make 1 Lakh, live with 50,000 (especially when you are younger). 

My wife Ayushi and I did the same, and it has been a game changer for us. 

Why?

The salary of top 1% household is 1.1 Lakh/month. But, even if you make this salary, you might still struggle financially as a family of 4 in a big city.

- Education for 2 kids= 12K (maybe even more)
- Rent= 35K 
- Utilities/Mis= 10K
- Transport= 5K
- Groceries= 15K
- Entertainment=10K 

All your salary gone, in servicing your life. 
Folks in their mid-20s might NOT have similar obligations.
You don't NEED to spend money on A LOT of things. 

The world is unpredictable. And, you might never know what you'd want from life next:-

- You might want to start a business
- Might want to take a year off from work or work fewer hours. 
- Shift to a smaller city (and take a pay-cut)

We actually ended up doing ALL of these things. 

Smart folks understand that money is fuel.
And, they start planning their life early. 

I'm not telling you that don't spend your money. 
It is YOUR money, do what you like. 

I am simply presenting a choice: that if you are in a position to live frugally-- despite earning well-- take advantage!

When you buy from a small business, you help a family. Most of them are 'selling something' to earn a living. 

They can't compete against (many) deeply entrenched corporates:

[1] Who get cheap debt from the government. 
[2] Build more monopolies with that money. 
[3] Kill such small businesses. And, eventually jack up prices for the end customers (i.e you) 

Small has always been beautiful.

But, unfortunately, the small can't build their PR machinery. So they need your support. 

When you help them. You help yourself.

If you don't: the day is not far, when you will OVER pay for everything.

What are some tips for supporting small businesses?

If you are living in a metro, you are paying:- 

[1] 30% more rent 
[2] 5-10K extra in school fee per child
[3] Health cost (easily 5-10 years of your life) 
[4] Time cost (travelling in traffic; add another easily 2 years) 
[5] More stressful living 

It is MUCH better to have a 50K salary in a peaceful city than making 1L in a city where the hustle never ends. 

Here are 3 things you can start doing RIGHT NOW:- 

[1] Create a 3 year plan. 

- 1 year to figure out your product market fit (what works, what doesn't)
- 1 year to execute (where you can get you initial few clients) 
- 1 year to scale (where you make the venture viable) 

This will give you an idea if you can build a startup. Or should you continue in the corporate world. 

Work over the weekends to create a side gig/hustle. 

[2] Try to be in top 10% performers at your job. 

- The better you perform, the more leeway you have at work. 
- Do focused work Mon-Friday 
- If you are top 1% performer, the firm will make sure not to let you go. And, will offer you all the flexibility they can possibly give. 

At the very least, you will get an excellent recommendation (for your next job) from your boss. 

[3] Get a grip on your money. 

- People don't get this. If you have: cash flows coming in from good investments
- You can take less stressful jobs. At a salary cut. 
- This improves your odds of finding a better 'lifestyle' job.

People negotiate hard for salaries.
But, if you are smart: you should also negotiate for location and work flexibility. And, start investing better.

How difficult is to save 1Mn$ (8.3Cr) in India through jobs? 

Short-answer: extremely difficult. 

Think about it this way: to save 1Mn$ (8.3Cr of wealth). 
How much time would it take for you? 

Okay, let's say you have a top 0.1% job in India. 
And, are getting a Salary of 50 Lakhs+ 

What's the rough tax you will pay? well, you will pay 30%+ direct (and roughly 15-18% indirect on all your expenses). 

So roughly 35% tax (let's assume). 
Therefore, just in taxation you will pay: 17.5L/year as taxes. 

So net-net, you get to spend (a year): 32.5L
Your monthly expense is likely to be 1L+, so you are left with roughly 20 Lakhs

Now, of course you will say: that I would invest the surplus. And, make returns. True! 

But, the money will also lose value with time (inflation). So the returns from this bucket comes from your ability to beat inflation. 

