An opinionated framework on
how money should be managed
Disciplined money management is the only way a retail investor can build real wealth. Without a clear strategy, results will always disappoint — because the expectations themselves were never clear in the first place. Start by dividing your money into clear buckets, each with a purpose, a timeline, and the right instrument.
Emergency Fund
1 / 4At least 6 months of expenses, always accessible
Keep at least 6 months of living expenses in high-yield savings accounts. This isn’t about returns — it’s about not panicking. Without this buffer, a job loss or medical emergency can force you into unfavourable decisions like breaking investments at a loss or taking high-interest debt.
Parking Fund
2 / 410–30% of portfolio, ready to deploy when markets dip
Always keep a portion of your portfolio — anywhere from 10% to 30% depending on market conditions — parked and ready to invest when markets are oversold. Scale it up when valuations look stretched, scale it down after corrections. This should be in instruments with low correlation to your invested assets — liquid funds, short-term FDs, or arbitrage funds.
Investment Assets
3 / 4Diversify across 3–5 asset classes for the long term
This is where your wealth compounds. Maintain a good balance across 3–5 asset classes — equities, debt, gold, real estate, international markets — based on your risk appetite and time horizon. Diversification isn’t about chasing the best-performing asset, it’s about not being wiped out when one underperforms.
Insurance & Protection
4 / 4Protect what you’ve built before growing more
Always get your own policy — never rely solely on employer cover. With frequent job switches and layoffs being the norm, you can find yourself uninsured overnight and forced to buy a new policy at a higher premium with fresh waiting periods. Lock in a personal policy early when it’s cheap.
If you don’t have dependents without their own income source, you can skip it — but only if your existing portfolio fully covers all outstanding liabilities like loans. Otherwise, it’s non-negotiable.
Who the fuck am I?
Been in the markets since 2018. Started like most people — chasing tips, panic-selling dips, and learning expensive lessons. Somewhere along the way, a master's in economics helped connect the dots between credit cycles, market behaviour, and why most retail investors lose money doing the same things over and over. This framework is what came out the other side — the system I actually use to manage my own money, built on the belief that boring, disciplined allocation beats clever stock picks every time.
These are my personal opinions on how I manage money — not financial advice. Use these tools to make informed decisions, and consult a certified financial planner for personalised guidance.