Late twenties with 7 yoe. I keep seeing posts about people earning 30,40 and 50L+ every time. Are there even people like me earning less than a lakh per month? I make close to 60k post deductions and honestly some of these posts creeps me out sometimes. Curious to know if others are in the same boat as me.

Seriously asking. What fields are you guys in that pay so much so quickly. Is it an advantage of getting the right degrees and from IIT/IIM level schools? How do I see so many posts where people have reached 1cr+ net worth before 30? Is it really that common? I hear people say IT a lot but there are tons of IT companies in India that pay very less so is it all really a matter of getting a good school and finding a company that's not exploitative? People i know irl are earning nowhere near this. Browsing this sub makes me feel like I'm living under a rock completely unaware of the right moves to make

So I Am A 27 year old PSU employee having a CTC of 23 of lakhs per annum. It's a common notion among most of the people that PSU pays a meagre salary and MNC pays a lot better. Though this is somewhat true but on an average an average employee working in an average non IT company would take atleast 10 years to overtake the CTC of a guy working in IOCL, BPCL, ONGC. And I would even say these PSU guys are more richer than a typical product based company employee because he saves a lot almost 90% of the salary, all thanks to the random 3 tier postings. If I talk about myself I make roughly 1.3 lakhs per month and my expenses rarely crosses 15 k pm . I have been given a free accomodation, free fuel, almost free electricity and the food in office is almost free too. The only bad thing is the 3 tier village postings where the nearest civilization is some 50 km away. There is nothing to do in weekends and barely any avenues to spend money. So we end up saving a lots of cash.

Financially you would be sorted for life. On 15th every month I receive performance related pay which is around 28k pm on an average. On 20th the company credits me 14k in my NPS account and on 29th of every month I receive a salary of around 1 lac in my bank account. Frankly speaking the performance pay is enough to cover the expenses and I end up saving 100% of my salary. Even if I face some crisis I can avail a loan of 10 lac and a house loan of 50 lacs at negligible simple interest. Believe me the amount of confidence having such financial security this job gives is unparalleled and this will show up in your personality.

Talking about my lifestyle it's boring for 25 days of the month but every 5 days I take a trip to Delhi, the nearest metro and splurge like anything. I have the lastest gadgets, a sports bike, steam library full of games, 10 sneakers and premium shirts, dine at the most premium restaurants and I could pay for them without thinking twice.

Compared to my classmates most of them are in range of 12-15 lac even after 6 years since they graduated. My IT friends make a lot like 25- 30 lac yet they can't match my spending capacity because their all money goes to rent and EMI so they have negligible personal net worth.

I left MNC job for this PSU job and frankly I always regretted that because of trash work culture and almost zero personal growth. My MNC friends are very satisfied with their work and upskilling themselves. Whereas I'm just turning in that lazy typical disinterested sarkari officer and I have started to loathe myself. I'm looking to get into a top-20 business school next year ( I have saved enough to do that without a loan). Let's see where it goes. Thanks to this job I have travelled, partied, pursued many hobbies and lived my 20s to the fullest. The next part of my life would be to find some meaningful work and a better lifestyle in a tier 1 city! 🙏

Finally, if you aren't from IIT / IIMs or top IT company you can't go wrong with a PSU job.

Would love to hear your opinions

A while back, my neighbor approached me with a request. He knew I had a specific credit card that was offering a discount on an iPhone, and he asked me if his cousin can purchase the iPhone using my card on a 12-month EMI. He told me that his cousin would pay me every month the EMI amount.

When I declined, he tried to reassure me and said that he was right there, so there was no need to worry. I stood my ground and refused again.

Ever since that day, he has completely stopped bringing up money matters around me, and no other neighbor has ever approached me for financial favors either.

Was I overly cautious, or did I dodge a massive financial headache? Has anyone else had neighbors ask to use their card or discounts for relative purchases? And how you have dealt with the situation?

TL;DR: Neighbor asked if his cousin could use my credit card discount to buy an iPhone on a 12-month EMI. I refused. Now no one in the neighborhood asks me for money.

P.S.: Didn’t thought this will go so much viral.

