9 Habits to Building Wealth & Be Wealthy from Salary

đ 1. The Late-Night Truth About Money One day I was sitting alone & silence gave me space to think. “Am I building wealth, or just earning well?” That question hit me like a truck. You see, Iâve coached working professionals who earn 10-15 lakhs a year. But the shocking part? Theyâre still financially stressed. Credit card bills. EMIs. No savings. And Iâve also met quiet heroes earning âš30,000 a month who are investing, saving, and steadily building wealth. Thatâs when it became crystal clear: Wealth isnât about how much you earn. Itâs about what you do with what you earn. đĄ 2. The Great Income Illusion Weâre conditioned to believe: “A bigger salary means a richer life.” But hereâs what really happens: You get a raise. You buy a new car. You switch from Amazon Basics to Apple gadgets. Your rent doubles. Dining out triples. Welcome to lifestyle inflation â the sneaky villain of middle-class dreams. More income. More expenses. Same financial stress. “Youâre not broke. Youâre just budgeting wrong.” Let that sit. 𤿠3. Why Discipline > Income Letâs imagine wealth as a water tank. Your salary is the water coming in. Your spending habits? The holes at the bottom. You could have the biggest pipe in the colony, but if the holes are bigger, youâll never store a drop. Discipline is about fixing the holes. Not to live a dry life. But to make sure the water you earn⌠stays. đ 4. The 9 Habits That Build Real Wealth Here are 9 habits that have helped my clients (and myself) turn their income into actual, peaceful wealth. â Habit #1: Live Below Your Means No, not miserably. Just mindfully. Itâs not about saying no to coffee. Itâs about saying YES to future peace. Drive a car you can comfortably afford. Rent a house that lets you sleep without EMI nightmares. Create a surplus. Thatâs your seed for wealth. â Habit #2: Save Consistently (Even âš500!) If you can save âš500/month, you can save âš5000/month. Itâs a muscle. Automate it. Set up an auto-debit the day your salary hits. Pay yourself first. Because if you wait till the month ends⌠well, you know how that story goes. â Habit #3: Invest Early, Invest Monthly SIPs are not just for finance geeks. Theyâre for everyday warriors like us. Donât wait for lakhs. Start with hundreds. Let time and compounding do their job. â Habit #4: Avoid Bad Debt Not all loans are evil. But EMIs for gadgets, vacations, and fancy phones? Thatâs a trap. You donât buy the thing. You rent peace to own it. Use credit wisely. Or it will use you. â Habit #5: Track Every Rupee If I gave you âš1 lakh cash today, would you know where it went in 30 days? Track your expenses. Use a journal. App. Whiteboard. Anything. But know. Clarity is freedom. â Habit #6: Build an Emergency Fund Life throws curveballs. Job loss. Medical bills. Car repairs. An emergency fund (3-6 months of expenses) is your seatbelt. Youâll be glad you had it before the accident. â Habit #7: Know Needs vs. Wants That new phone? Want. Groceries? Need. Most broke people confuse the two. Wealthy people delay the want, never compromise the need. Learn the difference. Live the difference. â Habit #8: Think Long Term Next monthâs salary wonât retire you. But 10 years of SIPs will. Plan for your future self. Heâll thank you with a smile, a paid-off house, and peaceful vacations. â Habit #9: Learn Before You Spend Got tempted to buy something? Pause. Ask: âWhat will this cost me over 5 years?â Learn about where your money goes. Be curious. Read. Ask. Explore. “Financial literacy is self-respect in action.” đż 5. Wealth Is Not Luck. Itâs Layers of Intentionality You donât need to be born rich. Or win a lottery. You just need to: Live a little below your means Save a little more than you want to Invest a little earlier than you think And learn a little every single week Thatâs it. Repeat that for a decade. And youâll be shocked at what you built. đ 6. Closing Cue: Ask Yourself This Tonight Before you sleep tonight, ask: âAm I earning to look rich, or building to be free?â If the answer makes you uncomfortable, thatâs your first breakthrough. Start small. Start today. Because peace of mind isnât a product. Itâs a habit. And youâre just 1 habit away from wealth. Warmly, Shiv Dwivedi Your Wealth Coach & Financial Freedom Friend
đĄCorporate Health Insurance vs. Personal Cover: Do You Really Need Both?

