Guess What ? We were wrong.
Not everybody got the value of financial planning or were unwilling to pay a fee for advice.
Then we launched an e-book called Fin10. It had 100 facts on the basics of Personal Finance and was generic in nature. First it was priced and then we made it free.
There were some folks who paid for it, but the number of folks who downloaded it for free was quite interesting. However, a greater insight was that since money is a very personal topic (hence the word Personal Finance) most folks want to do it on their own rather than trust a stranger. They wanted something which could be interactive rather than just basic facts.
Ofcourse the army of rogue insurance agents and Bank salesmen masquerading as advisors and selling inappropriate products hasn’t helped the cause of the retail financial industry and has painted everybody with the same brush.
However, the scale of financial literacy in India is still quite large and there are folks out there who want to learn stuff and do the right thing – On their own.
To facilitate this, we recently changed the model of FINQA from fee based financial planning advisory to ‘Ask Unlimited Questions’ via email / phone as and when you need information – And get answers specific to your requirements.
For those who prefer a DIY approach, we have started work on a book called ‘The Blueprint’
It’s essentially a guide to help you craft a blueprint for your financial life and wealth creation.
It will be divided into sections, starting out with basic essentials you need to know about personal finance, and then help you plan your money and investments based on your individual situation. It will also include real life examples and case studies from situations we have experienced with our clients so that you can relate to the stuff better.
Unlike other Personal Finance books, It will also come with an Excel ‘DIY Financial Planning’ model which you can customize to create your own personal plan. AND you can talk to an advisor at FINQA if you get stuck.
A couple of folks suggested, “Make finance fun” or “Make an App or a game” !!
We thought about the idea but realized that we aren’t here to entertain people. The subject of money is a very important one and a perception exists among a lot of folks that it’s very complex so they would rather not think about it.
Through this book our aim is not to make finance fun or gamify it…but more to simplify it and put stuff in your personal context so that you can relate to it better. And more importantly, TAKE ACTION.
Wealth creation takes knowledge, but more importantly time. Read Alok’s strategy and how he “shaves of some parmesan cheese whenever he needs money” I love this example 🙂
When I started working 10 years ago, I was ignorant about a lot of stuff and just let a lot of money lie idly in my bank account. One of the reasons for this book is to also help those who are just starting out so that they can get a headstart and not make the same mistakes I made.
Please have a look let us know what you think about The Blueprint here.
P.S: The Blueprint is a working title and if you have a better suggestion for a name that will better communicate what we are trying to do, please feel free to share your suggestion below.
Thank You.