India’s GDP grew at 7.6% in the financial year 2024-2025 making it one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
It is also home to a vibrant capital market. The market capitalization of its listed companies at the end of 2025 stood at 4.75 trillion US Dollars.
India is also a young country. 65% of its population of 1.4 billion is below the age of 35.
The trifecta of economic growth, world class capital markets and a young population with access to technology has enabled breakneck growth, in the number of Indians investing in Indian equity markets via mutual funds and stock purchases.
The number of mutual fund investors in India was 2.08 crores at the end of year 2020. This number stood at 5.9 crores at the end of year 2025.
The number of Demat accounts in India stood at 4.98 crores at the end of year 2020 this number had grown to 21.59 crores by the end of year 2025.
In April 2026, Indians invested Rs 38.4 thousand crores in Indian equity markets through mutual funds.
I have been an investment adviser to individuals and institutional investors for almost 17 years now and have had front row seats as this growth has played out.
I have also had the chance to interact with investors in tier 2, tier 3 towns in India and I am also witness to the phenomenon of ‘fin-influencers’.
Fin-influencers are freelance financial advisers offering easy money schemes and ways of attaining Financial Independence and Retiring Early (FIRE) through their YouTube channels and Instagram handles.
Their channels have millions of subscribers and their videos and reels get tens of millions of views.
Viewers of these channels take home answers to the holy grail of all questions -How much money is enough to retire?
How much is enough for you to leave your job, move to a small town and spend your time tendering to your kitchen garden?
How much money do you need for you to leave your job, pack your bags and open a cafe in Dharmashala/Goa/Cochin or Tuticorin?
If you don’t like the figure, help is at hand. Viewers are given formulas to arrive at their own answers.
I have no data to prove how successful or unsuccessful fin-influencers have been in helping people achieve FIRE.
However we do have data on how Indians are investing in the derivative segment of Indian stock markets faring!
Derivative instruments are used by investors to manage risk and by speculators to make quick money.
If I want to run a cafe in Dehradun before I turn forty, my salaried job wouldn’t do.
I need to make money fast.
Enter a digital stack that lets me do derivative trades as easily as ordering a pizza online, an oversupply of ‘trade strategies’ and access to cheapest cellular data in the world.
I can now watch YouTube videos all day and ‘hone my trading skills’.
SEBI, regulator of capital markets in India, conducted a study and published a note in 2024.
The study revealed 93% of individual traders incurred losses in equity derivatives between financial years 2022 and 2024.
The aggregate losses of these traders for this three year period exceeded Rs 1.8 lakh crores.
To put the figure in perspective, the Government of India’s budgetary allocation to its Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in FY 2024 was Rs 80.5 thousand crores.
As part of my job, I am often asked- what is the rate of return one should expect from a growth oriented portfolio? My answer invariably disappoints because it does not augment dreams of early retirement.
I learnt, from some of the best investors and fund managers-investing is like watching paint dry.
My job and my experience of investing my own money have convinced me that is the only way.
There are no short cuts to financial freedom.
This book is my attempt at conveying a framework that has stood the test of time and helped people live better.
The book has no magic formulas and final figures.
No silver bullets that will ease the path to a cake and coffee shop in Almora.
If the world is watching YouTube, why write a book ?
I believe a reader gets more out of the content than a viewer.
Physical and financial health are keys to our sense of well being and confidence. They make our world go around. The book is my attempt at making investing accessible and relatable.
If you end up reading the book, please let me know if I got it right.
The book is now available on Amazon and Kindle
Very refreshing read. I agree with you that there are no short cuts to financial freedom. Here’s hoping your book launch is a big success!
everybody wants to run a cafe it seems 🙂
Not just a cafe, a café in a small town 😀
I have not read the book. Looks interesting.
But in my experience at an absolute level, for a couple retired, having an own house, no emi, normal health, a sum of Rs 15,000 per head is sufficient.