Life's Fun and Silence

  The Household Money Column A Quarterly Guide for Living Through Economic Cycles  (Starting Jan 2026) What this column is This is not an investing column. It is a household decision column . Every quarter, this column translates RBI signals, inflation trends, interest-rate posture, and credit behaviour into simple household actions. It is written for people who earn, save, borrow, raise families, and approach retirement while the economy quietly changes under their feet. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Column Edition 1 Stability Is Not Certainty Published: 14 January 2026 Every quarter begins the same way for households: bills to pay, decisions to postpone, and a sense that the economy is doing something important somewhere else. This column exists to close that gap. Using the Reserve Bank of India’s latest policy signals as a backdrop—not a forecast—we translate what is cha...

           The Last Big Financial Decisions A 12-Quarter Money Guide for Pre-Retirees (55+) – Jan 2026 Why this post The most dangerous financial phase is not early life. It is five years before retirement , when mistakes become permanent. Objective ·        Protect capital ·        Simplify finances ·        Reduce regret risk Principle information deck Anchored in RBI insights on: - Financial stability - Interest-rate uncertainty - Household leverage risks The 12-Quarter Reality (2026–2028) Phase 1: 2026 (Protect) Actions - Lock health insurance - Move 5 years’ expenses into low-risk assets Nudge: Complexity is not sophistication at this stage. Phase 2: 2027 (Simplify) Actions - Consolidate accounts - Reduce equity gradually Caution: Cluttered savings hide real risk. Phase 3: 2028 (Defend) Actions -...

             Two Incomes, Many Traps A 12-Quarter Money Map for Dual-Income Urban Families (Jan 2026) Why this post Dual incomes create comfort. They also create false redundancy . January 2026 is when many urban families earn well but feel stretched. This is not an income problem. It is a timing and structure problem . Objective ·        Convert dual income into financial resilience ·        Prevent lifestyle, education, and leisure from colliding with retirement Principle information deck Built on RBI signals around: - Services inflation - Credit-led consumption - Stable but uneven growth The 12-Quarter Reality (2026–2028) Phase 1: 2026 (Cash-Flow Control) RBI backdrop: Sticky costs, restrictive rates Actions - 9-month emergency fund - EMI <35% of combined income Nudge: Two salaries don’t mean two spending tracks. Caution: Holiday spending tim...

             Your First Salary, Your First Cycle   A 12-Quarter Money Guide for Young Salaried Households (Jan 2026) Why this post January 2026 finds many young earners in a familiar place: incomes rising, choices multiplying, credit everywhere. The risk is not low income. The risk is early confidence without structure . This post exists to answer one question: How should a young salaried household think about money over the next 3 years, using RBI cycles as a compass rather than social media noise? Objective ·        Build financial resilience before chasing returns ·        Use the next 12 quarters to compound habits, not mistakes Principle information deck This framework is anchored in the RBI Annual Report and recent policy signals , especially: - Sticky inflation pockets - Restrictive but maturing interest-rate cycle - Strong retail credit growth RBI data is...