Aneesh: Rahul, thank you for taking the time to share your journey with us. To begin with, could you tell us a bit about yourself and your family?
Rahul: Thank you, Aneesh. I’m an IT professional based in Pune. My wife Priyanka and I recently welcomed twin daughters into our family, which has been an incredible blessing. We’ve always been very serious about our finances, as we want to ensure a secure future for our daughters and ourselves.

Aneesh: That’s wonderful to hear. I remember you visited our office in Kalyan three years ago. What motivated you to travel all the way from Pune to meet us?
Rahul: Yes, we made the trip to Kalyan after hearing great feedback about Team AddOn. I had been exploring investment options and wanted guidance from someone who focuses on creating awareness and provides solutions tailored to individual needs. Your approach to financial education and goal-based investing really resonated with us, which is why we decided to start working with you.

Aneesh: It has been a pleasure working with you and Priyanka. You both started with a good SIP amount. What encouraged you to take that step?
Rahul: Both Priyanka and I believe in disciplined investing, and SIPs are a great way to build wealth over time. Your explanation of how systematic investing aligns with long-term goals helped us take that step with confidence.

Aneesh: In today’s digital age, there are many online platforms for investments. Yet, you chose to work with us. What role has Team AddOn played in your decision-making process, and what difference did it make?
Rahul: That’s a great question. Online platforms may offer convenience, but they often lack personalized insights and clarity about long-term goals. With Team AddOn, the experience has been entirely different. You helped us understand the “why” behind each decision, whether it was related to investments, insurance, or planning. The structured approach and hands-on support we received made a huge difference. Having a dedicated team to guide us during critical times, like my recent accident, reinforced our decision to work with you.

Aneesh: This year, we insisted on creating a detailed goal plan for your family. How has that experience been for you?
Rahul: It was eye-opening! Initially, we thought we had everything covered, but the goal-planning process helped us clearly define our financial objectives, such as funding our daughters’ education, saving for a home upgrade, and ensuring our retirement is secure. It gave us a structured roadmap and the peace of mind that we’re on the right track.

Aneesh: That’s fantastic! You’ve also taken term and health insurance this year, which proved to be a wise decision. Can you share a bit about your experience?
Rahul: Absolutely. You explained the importance of insurance as a foundation for financial stability. Earlier this year, I had an unfortunate accident that required hospitalization, and the health insurance we took on your advice covered a claim of around ₹3.5 lakh. The process was seamless, thanks to your team’s support. It saved us from a major financial strain during a tough time.

Aneesh: I’m glad we could help during that challenging time. You’ve also referred several friends and colleagues to us, which we deeply appreciate. What makes you confident in recommending Team AddOn?
Rahul: The trust and transparency you’ve shown over the years make it easy for me to recommend you. You’re not just suggesting products; you genuinely care about your clients’ well-being. The personalized approach, thorough research, and prompt support we’ve received have been exceptional. My friends and family deserve the same level of care, which is why I’ve happily referred them to you.

Aneesh: Thank you, Rahul. Before we wrap up, do you have any advice for others who are beginning their journey toward financial security?
Rahul: My advice would be to start early and work with a professional team that focuses on creating awareness and offering goal-based solutions. Financial planning isn’t just about investing—it’s about securing your family’s future. Also, ensure you have adequate insurance coverage to handle unexpected situations. Stay disciplined and focused on your goals; it pays off in the long run.

Aneesh: That’s excellent advice, Rahul. On behalf of Team AddOn, I thank you and Priyanka for trusting us to support your journey. We look forward to being part of your success story for years to come.
Rahul: Thank you, Aneesh. We’re truly grateful for your guidance and support.

This interview is a testament to the importance of financial awareness and goal-based planning. If you’re inspired by Rahul and Priyanka’s journey, reach out to Team AddOn to take the first step toward securing your financial future.

HOW I RETIRED 5 YEARS EARLY INSPITE OF STARTING 13 YEARS LATE?

Mr. Chandrashekhar Kadam recently ended his 20 year long journey in the gulf and has returned to his motherland to enjoy the golden years of his life in his own way. He shares with us his journey as an investor and what he did to retire early in life

Q). How has the investing journey been so far and what philosophy do you as an investor follow ?
Answer: My journey as an investor has been very exciting. I and Shri. Shashikant Patole my financial coach discussed these things for the first time 15 years ago and have been investing in Mutual Funds ever since. I saw two major turbulences in the market, several types of uncertainties, extensive bull runs and heavily lucrative gains but all of it taught me two things – Patience and Discipline. These two are the most important pillars of investing. It shapes your investment style and approach in the right direction.

Q). Why did you choose mutual funds over traditional investments like insurance or direct share trading ?
Answer: When I and Shashi spoke for the first time he explained me the reason behind investing for the future. He explained it is important to generate returns which can beat inflation as to attain my financial goals and more importantly for peaceful retirement. Where insurance and traditional methods like fixed deposits are nowhere near inflation, investing in direct equity requires a lot of knowledge, analysis, time, and dedicated study which I was not ready/capable to contribute. Like I am skilled for my job there are people who are skilled for their job, its better not to mix those things. 

