Category: Health & Happiness

Your Mediclaim or Health insurance policy will protect your financial assets to the extent of the sum assured and any internal capping your policy document may have.

Although, It is a vital to have a very good Health Insurance policy, it only takes care of your Wealth at stake, but not your Health!

The best case scenario is to have a good Health Insurance policy with adequate cover and you never visit Hospital in the lifetime!

Yes, you are paying your premium for your piece of mind. But, I’ve seen there is a mentality to “Get back” the premium paid for “वसूली” of the premium!! People do not happily pay this premium, if there was no claim!

Well, having and maintaining a good health is your “Primary Health Insurance”. Having a good health insurance policy is the second line of defense that is only meant to protect the financial impact. What is the point even if your hospital bills are being paid by the insurance company, but in the process your health is compromised?

As the Hindi saying goes “जान है तो जहॉं है”.

So friends, Never compromise your Health for any reason. Health first! I visualize my health insurance policy premium as a donation to the unfortunate family, who have to undergo hospitalization and thank God for keeping me healthy for that Year!

There is a second side to it as well. When your Health is optimum, there is a resistance to purchase a Health Insurance Policy. Do remember that no matter how good health you possess, in today’s uncertain world, there are eventualities that land you into hospital and having an health insurance is needed by every individual.

We must realize that very soon in India, Health Insurance will become a luxury, as the premium costs will shoot up dramatically, even for a slightest of deviations in health parameters. This again underlines the need of buying health insurance when you are healthy.

So friends, if you are still unsure about buying a health insurance policy, give it a serious thought. Because the best time to buy it is when you don’t need it. Also this is one of the very important pre-requisite for financial freedom journey!

Stay Healthy! Stay Happy, but buy adequate health insurance policy too!!

When I resigned from my reputed job at LTI, I was quite sure about my plan. However, as a responsible project manager, one always needs to track planned vs actual and make up for the differences, if any.

In continuation with my previous article, I’m happy to share with you that on 28 Feb 2023, I completed 5 years of successful अर्थस्वातंत्र्य (financial freedom)!! By the way, अर्थस्वातंत्र्य is much more comprehensive than mere financial freedom, it encompasses Health & Happiness too, will write another article sometime later.

So, what’s the scorecard? This is how I fared last 5 years.

My lifestyle – is elevated to the next level. Unlike many who expect that after “retirement”, you’ll need to cut down on your lifestyle expenses, I’m celebrating more than before because of the availability of time. I have also added quite a few healthy ingredients to my daily living to stay fit, healthy & happy!

Family, Friends, and relationships

As far as my family life is concerned, it’s enriching as I’m able to reach out to my relatives and friends like never before. My traveling has increased and so have the joy and happiness!!

Tours & Travel

As per the financial goals mapped in my planning, in the first year of freedom, we availed of 15 days tour in Dubai and 7 days leisure water sports tour in Kokan, Maharashtra. Within the last 4 years, I have traveled to so many places inside and outside of Maharashtra, including a foreign trip to Switzerland in the achievement of MDRT.

Learning & Growth – Your experience seldom counts if not backed by qualified certification. In the first few months, I went on a spree to get myself certified in financial acumen to endorse my wide experience in various personal financial instruments. Although my experience is sufficient, I felt this endorsement was necessary for me to guide my friends who would like to follow my steps. So, this is what I’ve achieved so far.

In the first year of my Financial Freedom, I passed the following exams

Exam Name	Date	%age	Exam Body	Governing Body
Investment Advisor – Level 1 – XA	7 March 18	84.75%	NISM	SEBI
Investment Advisor – Level 2 (Highest) – XB	22 March 18	77%	NISM	SEBI
Life Advisor – IC38	June 18	72%	III	IRDA
MF Distributor – VA	November 18	81%	NISM	SEBI

I became MDRT 2019 which is the insurance industry recognition for higher achievement.

I also became an Author in the SEBI-NISM joint conference named CLSM (Changing Landscape of Securities Market) in February 2020 and presented my paper on “Financial Freedom – a need and not a dream”, under the category of Personal Finance.

Continuing my commitment towards continuous learning, I added a few more credentials as follows (apart from numerous certificate courses on various topics related to finance)

Exam Name	Date	%age	Exam Body	Governing Body
MF Distributor – VA – CPE	July 21	Pass	NISM	SEBI
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL GOAL PLANNER (CFGP)	September 22	Pass	PGP Academy	NSE Academy

Financial Status

This one is for many of my well-wishers, who are still unable to digest my decision.

As I said my lifestyle cost is elevated because of the travel that I’m doing and celebrations that I’m participating in with different groups of friends. I do my financial health check-up every 3 months and I found that I’m still at least 5% in excess in my kitty to be spent from the monthly expense basket!!

Remember friends, this is despite the stock market Corona blowout during March 2020 where many well-to-do people got affected. For getting the conviction that I have, one must study how the stock market works and why investing in mutual funds turns out to be the safer investment over longer periods. If you are a regular reader of my articles, you would get the essence of the same.