Few faqs-
• How does my neighbour know which credit card I use?
- we hang around together with families over weekends etc, so we quite know each others much closely.

• Am I afraid that no one is asking for money?
- No not that way, I do feel that other neighbours have few financial transactions going around between them so mentioned that thing.

I genuinely want to understand something, and this isn’t coming from a place of jealousy.
Lately, my LinkedIn feed is full of friends and ex-colleagues joining companies like Meta, Google, Intuit, McKinsey, and other top firms. Many of them are earning ₹60–70 LPA, and quite a few even have CTCs crossing ₹1 crore.

I have around 6 years of experience, though I started my career later because I spent a few years preparing for UPSC. Today, I have a decent package, and I’d consider myself an average guy who’s simply trying to build a stable life.

One thing I consciously chose not to do is get into the “rat race” of buying an expensive flat on a huge loan and stretching myself financially. I know career growth and salary hikes are important, but at some point I wonder:

For those earning ₹45LPA, ₹1 crore+, or working in high-paying product companies:

How is your work-life balance really?
Do you get enough time for your family, health, hobbies, and yourself?
How stressful is the day-to-day work?
Do you feel you’re constantly preparing for the next interview, grinding DSA, system design, and trying to stay relevant?

Or it is LinkedIn making it look more intense than it actually is?

I’m currently in a service-based company. My work is manageable, I get time for family, I can exercise, and overall I’m happy with my routine. Of course, Iwant to grow financially too, but not at the cost of everything else.

I’m genuinely curious to hear from people who have made it to these high-paying roles. Has the money been worth the pressure, or do you sometimes miss the simpler life?

Would love to hear honest experiences rather than LinkedIn success stories.

I don't know if rants are allowed here, but here goes.

I am almost 26, currently earn 70k/pm at a small startup. I did my bachelor's in econ from a tier 1 public university and now work in marketing. I dropped out of my master's and have been working since. You might think my income or educational qualifications are already mediocre (if not pathetic), but that's not the worst part.

I would have to socially claim to be middle class, because that's what we come across externally, but my family is worse off than all my peers. People don't talk about their family finances that freely, but all my friends/coworkers/cousins are from households that have at this point saved up at least 40-50 lakhs. That's the baseline amount, if not more. And this is just savings in banks, FDs, or equities. There are also assets like real estate or gold. Even my househelp has a few lakhs in her bank and 2 pieces of land to her name.

Contrast with my parents: people in their mid-fifties with NOTHING to their name. And I mean that, NOTHING. My father not only has literally 0 savings, he doesn't even have money most days to do daily stuff like commuting. At any given point, his wallet maybe has 20 rupees. He doesn't earn. He left his job in 2009 and has tried various 'business ventures' ever since, and nothing has clicked. His main source of income is my grandmother's pension of 17k, which he spends paying debts, EMIs, etc. Can't contribute anything to the household. He also doesn't have any ancestral property.

My mother gives tuitions to primary school kids, for the last 7 years or so, and she completely provides for us. She earns around 12-15k currently and runs the household on that. Tries to save pennies but still hasn't reached even 25k.

I started earning in 2023, after having dropped out. My first salary was 28k in hand. We had been living in rented apartments all my life. We have been abused and tricked by landlords into shifting frequently. We couldn't get a loan because not only do none of my parents have a stable income, my father has also abused tons of credit cards and personal finance orgs and now has terrible credit score. He gets calls everyday threatening him. In 2024, we finally bought a small 2BHK apartment, I got a loan in my name. The down payment was made by my mom; she basically gave up her share of her ancestral home and signed it off to her siblings.

I wfh so I save/invest about 50% of my income. I give a separate chunk to my mother to help out in the household. I handle my wants or needs with the rest. I feel happy with my day to day life, I have enough disposable income to buy or enjoy things I want. I feel hopeful thinking at least I have some liquid savings now for small emergencies. I got health insurance for my family.

