Podcast | NSE Invest O Cast episode 11: Investment advice for working women

Hrishi K: National Stock Exchange (NSE) with the help of Invest – O- Cast (An exclusive investor podcast) Powered by MoneyControl is committed to breaking the limitations of geographical boundaries and reach investors across the country. In today’s episode we talk about, investment advice for corporate women.

To help us with this, today on women’s day, I have with me Radhika Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Edelweiss Mutual funds. It is her second time on the show and I am really happy to have her back. Radhika, is an asset management professional with global and India experience across asset classes, investor segments, and investment management and distribution. From 2017, she’s been the CEO of Edelweiss Asset Management.

Hrishi K: Welcome back to the show what an excellent one it was the last time around and I am very happy to have you back especially this very special series on women’s day Radhika. Tell us more about your journey as women in corporate India as especially for those who don’t tune in to last time around.

Radhika Gupta: Thank you for having me again and again wishing everyone a fantastic Women’s day. I think corporate India is a great place for women. I graduated from The US I lived abroad most of my life actually 4 different continents and I did my degree in Business and Engineering. I started out working on Wall Street, saw some very good time in 2005-06 and 07, saw the fantastic financial crisis also in 2008 and came back to India to start up my own investment firm called ‘Fore-Front Capital’ ran that from 2009 to 2014 and then I sold that to Edelweiss financial services, since then I have been the CEO of the mutual fund business and you know like many women in India I love my corporate career. Although I think we can do with a lot more women in corporate India but I love what I do.

Hrishi K: I should have asked you this logically last time around which is your favorite country or place that you lived in that amongst all the ones you have been.

Radhika Gupta: So I have two one is Italy where I went to school and the second is actually Nigeria which is an unconventional choice because I have the best stories to tell from Nigeria.

Hrishi K: Wow! Radhika with your career spanning across a couple of decades in corporate India, talk to us about your personal investment habits, especially things that you would want other women to get inspired by and learn women in corporate India to know.

Radhika Gupta: So one is the thing good or bad is that when I started earning I was 22 and I started investing really early so with my first set of income I started investing early. Well, I think that is something what I ask all women to take away. I made a lot of mistakes early in my 20’s and I am sure that I still make them now but I think starting early was a really big one for me. I know that I work very hard like many women in corporate India and I truly believe that my money should work as hard as I do. One thing I am very careful about with my money, is that I know what I want from my money, I know why I am investing and I am very clear what my goals are and I am ok if my goals are very different from somebody else - my friends, my father, my husband whoever, so I invest for myself, I invest keeping myself in mind and I think investing for me has been deeply personal. Because I invested in 22 I could start a business at 26 with the money I had invested, so I truly believe investing can help you fulfill a lot of dreams that you wouldn’t think otherwise are possible, in my case that’s been the reality.

Hrishi K: Lovely. Thanks so much for your thoughts on that one. You are listening to  NSE Presents : Invest – O- Cast (An exclusive investor podcast) Powered by MoneyControl that is all about helping people learn about their finances on the go…And today, for the women’s day special and series, I am gonna ask Radhika to elaborate on the top 5 investment advice for corporate India and women in corporate India. So let’s go one by one Radhika so 5 bits of advice that you would like to share for women in corporate India, what would number one be?

Radhika Gupta: Number one would be start early and be regular, I say this again and again but no amount is too small it could be 500 rupees a month. Investments is also about a good habit, it is a good lifestyle habit just like exercising or brushing your teeth. These are good habits and when you have start early you inculcate a lot of discipline, it also helps you keep a nice control on your expenses so start early, start at 22 and you know it will get bigger and bigger and bigger. No amount is too small don’t think that 500 rupees a month is irrelevant because when you do that and when you do that regularly 5 years later you would be very surprised with what you have saved up.

Hrishi K: Let’s move on to the number 2, the second thing that women in corporate India should remember?

Radhika Gupta: The second one I think is, do it yourself it is not that tough. You know money can be very very technical and there can be lots of jargons but you don’t need to be a stock market expert to manage your own money. There are tons of resources out there thanks to people like MoneyControl, NSE and so many other platforms you just have to read and become money wise and I repeat it’s not that difficult. Don’t leave the job of planning money to your father, friend, husband etc. You can seek counsel, you can seek advice but remember that you should know how to do it yourself leave it in your own hands.

Hrishi K: Let’s move to the third bit of advice for women in corporate India.

