Building appetite for wealth

Amidst our busy lives, the great Indian thaali appears as a mix of dal, roti, rice, veggies, sweets, pickle, and curd arranged in separate sections on a metal plate. Beyond this apparent hotchpotch, the thaali offers diverse flavours—sour, salty, bitter, spicy, and sweet—to meet our daily gastronomic needs. Much like the carefully curated thaali, our hard-earned money requires precision and planning to fulfil various life desires. Additionally, both the thaali and finances evolve with time, adapting to changing circumstances and needs. Embracing financial planning is akin to optimising the experience of enjoying life's hearty thaali indefinitely. We now present the first of our five thaalis to you. Model portfolios for 25 to 35-year-olds Meet Preeti. Like most 25-year olds, she is single and free from life's major responsibilities. Drawing a monthly take-home salary of Rs 50,000, she wants to lead a life of comfort and occasionally indulge in new experiences and finer things. Despite her wants, she saves some of her income in a bank account, having seen her parents struggle financially due to a lack of planning. To avoid being in their shoes, she wants to plan her future early. The 'sooner-the-better' principle applies to preparing a thaali, too. The more time you have, the better the dishes taste. So, we decided to create a thaali of Preeti's needs, wants, and future responsibilities and show her how she can cook it herself. Monthly expenses (40-50 per cent of income), including rent, utility bills and groceries, are staples, like rice is for most of the country. Since Preeti lives in a big city away from her parents in Kanpur, her expenses are on the higher side. But if you live with your parents, your fixed expenses will be lowe