Addressing this gap, RIGHT TO INR, a day-long financial empowerment summit organised by Brand Blooms, focused on equipping young students with practical knowledge about money and investing. The event explored why even intelligent individuals struggle with money management and how behaviour and psychology influence financial decisions, especially in uncertain market conditions.
Bridging the Financial Literacy Gap
Value investor and consultant Anand Srinivasan highlighted the psychological nature of money. “Money is only surplus labour stored in whichever form you want. It is 99 per cent psychology and 1 per cent finance,” he said, stressing the importance of distinguishing between needs and wants. He also warned against living on borrowed capital, describing it as pledging to slavery.
Speakers repeatedly emphasised that financial success is less about knowledge and more about behaviour. Srikanth Meenakshi, Co-founder, PrimeInvestor.in, noted that “70 per cent of good financial behaviour is simply saying no to bad financial products.” However, he cautioned that identifying such products requires a basic level of financial literacy, without which investors can easily be misled by unrealistic promises.
Learning What Schools Don’t Teach
A key highlight of the event was the launch of the book Wallet – Money Lessons They Didn’t Teach in School, authored by V Pattabhi Ram and Anbuthambi B. The authors pointed out that most students, except those from commerce backgrounds, are rarely exposed to financial education. As a result, many begin earning without understanding how to manage money effectively. The book aims to bridge this gap through simple and relatable explanations of financial concepts.
Reinforcing the behavioural aspect of finance, Pattabhi Ram observed that personal finance is not a knowledge problem but a behaviour problem. “Spend less than you earn, save regularly, invest for the long term, and avoid unnecessary debt—these are simple principles. The real challenge is applying them consistently over time,” he said.
Power of Patience
Echoing the need for patience, Budget Padmanaban, Managing Director, Fortune Investments, pointed out that investors often expect returns too quickly. “We are willing to wait years to start earning a salary, but not even a few years for investments to grow,” he noted, underscoring the importance of time in wealth creation.
The summit ultimately reinforced a simple but powerful message: financial literacy is not just about numbers. It is about behaviour, discipline and the ability to make informed decisions over time.