Q). Being investing for 15 years you must have sacrificed a lot of your lifestyle in your investing years so as to build the corpus you have reached today ?
Answer: Absolutely not, we had discussed this in the early stages itself with Shashi. We never compromised on our lifestyle. We lived a fulfilling life in the last 15 years. But what we did was, we meticulously made our idle money work for us, which in return made sure that we will have enough corpus in our retirement to continue the same lifestyle we were having when were working. 

Q). Which news channels, websites, magazines, blogs, and other source of information do you follow to keep yourself updated with the recent happenings in the industry ?
Answer: I follow my coach. It’s his job to follow all the other things and explain it to me and its implications towards my financial goals. He conducts various educational webinars and seminars for investors like us in a simplified manner on relevant topics keeping us away from the noise. Of course I read on the subject and time to time check its applicability to me or my goals with Shashi.

Q). What according to you is the biggest hindrance for NRI investors when it comes to investing in India ?
Answer: There are many actually, awareness of options available, ignorance towards savings, tax ambiguity, improper guidance, mis-selling by bank representatives, or fear of risk taking all of it make it difficult for us to take any decision. But appointment of one right person to take care of all these challenges makes life so peaceful and the financial journey so rewarding. As an investor your challenge should only be in finding the right person who can handhold you and be answerable to you throughout your financial life. Fortunately, I got one. 

Q). With the availability of Direct funds in Mutual Funds, what are the cost related factors you think should one consider while investing ?
Answer: Cost for me is not a major criteria as I believe no good product or service is/will ever available for free or at cheaper prices. Moreover, in this field of finance where one small advice can make or break your financial lives, investing without proper help is the biggest risk one could take. Once you compare the cost to benefit ratio, you will notice how the cost is nothing when it comes to the benefit you get for it. 

Q). How is your experience with the portal provided to you by NJ India Invest, the biggest MF distributor platform ?
Answer: Clear, Crisp, & Clutter free. You get exactly what you need on your dashboard, and the overall platform is so well categorized as per their utilities that it makes it very easy for any investor to navigate through it. Backing to AddOn by NJ is just an icing on the cake as it gives them the right muscle to execute their ideas and philosophies.

Q). What are your thoughts on MARS the Asset Allocation and Rebalancing tool dearly advocated by AddOn ?
Answer: MARS is an absolute boon for investors looking to park lumpsum amounts. It follows the Asset Allocation philosophy with such conscientiousness that it sweeps you away from market noise and sentimental decision making. Moreover, they have been doing this for past 7- 8 years now exhibiting the foresightedness and customer centric service the team is willing to offer.

Q). Now that you have retired, what financial plans have you made ? Parked all the money in safe instruments ?
Answer: I have retired, my money has not. I don’t want to work for money but my money can work for me forever. Why keep it all in safe instruments ? I have adequate health insurance for my family, I have set aside my short term needs and emergency corpus and the rest is kept in growing money instruments like MARS. This is the major mistake I believe most retired individuals do, keeping all money in safe instruments after retirement. Keep all your short term and emergency funds into safe money instruments and let all your long term money grow through tools like MARS or even Equity Mutual funds for that matter. 

Q). What wisdom would you like to give to fellow investors reading this ?
Answer:

1. Live in today but have a robust plan for tomorrow
2. Money should make money for you, it should not be sleeping in your bank deposits
3. Hire Experts – Chartered Accountant, Financial Coach, Lawyer (For Will). It will make a substantial difference
4. Investing is boring in the beginning, but it gets extremely exciting as it ages.
5. Do your financial Goal Planning, stick to those plans.
6. Stay away from greed when markets are rising and fear when markets are falling
7. Talk and review your portfolio with your coach periodically.
8. You will always need a coach to control your behavior and balance between Fear & Greed while Investing.
9. Patience and Discipline are the oxygen of your investments.

With best Wishes,
Chandrashekhar Kadam

Understanding from the newlywed Yayati Gaikwad how he accomplished his Marriage goal at the age of 29

Q) How does it feel to plan and achieve a milestone like this ?
Answer: It feels great! the sense of achievement is incomparable. Everything on the way was worth it. Right from the first day I wrote my finances on a piece of paper to the blue seas of Maldives. Everything makes me feel more proud of the entire journey and the decisions I took at the right time and in the right direction. 

Q) How important was planning and did it seem achievable in the very beginning?
Answer: Planning is the only reason I could achieve my goal. The first hour of my first meeting with Patole Kaka was only about what I want to do with my money, where do I want to reach, what goals do I have to keep in mind and how important was it to take the steps required to reach my marriage and other goals.

Q) What methodology did you follow with respect to your Finances ?
Answer: We started off by keeping money into two buckets – Short Term Bucket and Long Term Bucket so that I have the right balance of growing money and saving money products. Along with it I made sure that my goals were adequately protected from financial adversities and to do that I bought pure insurance products from right companies. This way I kicked off my financial journey in a steady and disciplined manner.

Q) How important discipline was and what compromises you had to do in terms of Spending Money?
Answer: I discovered from here how discipline can be fun and rewarding. There were no compromises, I just watchfully made my idle money work for me. Patole Kaka switched the old common savings formula of every household to a smart one, which not only helped me save a lot of money but also regularized my monthly expenses.