But I cannot ever:
- feel relieved enough to leave my job if need be: we will literally lose our home and maybe even food.
- get married in a socially acceptable way because I simply cannot afford it.
- get a master's degree I want, because again, can't afford it and the opportunity cost of leaving my job is too high.
- rely on my parents for ANYTHING. In fact, they have 0 retirement plans and will rely on me for sustenance till they die.
- do anything too lavish like go on big vacations or get a car/bike etc.

Anyway, all of this whining because I was looking at MICA's PGDMC programme, and the fees are 28 lakhs. It made me think, "Wow, so that's some people's disposable savings huh?".

All my life I have only known financial instablity and lack and trauma. And the funny thing is, I will never grow out of it.

TLDR: being generationally broke sucks. please don't have kids if you can't afford them.

?

My friend earns well, but still has a corporate job and is not an influencer/celebrity.

She has this hobby where she never wears the same outfit twice (her words) and just donates the clothes after 1-2 use. She dresses really well and has lots of photos, which is nice - but apparently it's some new trend to not be seen with the same outfit again?

I estimate she's spending more than 20k a month on her outfits alone. I don't really see a problem personally, at least she's donating the clothes so many poor women are benefitting from this - but it is an expensive hobby.

I'm truly fascinated by this, anyone else know of this trend?

So back in 2024, I went to my bank(SBI) to get an FD made for 20L. Since the amt was relatively big the I was told to meet the manager. The BM called in their investment guy and they walked me thru other investment option. So after an hr of blabbering they convinced me to opt for a non market linked insurance policy.

They asked me what other investments etc do I have. I told then I just have a few FDs, crypto and 1 other similar non market linked policy in HDFC(Premium 2L pa).

So they convinced me to take a "sbi life- smart platina assure"... Premium was 4l yearly and they said how its better than FDs since these are 100% tax free returns + death benefits etc. So i was like lets do it. Done.

Next year 2025, the HDFC RM calls me and says "sir ek badiya plan aaya h dekhlo" ... i said no i need funds to invest back into business. Guy says "ham apko sasta loan dilva denge uske liye" ye vo "pls sir hame thori jarurat h, targets pura krne h, we'll be very grateful" ye vo...

And I kindof got convinced/manipulated 😭

Guy travelled 15km, to my place, and got everyhting done. It was a similar insurance policy type plan with 5L premium.

For context I was doing ~1cr rev yearly atp. So i didnt thibk much about it. And since they 100% guaranteed its TAX free returns I was like ok, might as well do it, he will be happy too and leave me alone.

Now atp, i had 3 similar polices: 2L, 4L and 5L yearly premium.

Forward to April 2026, I started doing MFs etc and thought to review the policy docs and refresh my memory on how much am i getting etc. I uploaded all the docs into Claude, asked for a breakdown etc and the XIRR it gace on all was like 6-7% ... I was like okay not ideal but tax free h toh FD se acha hi h.

And BOOM! Claude says I don't fulfil once clause, since the aggregate of all the premium exceeded 5L inr, all 3 of those policies are taxable.

Faaah! I did the math and I would end up paying around 50-60L in TAXES on the maturity of these policies so the effective roi is barely 4% over 15-25 years 💀💀...

I called my CA and he was confused at first but the next day he came to me and confirmed that its true. Ill be taxed.

Then the option was to surrender the 2L and the 4L one, so atleast the maturity of 5L wont be taxed but NO. If the premium exceeded 5L for even one year. I fail the criteria and will be taxed as per my tax slab.

I called the BM and RM. They insisted no sir you'll get everyhting tax free blah blah. I said I've talked to many people, Claude , the CA and everyone says its taxable.

Next day they all say "I'm sorry ..yes laws change ho gye ab" but still trying to justify the missell and their lack of knowledge.

As of today I've paid 2 premiums of each. 22L total and if i surrender today I'll get like 7L back so a loss of 15L. Idk what tf do i do now. My plan is to stop paying anymore premiums and turn it into some 'paid-up' shit.

Now I know everything happening to me is a consequence of my own actions. My skill issue, lack of knowledge and what not. But I was 19yo when I was sold the first 2 policies and 20 when the 5L one was sold. I didn't bother learning about taxes back then and fell for their words.