(Hence for simple calculation, cancelling this) 
 
So sum total: it will take you 41.5 years (8.3Cr/20L) to build a savings of 8.3Cr. 

Takeaway: the future is not about slogging at work. The future is about building location flexibility & global mobility. 

As countries spend more money recklessly, the cost of taxation will keep going up for you. 

*** 
Natural question: why are you even talking about 8.3Cr? 
Well because: several countries are 'selling' tax residencies/citizenship. 

To take advantage, a rough estimate is that you need to get to 1Mn$ in savings to begin with.

Guess the price of Milk: 2020 vs 2024. 

Do the same exercise for Egg, Dal, Makhana etc. 
And, honestly write your response. 

For example: depending on where you live, you might say that Egg went from 4Rs to 6Rs. That's a 50% price rise in eggs. 

But, India's official inflation is 5.6% 

Even if you grow your salary by 20%, but if the inflation jumps by let's say 30%, you will be net-net poorer. 

This seems like such a simple thing to understand, but most people don't get it. Or end up debating politics around it. This is not politics; this is finance. 

There are three types of taxes you pay: 

[1] Direct (eg. Personal Income tax). 
[2] Indirect (eg. GST). 
[3] Invisible tax (eg. Inflation). 

Invisible tax is difficult to observe & comprehend. 

Unfortunately, people who get impacted by inflation the most, understand inflation the least. 

PS: This post is not meant to scare you. It is supposed to help you understand the new world, where inflation will be your biggest enemy. 

If you don't understand it, you will work your way to poverty.

When I started my career, I wanted to be "money" rich. 

A few years into the corporate job, I realised I had no free time left. So I aspired to be "time" rich. 

When I saw my kids growing up: I realised that I would like to travel with them. Explore new places. See the world. So I wanted to have the 'freedom' to do what I like, when I like. 

In short: there are 9 different types of rich people in the world:

[1] Money Rich= have a lot of money temporarily. Eg. winning a lottery.

[2] Wealth Rich = have multiple pieces of cash flows (income). Well diversified, sustainable.

[3] Time Rich= have a lot of free time.

[4] Health Rich= strong mental and physical health; high energy.

[5] Social (breadth of network) Rich= one-to-many networks. Eg. Social Media Stars. Many people know them.

[6] Depth of network Rich= old relationships, meaningful network, which has been cultivated overtime.

[7] Mindset Rich= very happy with intrinsic abundance; less impacted by external validations.

[8] Skill Rich= can use their skill to convert it into more free time, money, heath, social.

[9] Freedom rich= freedom to travel where and when you want; having/not having a job etc. 

Aim for being overall rich. 

Share this with someone, who needs to understand this rich mindset better. 

I'm building an amazing community of Investors on Wisdom Hatch (we are 100,000+ members already) do follow us there to gain more insights on finance & investing.

20 years ago, money making skills: 

- Get good degrees 
- Learn Tech (eg. coding)
- Invest (stocks, FDs, Real Estate, all gave returns) 

10 years ago, money making skills: 

- Exceptional degrees
- Leveraging tech in your business 
- Picking good assets within each asset class 

Money making skills, in the future: 

- Owning a well diversified portfolio of income streams (not necessarily degrees) 
- Investing in assets, which grow > faster than REAL inflation 
- Understanding how capital gains work across different countries. And, reducing your tax liabilities. In short, building global mobility. 

Like most things, people will be slow to catch-up to new age finance. 
But the ones who do will reap rewards.

Last 10 years of my life have been about building a career where I make $, gaining free time, developing location flexibility. 

My time at INSEAD played a pivotal role in shaping this vision. Meeting like minded, driven people, changed how I viewed career/life. 

Since graduating from INSEAD in 2015:- 

[1] One of my batchmates founded a Unicorn (in Europe) 
[2] 100+ ended up garnering wealth in excess of a 3Mn$+ each in the last 10 years (through jobs)
[3] At least (20 folks) I know did not go through the job route. But, profitable startup route. And, generated in excess of 10Mn$ in the last 10 years. 