Net Worth

I am opening my cards here! In Financial Terms – My net worth has doubled as compared to 5 years ago. It is interesting to know that this is despite of negligible active income and after consumption of 5 years of elevated lifestyle expenses. This is the true essence of अर्थस्वातंत्र्य.

Above chart will depict the relative performance of my portfolio and Net worth. Those who really want to study how it really works and do DIY investments, this chart actually answers a lot of questions.

Passion and Happiness

Besides, Now I’ve discovered few of my passion areas and re-connected with my hobbies in natural farming, composting, Healthy & Natural living, electronics, and so on. I’m also helping my friends to achieve financial freedom.

Yes, I am occupied, but with the things that I love to do, not with someone dictates me to. My latest interest I got reconnected was singing (discreetly that is ;)), credit goes to one of my friend. Also, another important activity that I am involved actively now is about Health – Natural Living and helping people reverse their ailments ranging from BP, Sugar to Cancer. It gives me immense satisfaction when I see people becoming free of diseases without doctors, costly tests, and medicines!! A topic close to my heart!

Friends, the purpose of this note is not to make you jealous but to create a dream in your mind that you all deserve to live this kind of dream life, full of Health, Wealth, and Happiness. All you need is discipline, commitment, and action. I’m always there to help n support you!

Have you started yet?

Kiran Bhave
Financial Freedom Director, AS-44.com

by Kiran Bhave

Financial Freedom Director

AS-44.com

How lucky do you think you are? Who do you think is the luckiest person on Earth?

Is it Mr. Ambani or Mr. Warren Buffet, who have an enormous amount of wealth?

Or is it Mr. X in Okinawa, Japan who has crossed 110 years of age and is still leading a healthy life with no illnesses?

Or is it that poor unnamed child on the street whose parents have abandoned him, but for no reason is smiling brighter than you – who is watching him from your air-conditioned car?

You are living a comfortable life. You have a home to come back to, a family, bank balance. Despite that, you cannot smile as worry-free as that child.

You cannot smile because you are getting late for the office, although you’re leaving early to attend that critical client meeting that will bring millions to the company. You are stuck in traffic with no range, unable to contact anyone to tell them you’re running late or instruct them to start the meeting without you. In such a dire situation where your job is at stake, how will you smile?

Now, although you probably can’t decide who is the luckiest among the three, you will surely say _you_ are unlucky.

There are many such situations life throws at you.

You are leading a very healthy lifestyle, people are complimenting you, perhaps envying you for being so healthy and suddenly you are diagnosed with a dreaded disease that is only seen in people who make poor lifestyle choices. Now you cannot even face those friends or share with them that you are diagnosed with such a disease for the fear of what they would think?

How can you call yourself lucky when you are faced with such situations day in and day out?

But wait, are you saying that you are unluckier than even that poor child who doesn’t even know if he get food tomorrow? Do you really believe that that homeless, orphan child is luckier than you?

Friends, I want to reveal a secret to you all. Whether you believe it or not, *YOU* are the luckiest person on Earth, just like *I* am the luckiest person on Earth. 😂

Now you’ll say “Stop with the jokes, Kiran. You don’t know anything about my life” or “You don’t have any clue about what I am going through right now” and so on.

I am sure you have tough problems at hand to solve, you may be in adverse situations and life may not be as easy as poets make it seem. But that doesn’t mean you are unlucky.

Let me elaborate. When I say I am the luckiest person on Earth, I don’t mean I only have positive experiences. But, even in adversity, I believe I’m the luckiest. This is because my circumstances could be even worse than they are now. This mindset of being the luckiest gives me the strength to recover from my current situation quickly or the courage to accept the condition, no matter how grave the situation is.

Let me give you an example. About 6 months ago, when I bent down to pick something up, a sudden unbearable pain broke in my lower back and I collapsed running into the bed. There was no comfortable position where the pain would become endurable. Even a slight movement multiplied the pain a 100-times. Going to the hospital in an ambulance was out of the question, as I was unable to move my body. After my wife arrived three hours later, she called the doctor and he sent a nurse with a painkiller injection, but there was no relief. So I spent 2 days at home, before finally getting admitted to the hospital.

Now imagine how much worse it could have been. It could have happened outside my home. My daughter was with me at the time, but it could have happened when I was alone. The week before I was at my native place enjoying the fields. Imagine it happening over there. In what way, can I complain I was unlucky?

I believe strongly that there is an unknown higher power who always takes care of all of us unconditionally. You must believe in this theory, acknowledge it and accept its decisions as what life throws at you are for your betterment only.

Now finally to answer your brain’s question, there can only ONE luckiest person on Earth, so how can everyone be luckiest?

To answer this, luck is subjective. It is not quantifiable. Someone said very beautifully that there is only ONE most beautiful child in the world and every mother has it. Luck should be viewed the same way.

So know that YOU are the luckiest person on Earth.

Live a miraculous life ahead.

Wishing you pure happiness!

-Kiran Bhave

Financial Freedom Director, AS-44.com

19 March 2023

https://wa.me/919322324698