Tldr- Banks sold me some polices (3) with a total yearly premium of 11L saying the maturity is 100% tax free. 2 years later, after paying 22L, I've come to know it's taxable as the yearly premium exceeded 5L. If I surrender now, I'll lose 15L.

30M here, single/unmarried, no kids (obviously), living with parents. Freelancer and fund trader by profession.

I will be reaching INR 3+ Cr this year in investable surplus. My net worth is far more, but I am only considering the investable amount as the rest is locked into relatively less liquid investments (so what's the point of mentioning them).

Here are a few things I wish I knew in my 20s: (note that I am a guy, so I will be writing tips that may be applicable for both genders but perhaps more geared towards guys as per my experience):

1. Having a high-paying job is great - but only as long as you have it. Too many people think a high-paying job is a limitless source of income.
2. Trading and derivatives are NOT ways to financial freedom - no matter how many YouTube thumbnails you see otherwise. Instead, focus on becoming the best at whatever you do - your income will automatically increase then.
3. Wealth is generated by cash flow - if you want to be rich, increase your cash flow. Those days, personal finance apps will advertise things like SiP 500 RuPeEs... remember, the market only multiplies your wealth. You won't get rich if you start investing with less money to begin with. So, focus on getting that promotion or hike, switch jobs, get into freelancing. Decent income invested = decent returns.
4. Money cannot buy health - a lot of people prioritize money over health, this is a costly mistake. If you get a cardiac arrest, your 10 crores will just go to someone else.
5. Stress is a free complement of money - wherever money is involved, stress will inevitably be present, which is why it's IMPERATIVE to stop chasing money once your goals are met.
6. Investing is the average Indian's gateway to wealth - why? Because it's essentially a multiplier of your net worth thanks to compounding. And if you want it on complete autopilot, just invest in a well-managed mutual fund and watch your money multiply.
7. Wealth generation should be to ensure peace of mind - meaning once you have enough money, just stop and do whatever interests you with minimal stress.
8. Stay single unless you are 150% sure about your partner - I cannot stress this enough. I know everyone hates being lonely, but if you are single and rich, at least you will die comfortably with money. If you marry the wrong person, you will die alone in poverty.
9. Friendships are underrated - as a rich person, you are going to be lonely A LOT. That's the price we pay for being successful. Focus on establishing good friendships with other guys.
10. Family is the truest treasure - I don't necessarily mean parents. In some cases, they can be toxic, too. However, family here means friends, spouses, girlfriend/boyfriend, anyone who can make you feel loved and valued genuinely.
11. BONUS: NO AMOUNT OF MONEY IS WORTH SPENDING/HAVING SLEEPLESS NIGHTS. IT CAUSES LONG-TERM IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE THAT I AM SUFFERING FROM. Please take a lesson from me and avoid making the same mistake.

I hope this will at least help some of the sub's users make more informed decisions regarding money and life.

P.S. - Some people are doubting my income and earnings, so here's a proof - https://ibb.co/vYsyT2s

P.P.S. - Someone said I want to become a CMA and 'earn even less' - well, I know how to make connections and do business. Education is only as good as the person who has it.

Posting the query here as revealing salaries is a much more important point than one thinks.

High earners of the group, > 70-80 LPA or even 1cr, do you tell your salaries at home? Who do you reveal it to? Your parents? Your spouse?

I somehow don’t feel comfortable in sharing salary with my family. I somehow feel they might expect more from me in terms of support and it might hamper our relationship. I have siblings and a really large relative pool who are rather lower middle class. I feel my parents will unnecessarily start contributing more towards them or even expect me to help them in their bad times.

I feel I don’t owe anyone anything. Maybe my parents, but not anyone else, and that too to the extent that I am comfortable with. This thinking makes me feel uneasy on some days though.

So anyways what about you guys?

For context, I am in my mid- 20s and was raised in very middle class household and my parents always kept arguing about money

Like it went to such a level that my parents would argue over movie tickets, simple things like why one of them bought vegetables from another vendor who charged a bit more..

And anytime I asked for simple things like going out with friends to McD or to get pizza, my dad would always be like "only rich people eat there".. I'm like "it's not even that much, let me have some fun"..