â 1. The Late-Night Call That Woke Me Up It was 1:43 AM. My phone buzzed. It was Ravi, an old coaching client and a dear friend. “Shiv bhai⌠my momâs in the hospital. Insurance rejected some charges. I thought my company plan would handle everythingâŚâ His voice was shakingânot because of the moneyâbut because of the uncertainty. That helpless feeling when something should have worked⌠but didnât. We got things sorted. But that night taught both of us something many professionals learn too late: âJust because you have corporate health insurance doesnât mean youâre fully protected.â Have you assumed that too? đ 2. The Illusion of Safety: Why Corporate Cover Feels Enough If you’re a salaried professional, your company probably gives you health insurance. Sounds great, right? You might even think: âItâs already covered.â âWhy pay extra?â âIâm young and healthy anyway.â But letâs look deeper. Corporate health insurance is like a raincoat. It worksâuntil the storm turns into a cyclone. And by then, you’re already drenched. đ§ł 3. Letâs Talk Metaphor: Travel Insurance at the Airport Imagine you’re going on an international trip. Your airline gives you basic travel insuranceâlost luggage, minor delays. But what if: Have you fallen seriously ill abroad? Need hospitalization? Miss 3 connecting flights? That basic plan? Wonât help much. Corporate health cover is like that.Itâs helpful, but itâs not built for everything. And worst of all? You donât control it. Your employer does. đ§ 4. Reflect With Me: Whoâs Actually in Control? Hereâs a quick reality check: What happens to your cover if you switch jobs? Or worse, if youâre laid off or retire? Will your corporate plan support your parents or dependents fully? Most wonât. Or if they doâitâs limited. Often âš2-5 lakhs max. So letâs ask the real question: âIf a major medical emergency strikes after your job ends, do you have a Plan B?â If your answer makes you pause, good. That pause is awareness. đ 5. Real Life: When Corporate Cover Wasnât Enough Let me share a story. Anita, a 38-year-old marketing manager, had âš3L corporate insurance. Her dad suffered a heart attack. The hospital bill? âš5.2 lakhs. Her plan covered âš3L. She borrowed the rest. After that, she decided to buy a personal health coverâjust âš12,000 a year. Small price, big relief. Two years later, she needed surgery herself. This time, she didnât panic. The policy took care of it. She told me, âShiv, I sleep better now. Iâm not depending on my HR anymore.â Thatâs peace. Thatâs planning. Thatâs power.  đ 6. Quick Comparison: Corporate vs. Personal Health Cover Criteria Corporate Cover Personal Health Insurance Control Employer-controlled You decide everything Coverage Amount Usually low (âš2â5L) Can go up to âš25L+ Portability Ends with job Fully portable Family Inclusion Often limited You can cover spouse, kids, parents Claim Process Employer-dependent You deal directly with insurer  đŹ 7. But Shiv, Wonât I Be âDouble Coveredâ? Good question. No. This works to your advantage. In insurance terms, this is called âtop-upâ or âbackupâ coverage. Hereâs how it works: You use your corporate cover first. If expenses go beyond, your cover takes over. Itâs like having Plan A and Plan Bâin a world where Plan A often fails silently. đ 8. Rising Medical Costs â Are You Prepared? Letâs talk numbers: A single hospitalization in a metro hospital can cost âš5â10L+ A cancer treatment plan can run into âš25â40L+ A heart surgery costs âš3â6L+ Daily ICU costs: âš30,000ââš50,000 in private hospitals Corporate plans often donât cover: Pre/post-hospitalization Room upgrade charges Experimental procedures OPD, maternity, mental wellness (in many cases) In short, theyâre just not enough anymore. đ¤ 9. So, What Should You Do as a Professional? Here’s a simple plan: â 1. Keep Your Corporate Cover. Itâs useful. No need to cancel it. â 2. Buy a Personal Health Cover. Start with âš10ââš15 lakhs. Add a top-up if needed.Even âš10,000ââš15,000/year premiums are worth it. â 3. Include Your Family. Get spouse, kids, and especially aging parents covered. â 4. Buy Early. The younger you are, the cheaper and smoother the process is. â 5. Review Yearly. Add riders. Update the sum assured as income grows. You insure your car. You insure your phone. Why not insure your peace of mind? đ§ 10. Closing Reflection: Health is Wealth. But What About Healthcare? We often say, âHealth is Wealth.â But in today’s world, healthcare is expensive.And hoping your HR policy will shield you forever is like expecting your umbrella to withstand a hurricane. Think about it: âIf something happened today⌠are you prepared, or are you just depending on your company?â Your answer could change your familyâs future. â¤ď¸ From Shiv’s Heart: Health insurance isnât about being afraid. Itâs about being free. Free from uncertainty.Free from regret.Free to focus on healing, not hustling to arrange funds. Invest in a personal health coverânot just because you can afford itâŚBut because your peace is priceless.