Being young is no reason to be foolhardy, and Hyderabad-based engineer Aftab Ali Rai is a good example of this. At an age when most young earners do not give savings and investments a serious thought, Aftab has done this and more. “When I got a lump sum as bonus, I wanted to plan its use. I didn’t have a goal, so I put it in savings account and fixed deposit,” said Aftab. This was the trigger point after which he decided that he needed to do better, which prompted him to seek expert help.
Aftab was not keen on approaching wealth managers or banks as he was concerned about mis-selling. “I also didn’t want any conflict of interest.” He came across a group of financial planners on Facebook, where he asked a few questions, the replies to which convinced him that a financial planner would best serve his purpose. His search ended with Piyush Khatri, founder, Sahastra Financial Consultants. That both of them are based in Hyderabad was a coincidence; “Location was not important for me. What I wanted was simple language; no jargon.”