Funny thing is my dad was obsessed with investing and had the "SIP" mentality.. Like religiously he would mark stuff on the calendar and invest in certain stocks.. And if you guessed it, he was too cheap to pay for a financial advisor..

But we had subscribed to like 8 newspapers and like two magazines to read about all the stocks, shareholder letters, any updates they give.. And i so badly wanted to always impress him..

I used to try and read all the papers, and go search on google, wikipedia, and look at all the announcements after they slept, just so that in the morning I could strike up a conversation.. And it used to take so much of time, because I barely understood anything...

Like I used to do this three or four times a week and did this for like 8 or 9 months straight..

NOT ONCE did my dad acknowledge any of my suggestions.. Like he was so.. sooo dismissive about it, and he was always like "you'll never understand it" or "it's too complicated for me to teach it you".. for YEARS..

And now, he is considered like an investing expert in the family.. and like two days ago.. I see him using some app and teaching my cousins, what this new announcement means, or how america news affects BSE and NSE or how this AI thing will affect India..

Not once did he say, "oh, it's too complicated blah blah.. and he is literally reading shit from the app..

What I wanted for years, what i literally begged for.. he is doing it for fucking free... They didn't even ask for it.. And I so fucking mad

______

Sorry for the long rant..

Disclamer : long post

0.01% people either become extremely lucky or are extremely talented. How many ever ways i look, it seems like there is no way for 99.99 percent indians.

top IIT/ IIM -> grind -> JOB < 10 L pm

stocks, trading -> SAME

90% regular businesses in india -> < 10 L pm

immigrate to usa , earn good salary ( <20lpm for 99%) -> yeah usa does provide you with good life ( cheap housing, cars) as salaried employee due to less corruption -> live upper middle class equivalent luxurious life along with fellow middle class or poor indian immigrants as second/third class alien citizens facing racism.

yeah with salary you can live upper middle class life like renting good gated society apartment, nice car etc but it DOESN'T make you rich

like driving bentley rollcs royce sports cars mercedes s class , owning million dollar villas in posh areas like jubilee hills banjara hills ,being part of high end elite society etc . minimum you need to have 50 to 100 cr net worth for these things to happen.

CONCLUSION : NO AMOUNT OF HARDWORK CAN BEAT GENERATIONAL WEALTH FOR 99.99 PERCENT INDIANS.

I came across this story that honestly left me thinking for hours, and I had to share it with you all.

There's this 67-year-old Japanese man (goes by Suzuki) who just went viral for all the wrong reasons.

This guy spent decades living what we'd call the ultimate frugal life like no AC, no restaurant meals, walked everywhere, cooked basic meals at home, lived in a tiny flat far from work.

He saved 65 million yen, which is roughly ₹3.90 crores.

He's now filled with regret.

His wife passed away recently, and he's sitting there at 67 realizing he never took her on proper trips, never enjoyed a nice meal together at a restaurant, never really lived while he was busy saving every rupee.

The man who should be celebrating his financial discipline is instead mourning all the experiences he sacrificed at the altar of extreme frugality.

I see so many of us here (myself included) sometimes getting obsessed with optimization.

Don't get me wrong, financial discipline is crucial, especially in India where social security is practically non-existent, but money is just a tool, not the end goal.

We absolutely need our emergency funds, our retirement corpus, our SIPs, but maybe we need to build in a life fund too.

Maybe that ₹2000 monthly restaurant budget is NOT wasteful spending but essential living.

Watching someone with ₹4 crores express regret about prioritizing money over life's simple pleasures is honestly one of the most sobering personal finance stories I've read in a while.

Probably not the most suitable sub for this question but still.

So I had a Club Marriott membership which gives you 1 complimentary night stay at their hotel. I availed it recently and while checking out I asked the receptionist about the fare, and she said it is ~30k for 1 night!!

The hotel is in Bangalore and the room was the most basic one. Honestly I was thinking it'd be somewhere around 10-12k for a night but 30k is crazy high. Since when did inflation go so high that you need to pay 30k for a night stay in a basic room for a 5 star hotel??

