F*** You Money by 40 – A Story Built From Scratch

From designing products to designing my freedom — how I built wealth, clarity, and choice with no safety net.

“I didn’t inherit wealth. I built it one boring, consistent decision at a time.”

Where It All Really Started

Most success stories are told in hindsight, with smooth arcs and polished endings.

Mine didn’t start like that.

It started with a ₹10,000 salary, a basic computer, and a dream that didn’t yet have words.

No family inheritance. No business background. No secret support. Just a quiet, consistent fire: “I’ll build a life I don’t need a vacation from.”

I remember working late nights trying to figure out CSS, debugging broken layouts, and wondering if any of it would matter in five years. I wasn’t chasing a job title. I was chasing confidence. The kind that comes from knowing you’re building something — even if no one’s watching.

When Design Became Direction

I began as a web designer — mostly HTML, some Photoshop, and a lot of trial-and-error. I wasn’t solving deep problems yet. But I was solving for something inside me: the need to get better.

Then I stumbled into UX, back when no one talked about it. A client project with Nokia exposed me to a deeper layer of product thinking, and something clicked: “This is what I want to master.”

I didn’t know it yet, but that shift from layout to logic, from decoration to decision-making — would become a turning point not just for my career, but for how I approached life.

By 2015, I had moved into product thinking, not just design. And by 2017, I began building wealth with the same clarity I used to build user flows.

I started investing, stopped spending to signal, and made the boldest purchase of my life — a home I never thought possible when I earned 10k a month.

In 2022, that vision became real. I bought my first home — a milestone that felt almost surreal. Not because it was extravagant, but because it was mine. It wasn’t just a property, it was a portal. A reminder that time, consistency, and quiet decisions compound into something life-changing. That home wasn’t just real estate. It was proof. Proof that compounding applies to life, not just money.

I wasn’t just learning how to design better products. I was learning how to design a better self.

Growth That Didn’t Ask for Permission

Over time, I climbed. I moved to the UAE. Took leadership roles. Became Head of Product & Design. I built teams, shaped strategy, and created outcomes.

But something deeper was unfolding too:

“Every rupee I own was built by me. Slowly. Intentionally. Without shortcuts.”

I didn’t live below my means. But I didn’t stretch above them either. I created a life that gave me joy and stability — without anchoring me to appearances.

I travelled when it made sense. I indulged when it felt right. But I never let lifestyle become a leash.

In the background, my net worth was compounding at ~116% CAGR over 15 years. That’s nearly ₹99,99,900% in total growth.

Not by luck. Not by windfalls. But by clarity and conviction. And by staying the course when others chased shortcuts.

The Freedom Filter

Now, at 32, I’m working toward a very specific milestone:

F* You Money by 40.**

Not to quit. Not to escape. But to finally live by design, not default.

It means:

• Saying “yes” only when I want to
• Saying “no” without guilt
• Choosing what to build, when, and how

It’s not a flex. It’s a filter. It’s when you stop negotiating with your values to pay your bills.

“I worked in all kinds of environments — toxic, political, highly efficient, growth-driven, what not — until I realized I needed to break free and focus on what matters, in a culture that values people, not just performance.”

F*** You Money isn’t about excess. It’s about having enough control over your time and energy that no external pressure dictates your next step.

It’s freedom from poor decisions. Freedom from mental fatigue. Freedom from pleasing everyone but yourself.

How I Think About Wealth

I don’t have perfect plans. But I have consistent ones.

I invest more than I spend. I prioritize freedom over vanity. I diversify, automate, and track without obsessing. I treat my ESOPs as lottery tickets, not life plans.

“My real asset isn’t my income or properties — it’s that I don’t rely on anyone else to create peace in my life.”

My definition of rich isn’t tied to a bank balance — it’s tied to my ability to protect my time and sanity.

Money doesn’t define success. But it can create a platform where success is defined on your terms.

What Freedom Actually Feels Like

It’s:

• Owning my time
• Living in a place I love, without worry
• Logging off early on a Thursday just because I feel like it
• Working with people I genuinely respect
• Having nothing to prove, but plenty to protect
• Knowing that rest is productive, too

Morgan Housel once wrote,

“Wealth is the ability to wake up and say, ‘I can do whatever I want today.’”

That’s the vibe I’m working toward.

It’s a quiet kind of confidence. A peace that doesn’t need a podium. A life where you don’t chase — you attract.

This Isn’t the End. It’s the Alignment.

If you’ve built everything yourself — if your bank balance is made of your effort, your pain, your restraint — then you already know:

F* You Money** isn’t about ego. It’s about dignity.

It’s not about how much you have. It’s about how little you’re forced to tolerate.

“I’m not trying to win louder. I’m trying to live quieter.”

And I’ll get there. By 40.

Not because I have all the answers, but because I’ve figured out what matters. And I’m showing up for it every single day.

And every year I grow, it’s not just about the numbers — it’s about alignment. With who I want to be. With what I want to protect. With how I want to show up.

F* You Money by 40. Let’s get it.**

If you’re quietly building your version of freedom — without noise, without shortcuts — I’d love to hear your story. Share what F*** You Money means to you. Let’s celebrate those who are designing life on their own terms.

If you’re just starting this journey or want to dive deeper into the mindset of financial freedom, I highly recommend these two books that influenced my thinking to start with:

• The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins – A clear, direct guide on how to think about money, investing, and building true independence.
• The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel – A masterclass on behaviour, perspective, and why personal finance is more about mindset than math.

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