Radhika Gupta: The third one is to have very concrete goals. Have short term goals, have medium term goals because goals will help you keep through the ride. You can have a 5 year goal that you know I want to save this amount of money for my business or I want to save this amount of money because I want to get educated or because I want to do something else. Once you have goals it will be easier to figure out how to manage your money. There are so many options in the investment world today; you can then tailor whether I want to do equities or whether I want to do bonds, depending on what your goals are. If you have 5 years goals you can afford to take a lot more risk than you have one year goals so have very solid goals.

Hrishi K: What would be the 4^th most important thing on the list?

Radhika Gupta: The 4^th one is to not worry I think markets go up and down that is a reality and you know you will lose money in this process, you are not in this journey to become a millionaire overnight and remember the journey from going from 100 rupees to a thousand rupees is one that is going to be with ups and downs just like life. In life you don’t from strength to strength. There are pot holes, there are brakes so remember that and don’t panic. You know learn from the mistakes that you make but don’t become so conservatives that you would never take risk again; this is a business of taking smart sensible risks so markets will go up and down. Don’t let it worry you be on the point.

Hrishi K: And finally the 5^th bit of advice for women in corporate India, what must they remember?

Radhika Gupta: Be long term you know especially when you start early investing is not a business where you are going to earn a return in a day. I think I like to give the example that if you try to grow a banyan tree or something in your house you don’t go check the plant everyday thinking how much this is grown. You give it time, you give it sun light, you give it water and it grows. Money is the same thing, don’t be compelled to look into your portfolio everyday to find the answers every day, it is not something that is going to give you day on day satisfaction, money is not that. And when you are reasonably goal oriented by the way this will become less of a problem, so don’t watch your portfolio everyday be reasonably long term.

Hrishi K: Ok, before we sign off let’s have a last few words from you for women in corporate India most importantly helping them plan their financial future and motivated them and you do such a good job as far as that is concerned.

Radhika Gupta: I think the financial freedom is super important you know for years and years women have worked very hard to establish their place in corporate India as I said we work so hard to earn our money, we have to work hard to manage it. I think financial freedom and financial awareness, knowledge, investing these are life skills, we were often taught that managing your home, cooking, driving these are all life skill I mean it was not about becoming a millionaire these are life skills, I think managing money is a life skill but beyond being a life skill I truly think being smart about the money, it feels great to spend your money, it feels great to buy something with your own money, it feels great to be able to save your own money and start a business with your own money. That sense of empowerment and freedom I can tell you is something else. So money can be very powerful it is the gate way to a lot of dreams and remember that just when you are thinking, getting a little de-motivated or wondering why I should do that remember that money can make your dreams come true, your families dreams come true.

Hrishi K: Very well said, I am sure everything that Radhika has said will help a lot of people, especially women in corporate India in preparing for their investments and finances.

Ok, I am going to take all of you through some key points listed by Radhika in our “Wisdom in the bank” segment. Hope you find them useful and will definitely implement them while planning your finances.

• Start early; in fact invest your first salary


• You have to be disciplined about your monthly income


• Invest according to your own goals


• Your money should work as hard as you do


• Start small be regular, do it yourself


• Have concrete short term, medium term and long term goals


• Don’t give up if markets fall and you make a mistake. Keep your focus on your goals.


• Don’t be compelled to watch your portfolio every single day. Think long term.


• It’s important to know that you are not going to become a millionaire over night, it is about life skills. Work on your life skills, your personal goals or starting a business.

Radhika Gupta: Thank you so much.

Hrishi K: Ok, financial independence for today’s working women is far easier than it used to be in the 80’s or 90’s, I mean just think of it, it may even be safe to assume that today’s millennial women, can actually go on to becoming some of the most financially powerful women in history.

Working women today, have more control over their money and how they choose to spend it. While the road ahead may get smoother, it’s also important for women to have a clear understanding of what they need to do to maximize their financial lives. Investments is not a short term result but a lifelong journey where ones decisions & behaviours could either propel them ahead or keep them in the same place.

On the whole, millennial working women need to be more confident about taking charge of their hard earned money and display their money management skills beyond monthly budgeting and bill payments.

Let’s not forget, one of the most effective ways to truly empower yourself is through financial independence

And that is a wrap on our show NSE presents Invest-o-cast! I'm Hrishi K for the NSE Presents: Invest – O- Cast (An exclusive investor podcast) Powered by MoneyControl. To know more about our podcast, log on to moneycontrol.com and visit the podcast section. In case you would like us to address any of your investment queries on our show do write into us at: nseinvestocast@nw18.com that’s nseinvestocast@nw18.com . Please also reach out to us on Twitter @moneycontrolcom or Facebook @moneycontrol.com, do remember to use #nseinvestocast

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Disclaimer: The material on this show is for informational purposes only. Please consult a financial advisor before taking any financial decision