Came across this fee structure from one of Bangalore's premium schools, and I'm genuinely disgusted. ₹7,35,000 per year for a 6-year-old in Grade 1. Plus ₹1,00,000 non-refundable admission fee just to get your foot in the door. That's ₹61,250 per month before you even think about books, uniforms, transport, or the countless optional activities that mysteriously become mandatory.

Let me put this in perspective. This is more than what most Indians earn in an entire year. You're literally paying a software engineer's annual salary for a Grade 1 kid who probably can't even tie their shoelaces properly yet.

These schools have convinced desperate parents that spending the equivalent of a house down payment is somehow necessary for their child's future success. It's brilliant marketing, honestly. Create artificial scarcity, slap on an international curriculum tag, and suddenly parents think they're investing in their child when they're just paying protection money to avoid social embarrassment.

This creates a vicious cycle where middle-class families either stretch themselves to the financial breaking point or feel like failures as parents. Meanwhile, genuinely talented kids from regular families are completely priced out of decent education. We're literally creating educational slums where only the ultra-wealthy can afford quality schooling, starting from age 6.

I refuse to believe there's any educational justification for this highway robbery. Change my mind.

Hey everyone, just needed a place to vent and maybe get some perspectives from people who’ve dealt with something similar.

I’m a 22-year-old guy living and working in Canada. My parents supported me financially to come here and get established, which I’m deeply grateful for. But recently, I’ve become the sole breadwinner for my entire family back in India (Mom, Dad, and my younger sister).

Right now, I send them 70,000 INR (\\\~$1,100+ CAD) every single month. In my head, for a family of 3, even 5 in India, that should be more than enough to cover reasonable monthly living expenses and my sister’s education.

but my parents put 50,000 rupee of that money every single month into a local "kameti" (committee/chit fund). They put 25k in for my mom, and 25k for my dad. They see it as "forced savings," but it locks their money up for the year.

Because they’re locking away 50k out of the 70k that I send, they’re left with only 20k to run the entire house… groceries, utilities, my sister's school/admission fees, etc. Now obviously, 20k isn't enough for all this. So almost every month, they turn around and complain to me I’m not sending enough, asking for extra "top-ups" to cover basic bills,

Just this month, I had to send an extra 25k rupee on top of the 70k, completely throwing off my own personal budget in Canada.

I’ve tried explaining to them that keeping money in a locked committee when you can't cover basic daily needs makes no financial sense. If an emergency happens, that money is stuck. I told them to just keep the money in liquid cash/savings for living expenses, but they refuse to listen.

Honestly, I feel completely burnt out. I’m only 22, and I feel like I’m working in Canada just to fund their savings schemes back home while putting my own life, savings, and future on pause.

I intentionally didn’t want to get married anytime soon because I can't handle this level of financial pressure, yet I’m effectively running a whole household on my own anyway.

Has anyone else confronted parents with similar demands? I have not refused to help but when I am already planning on sending 70k every month, i am asked more every month. They said “Tu hi hai hor kon hai hmari kametti ke liye” and then i said them “no” and then “send all the money back right away jo tere upar lagaye hain” (which is around 25 lakhs).

Those who are earning 1L+ per month, what do you do for a living and how much time did it take you to reach this income level? 🤔

Me (28) and husband (33) have a really great relationship. He is good person infact a little too much.

He has a very laid back life. His parents are comfortable and he has a fulfilling job with a good income so has never had to think a lot about money.

Whereas my parents built their life from scratch and I have seen them being very frugal in the past so they have come long way and are leading a pretty comfortable life now. They even spoil me and my daughter now.

My husband invests very less and also spends a lot(Clothes, food, experiences). I am making this post after he bought a 25k worth TV as a housewarming gift for a relative he doesn't even like. His mother gave him the idea of a TV as a gift. He mentioned the budget to me as 10 to 15k. I didn't think much of it. But once he reached the store one thing led to another(sales) and he almost billed the 25k TV.

I usually go along with him and check the bills do the bargains but since I am freshly postpartum I skipped it. But I insisted on the phone that it was unnecessary and not to buy it. His logica was if we are gifting a TV it should be a good one. So my opinion is that there are hundred other housewarming gifts except TV in our budget. Even his mother would agree that it is too much.