I had the pleasure of knowing these people. 
I still talk to many of them on one-on-one basis. 

3 things stood out for me about these wealth builders. 

[1] They are EXTREMELY comfortable leaving their comfort zone. 

- They are okay shifting countries/firms for professional growth. 
- They are not scared of doing hard things. Or learning new things. 

[2] They are EXTREMELY focused. They know what they want. And, they go for it. 

- Many of my friends were startup guys, wanted to shift to consulting 
- Worked hard. Got into Consulting
- Then quit to do a startup again 

Excelling at something gives you confidence to do more amazing things subsequently. 

[3] They have EXTREMELY good judgement. 

- Whom to trust, what career move to make, how much risk to take etc 
- Can't be taught. There is no course on this. 
- But, this aspect of your life is going to impact you THE MOST. 

Good judgement comes from making harder and harder decisions. 
My teachers at INSEAD played a pivotal role in helping me cultivate this skill. 

While, I can never thank my teachers enough for helping me get ahead in my life-- from time to time, I would love to share their work with you. 

Associate Professor Abhishek Borah, has written a wonderful book called Mine Your Language (you can find this on Amazon) 

It teaches you about how to communicate effectively (in your job & through social media) through better use of language. 

Do give it a read-- it is a wonderful book :)

India's GDP by 2033: 6.5Tr$ 
US's debt by 2033: 50Tr$ 

US's debt is roughly 7X the size of India's GDP. 

More interestingly, from 2033: US will pay roughly 1.6Tr$ as interest repayment on its debt, every year (this is ~25% the size of India's GDP in 2033). 

Most people will shrug their shoulders and say: this is US's problem. 
Why should I care, sitting here in India? 

Well, you should because this single thing is going to impact you THE MOST in the coming 10 years. 

Why? 

[1] US prints more money. 
[2] This devalues USD dollar. 
[3] The world trade happens in the USD. 
[4] Weaker currencies suffer more (they fall eve more in value compared to USD). 
[5] The buying power of local citizens come down. 
[6] To buy the same assets, you need more money. 

This applies to the government as well. So they end up (de-facto) taxing you more. 

Solution: 

[1] It is becoming easier to earn (you need to be smart, structured and increase your earning sources).  
[2] In a high inflation world, money will erode, if you can't grow it faster than inflation. You need to learn investing. 
[3] Become half CA. Lean every tax optimisation strategy there is to learn. 

You can follow Wisdom Hatch: I write in-depth posts. And, share macroeconomic analysis for my community there.

I had to unfortunately take down my last post. Not because Linkedin asked me to. But, because I am seeing massive non-sense harassment, if I present contrary opinions even on investing topics. 

And, I need to preserve my peace of mind. 

I will be back with more analytical posts in a few months. 
Till then, I will simply write non-controversial stuff. 

Thank you :) 
Peace to everyone <3

With 1 Crore, you can't buy a liveable house in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram. 

(at least not a liveable one for a family)

You could look at something at the outskirts (maybe). 
And commute for 3 hours each day.  

[1] You might now say: okay, go settle in a tier-2/3 city/village, 1 Crore rupee is a lot there. 

Correct. But, again -- if you can't work remotely (& make money), you will struggle to make a decent living (forget about matching your previous salary)

[2] Some would say: okay, work in a big city for a few years. Save money. And, then shift to a small one. 

This would have worked in an environment where inflation does not GO UP fast! 

For context: Value of 1 Crore. 

- 10 years from now= 50Lakhs.
- 15 years from now= 36Lakhs.
- 20 years from now= 25Lakhs.

(Assume: 7% inflation)

Government states the inflation is around 5-6%, but if you are from the middle class in India. And, do not depend on government ration, government healthcare, etc-- the inflation is much much higher for you.