Old Formula :-

Income – Expenses = Savings
(Fixed)     (Variable)   (Variable)

Smart Formula :-

Income – Savings = Expenses
(Fixed)     (Fixed)       (Fixed)

Q) In today’s world of the Internet how important was your financial coach’s help in the journey ?
Answer: Coming from the media background, I understand how confusing and intimidating information can be. While I had some basic knowledge about investing, I was looking for proper guidance and direction, and hence seeking professional help was a right step. Patole Kaka and his team explained me Personal Finance in plain English and handheld me throughout the journey. The jargons, advertisements, and countless number of apps are all the more confusing. Hence, I decided to seek professional help which helped me understand my goals better and made me invest my money in that direction.

Q) What are your future plans now, after accomplishment of this Goal and with such great experience ?
Answer: Since I am married now, new priorities have set in and my goals have changed accordingly. It is important to categorise our life goals into short term and long term. While there is no perfect plan for anything, I have listed a few inevitable milestones such as Retirement, Owning a house, Family planning, Leisure and Health. The bottom line remains the same, making the idle money work and make changes whenever necessary.

Q) What is your message to Young Investors reading this ?
Answer: One important thing I realized is starting early, and I would urge everyone to follow this. Start investing as soon as you start earning. It can be a minimum amount, but that can do wonders in the coming 10 years. It is important to realize how passive income evolves and helps us to achieve and elevate our goals and aspirations. The old saying, ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’ holds true when it comes to securing our future and hence, the younger lot should not ignore planning for their future. 

Lastly, I would always recommend seeking professional help. While technology has made our lives easy, it is not foolproof. You may have all the top apps and platforms in the world, but if you do not have the right knowledge, it will never help you. Therefore, it is important to seek professional advice. Compared to an uninformed wrong decision, well-researched advice is any day better and can earn higher value, even if it incurs a small percentage of the additional cost.

Q). From when are you associated with Mr. Patole and how has the journey been?
Answer: I know Mr. Patole personally from last 20 years, we share more of a family relation than a professional one. I have seen him grow from an agent to a solution-oriented financial advisor. This growth was possible because of his solution oriented approach .

Q). How would you explain AddOn’s approach and what do you like the most about it?
Answer: I think the biggest USP of AddOn is in its constant evolving nature. I have witnessed the development from a physical form based investing portal to a comprehensive online investor-friendly platform. Be it the online platform, encyclopedic financial planning, rule-based investing philosophies, or the Wealth Management Services, AddOn makes sure their investors enjoy the rich product basket by the most constructive and easiest way possible.

Q). Being a HNI (High Networth Individual) you must be coming in contact with a lot bank representatives, insurance advisors or wealth managers, what makes you choose AddOn over them? 
Answer: Well the major difference is the solution-oriented approach of AddOn.  Others are interested in selling products and achieving targets. As an investor, I expect a customized unfolding of my financial engagements. I want people who would answer my queries and hand me solutions as and when required. Of what use an executive will be to me if he changes his company every six months or is transferred to different locations/department or is only in the business to create a valuation and then sell it to large corporations? As investors, we need people who would be with us for the long haul. 

Q). In the recent times there are a lot discussions and arguments of all sorts on the topic of direct mutual funds and zero cost online platforms what is your view point about the same ?
Answer: I am very well aware about the existence of direct funds in the market. As a matter of a fact Mr. Patole had only told me about it. But to me it doesn’t matter. I also fail to understand how a responsibility like finance can be given to a non-individual. Personal Finance has always been and will be a relationship based subject. Every investor big or small needs a tailor made, personalized plan for his/her finances you cannot make it standardized. Investors should always have a person responsible to manage his money while they focus on earning money. Only an advisor can provide you with a neutral, brand-independent, and unbiased approach to investing. 

Q). How would you rate the Sampoorna Suraksha theory of AddOn ?
Answer: Excellent. Infact it is the most comprehensive financial well-being concept I ever came across. It has always been my view to prioritize Wealth protection over Wealth Creation. And the way in which AddOn has bundled Insurance and investments to strengthen the financial lives of its investors is highly commendable. As they say, first Create (by buying insurance – Health, Term, PA, CI) and then Save (by investing in the right asset classes) to me it’s the most full proof plan to avoid any uncertain financial situation. 

Q). You have been referring AddOn to a lot of your friends and family, what is your ideology behind it?
Answer: I believe knowledge is to share. If I am experiencing something which has immense positive impact on my financial life, then I feel obligated towards sharing it with the one’s I care. I have referred AddOn to my family, friends and a lot of colleagues, all of them have noticed a remarkable change in their approach to financial well-being and with a handholding like AddOn it’s just an icing on the cake.

Q). Your suggestions and advice to AddOn.
Answer: I wish AddOn the best of everything in the years to come. AddOn should not only continue but also expand their noble job of helping people with their financial lives.
It’s niche ideology has to benefit and reach a large number of people in need, and from what I know ideology like AddOn is required the most in recent times.