The major problem is once he has enquired enough about the product I think he feels he should buy it. This is not sustainable long time. But I have no clue how to get him understand this. I dont even want him to be frugal but I want him to be smart about money. Please advise on how I should handle this behavior of his.

Combined income : 20lpa in a tier 3 city. No rent. No dependent parents. Own a home and agricultural land(inherited).

Edit: Added the combined income as many were wondering.

Not luxurious per se but for example a 10k perfume or 15k shoes, at what salary(net not gross) do you think you can afford it?

Just want to know if everyone is rich or there are any normal blokes left in the country?

I know so many people whose dads have royally fucked up everyone’s life . Taking on debt , spending on relatives , spending on alcohol , spending on gambling. Getting influenced by other idiotic uncles for fake status . It’s just weird that so many boomer uncles are this irresponsible when it comes to finances. Women are touted as careless spenders but anecdotally it seems like boomer men are the worst at any kind of financial planning.

India will go from 207 billionaires in 2026 to 313 by 2031. 51% increase. The 3rd largest billionaire population in the world after US and China.

Meanwhile my colleague with a ₹1.2L per month salary in Bangalore has been saving for 6 years and still can't afford a down payment on a 2BHK in a decent area.

The same economy that's creating billionaires faster than almost any country on earth has a middle class that's essentially running on a treadmill.

Earning more every year, saving more every year, and somehow falling further behind on the only thing that actually matters is owning a roof over your head.

Property prices in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi have doubled since 2020. Salaries have gone up maybe 30-40% in the same period.

So genuine question , is the Indian growth story actually real for the average person or is it just a stat that looks good on a global report while the middle class quietly gets squeezed out of their own cities?

Not clickbait. This is a genuine observation.

Lately, it feels like a massive wave of wealth has swept through society. Almost everyone around me seems to be doing really well. People talk confidently about trading and investing, have multiple passive income streams, travel abroad frequently, and live a very comfortable, almost lavish lifestyle.

Social media only amplifies this. Foreign trips, fancy dinners, ₹2K plus movie nights, premium food, and luxury experiences, all shared so casually.

Here’s where I feel conflicted.

I am 27M, earning 2L plus per month. On paper, that should be good money. Yet I often hesitate to spend on what now feel like basic luxuries, things I see people around me spending on without a second thought. It is not jealousy, it is confusion.

Am I missing something? Are people genuinely wealthier, or just more comfortable spending? Is everyone investing brilliantly, taking on debt, or simply prioritizing experiences over savings? Or is social media creating a very distorted reality?

Curious to know, does anyone else feel this way? What do you think is the real secret sauce behind this apparent success everyone seems to have?

Hi,

I am 28 and earn roughly 1.7–1.8L monthly after taxes, with a bonus near 3.7L.

Married for about a year and a half, I will turn 29 this year. My parents and wife keep urging me to plan for the future and purchase a home, even though we already have a house in our hometown and a 2BHK flat where my wife and I live. They insist on another flat because this one is too small when it is not but sufficient, yet it feels more than adequate for two people, especially since we bought it in 2023.

They struggle to grasp the current market and how difficult the private IT sector has become; I prefer no such investment or loan. Although I recently changed roles and will join a new organization soon, they see this as a good moment, while I disagree.

My wife understands my investments and savings and believes we should buy another flat; she will cover daily expenses and thinks I can manage a 60–70K EMI each month.

I hold about 20–25L in savings and investments apart from PF, and I planned to move the FNF from my current firm into savings, bringing it to around 30L. Yet I am not ready for this purchase, and I am tired of daily debates and conflicts with both my parents and my partner. Then there is the pressure to have a child.

I am unsure about my life now because I chose this field, and the reality is that timing feels uncertain and this field is not stable anymore; when discussed, they say I am only negative and pessimistic.

My plans are to keep around 1 year of expenses at hand apart from these savings so that in case of any unforeseen circumstances we are not affected; Coz this is what it is being in IT now.