[3] So what's the solution? 

Mathematically speaking: your investments (growth rate) > real inflation in the economy. 

How we do that is the hard part. 

For starters you should invest in 'growth assets'. Example: while equities would be a growth asset; something like PF/PPF (which gives 8-9%) on a fairly long-term basis, is NOT a growth asset. 

Figuring out YOUR INVESTMENT system is critical for success. 

I have dedicated my last 10 years, studying different asset classes. And, have personally made investments across several asset classes.  

And, I will consolidate all these learnings on a 4-day workshop (with 2 day in person) in Hyderabad.

Last 35 seats left: https://lnkd.in/dj5hvDev

Gurgaon >> Dubai 

[1] In terms of property prices this is turning out to be true. 
And, this makes 0 sense. 

An example: The price of DLF Belaire, Gurgaon (a new launch) is 11 Cr. And, the rent is less than 2L per month. 

This puts your rental yield at 2.1% 

You can buy an apartment in Dubai at a much MUCH better yield. 

[2] Interestingly, most people buying such properties are NRIs. 

They are getting duped at a massive scale simply because they are buying from BIG BUILDERS. They think: 

Big builder= great brand. What could go wrong? 
Well, for starters: you will get highly jacked up prices. 

[3] I see the same trend happening in North Goa right now. Delhi builders have entered the space: and are finding "bakras" like never before. 

Poor quality villas are getting sold at 2.5L/Sq Mtr. People buying such stuff will NOT make either yield (or property appreciation) returns. 

And, will go telling the world how bad real estate investing is. 

[4] Unfortunately, most people don't know how to do the Real Estate math. 
And, are lazy. 

They will simply pick a big builder. 
And, believe whatever they are being sold. 

[5] Solution:- 

If people selling you Real Estate can't explain the math behind it (yield, investment returns, time value of your money etc) don't buy it. 

Before buying, always ask the builder to justify the price.

In case you are interested in learning about Real Estate investing systematically, do check out my workshop (last 12 seats left): https://lnkd.in/dMsGJebd

If you get up in the morning and wear your shoes-- most likely, you will take a walk or exercise. 

Most people DO NOT exercise because they don't take step #1 of wearing their shoes. 

Same applies to taking the 'risk' of trying anything. 
Finding the starting point is really hard. 
Most things are like wearing your shoes. 

People don't know what the first step of taking risk should be. 

Want to start a business? What is your #1 step? (maybe building a website)
99% of people will fail getting there.

India is a high tax nation. 

But, investing in equities (stocks), the good thing is --- that you can easily do tax loss harvesting. 

Some basic points:

[1] If you have (let's say) booked 25 Lakhs of profits. You will have to pay 15% STCG & 10% LTCG tax on this. 

So average tax (assuming 12.5%) would somewhere be around: 3.125 Lakhs on 25 lakhs of gain. 

[2] But, if you have some loss making stocks in your portfolio (let's say worth 10 Lakhs). 

Now you sell your 10 Lakhs of stocks. And, can offset your 25 Lakhs of profits. 

(25-10= 15) So tax liability will come on 15L of remaining profits. 

Tax to be paid on 15L@12.5%= 1.875 
Total tax saved 3.125-1.875= 1.25L 

(Yes, I am not talking about 1 Lakh of tax that you can anyways save under certain sections; just using a simple example to explain the practical point)

If your portfolio is big, tax loss harvesting is must do: 

Watch the complete video to understand more: https://lnkd.in/dZ-h9b_E

**** 
Update: I honestly did not realise that people would really need me to spell things out without even watching the video. 

1. Yes, you have to sell LOSS MAKING stocks
2. You can re-buy them, literally next day. The stock price is unlikely to rise to the point where: capital loss offsetting < stock price rise. 
3. I would suggest something even better: buy something else (immediately). 

Again, please watch the video: rather than jumping to criticism. It distracts people who would actually benefit from such a strategy.

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