Money Buys Freedom and More Choices in Life, Says Ankur Warikoo

Ankur Warikoo’s Measure of Wealth: The Freedom to Choose

Financial freedom, Warikoo argues, is less about stopping work than gaining control over how you live and invest.

From buying things to buying options

Speaking at the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit’s Smart Investor Arena, author and entrepreneur Ankur Warikoo described a change in how he understands money. Growing up, he associated it with his family’s financial struggles and the prospect of buying a way out of them. Spending on things he wanted later showed him that money can bring happiness, but only up to a point.

He also noted that financing major purchases such as a house, car or holiday means borrowing from future income, which can leave a person feeling constrained. His current definition is more expansive: money is a means of choosing what work to do, where to live, whom to work with and how to spend time. That reframes wealth as flexibility rather than a tally of purchases or a single account balance.

The distinction matters for financial planning. A personal target can be more useful than an abstract ambition to accumulate as much as possible, provided it reflects the life someone wants to fund. Warikoo said his own figure was ₹21.7 crore, while stressing that each person needs to work out their own number. He did not present it as a universal benchmark.

Why a repeatable investing habit can matter

Warikoo’s case for systematic investment plans, or SIPs, is as much about behaviour as returns. Waiting to invest until there is spare cash or the market falls can turn investing into a decision that gets postponed. A recurring process, by contrast, makes the contribution automatic and reduces the need to repeatedly judge the “right” moment.

He said the effect of compounding over 20–25 years can be difficult to appreciate in advance. That is not a promise of a particular outcome: investment returns are not assured, and a regular contribution does not remove market risk. The broader point is that a sustainable habit can help investors stay engaged with long-term goals rather than making every contribution dependent on short-term sentiment.

Warikoo also warned that younger investors may feel pressure to make money quickly. He said focus and the ability to block out noise are increasingly important, arguing that intelligence alone does not guarantee success. For investors, that means separating a considered plan from the constant pull of market commentary and quick-return expectations.

Risk, work and the value of staying flexible

Warikoo welcomed the market correction of the past two years as a reality check for investors who assume prices will always rise. He used the concepts of alpha and beta to frame the trade-off: investors should consider not only the return they seek, but also the risk they accept to pursue it. His preference was for high alpha with low beta, rather than chasing return without weighing the accompanying volatility.

His comments on career risk follow a similar emphasis on preserving choice. Rather than quitting a job immediately to pursue a passion, he recommended keeping a regular income while developing an idea on nights, weekends or holidays. A side project may take months or longer to develop, he said, and pressure to earn from it immediately could undermine the very interest that prompted it.

For Warikoo, financial freedom does not necessarily mean conventional retirement. It means being able to choose meaningful work, while also shifting attention from growing money to protecting it. That perspective links spending, investing and career decisions: each should support a life the individual actually wants, rather than a target borrowed from someone else.

Key Highlights

• Warikoo defines money as a way to gain freedom and choices, not simply to accumulate possessions.
• He said his personal financial target is ₹21.7 crore and argued that each person should determine their own “enough” figure.
• He favours regular SIPs as a repeatable investing habit, while noting the long-term impact of compounding.
• His risk framework asks investors to weigh potential returns against the risk taken to pursue them.
• He advised building a passion project alongside regular work rather than relying on it for income from day one.

Investor Note: Warikoo’s remarks offer a framework, not a personal investment prescription. Define financial goals around your own needs, assess risk before seeking returns, and consider professional advice when setting an investment plan.