On the occasion of Women’s Day, we wondered, how do the women at Gaining Ground feel about money? Here’s what we discovered.

Kshitija Shete – Co-founder, Gaining Ground

Kshitija

‘Money doesn’t grow on trees. ‘Money has to be in circulation for it to grow more.” As an only daughter of a businessman, I grew up with these messages. They became part of my money personality.

Commerce was a natural choice for my graduation, and later, I completed a Master – MBA in Finance. In my first job in 2000. I used some theories I learned about capital markets.

In 2004, after I got married, Ravi and I began helping families with their investments and helping them build wealth.

In my opinion, having more or less money doesn’t matter. Money spent, used and lived according to your values, choices, and need gives more satisfaction. So the relationship with money and happiness we derive from it is relative to each one’s thinking. I help families discover aspects of money that can give them more satisfaction.

I love what I do and strive to clarify my clients about their relationship with money. In a nutshell, this is how I feel about money.

Swethashree – Operations Executive

Swethashree

As a child, I used to think ‘Money’ is only paper. Little did I know that it is a medium of exchange. When the family faced tough times, my childhood idea of money started evolving. But tough times don’t last; tough people do.

I worked during my summer holidays to help my mother. During this period, I experienced the feeling of earning money. I continued to work part-time while pursuing undergraduate studies. I realized that money plays an essential role in human life by the time. As a result, I don’t spend unnecessarily and value money for the things it can make possible as a matter of habit.

After graduating (B’com), I started working full time and saving money. I got to know the difference between saving and investing. I learned that saving alone isn’t enough, one needs to invest. Now, I regularly invest and firmly believe that compounding is the eighth wonder of the world!

Divya – Admin Assistant

As a child, my father used to take me with him to the ATM whenever he needed money. For me, this was fascinating. I thought the ATM was a money-spitting machine! The memory of this still makes me smile.

I started working very early. Those were hard days. I used second-hand books during my college days to save on costs. I realized that success comes first before work, only in the dictionary. When I was in PUC , I bought a phone with my earnings. This made me so so happy and proud.

Women wear many hats – wife, partner, organizer, mother, teacher, and more. Women uplift society. We play a significant role in socio-economic development. I value this, and that’s why I made it a point to resume my career after giving myself a 5-year of sabbatical to give birth to and nurture my daughter.

I feel handling money is a clarion call to every woman to appreciate the importance of financial responsibility. This is one reason I  invest regularly and will educate my daughter about the need to understand the importance of knowing how to manage money.

Jayashree -Client Service Associate

Jayashree

Just like anyone’s life, my money life is no different. As life changes, there is a constant need to take care of loved ones, meet unexpected expenses, and provide support to the dependents. The key learnings while working helped me focus on some interesting things.

During my school or college days, I was dependent on my pocket money and never had the luxury of dreaming to buy anything. Being the eldest in my family, I realised the responsibility of supporting my mother and my siblings. 

Working in the initial years with an investment services company, I learnt that to build your wealth and put your money to work, one has to start investing in equity through mutual funds. The stock market might seem like a different universe, but it is not as complicated as it looks. Anyone can learn the basics, and one need not have a huge amount of money to get started. I realized that investing is the best thing one can do with money in the long term because it’s how money grows. Everything comes down to one crucial word, which is compounding. 

Protecting yourself from unexpected setbacks is essential for good financial well-being. We can take health insurance and life insurance to protect ourselves from the impact of any emergencies or other unfortunate events. The right kind of insurance can go a long way towards minimizing the damage to our savings. It’s always a good idea to ensure what’s important to you. This will help your financial plans and attain your goals.

Life is a journey and it is very important to know the destination. I realized this when Kshitija Ma’am helped me to understand how clients benefit by defining their values and setting goals. The best way to do this is to sit down and figure out what’s important to you in life. This is very personal. Clarity is so important to start the journey of financial life. Allow yourself to dream, and be confident that your dreams can become a reality.

Parting thoughts from Kshitija and Ravi Co-founders, Gaining Ground

Every woman has the experience to share and financial responsibility to bear. These are everyday stories of life and learning from women who think about their relationship with money. We encourage all women to come forward and deepen their relationship with money. And on that note, here’s to financial inclusion and Happy Women’s Day.

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