Beyond gold returns: How investors are adopting a new formula for a truly rich life
India’s wealth culture is shifting as investors question whether financial gains alone define success. Alok Jain argues that rising stress and falling life satisfaction demand a new approach to “returns”. He calls for a move from money metrics to a balanced life portfolio built on purpose and well-being.
- Dec 2, 2025,
- Updated Dec 2, 2025 5:26 PM IST
In a departure from the traditional wealth-first mindset long embedded in India’s investment culture, Alok Jain, Founder of Weekend Investing, has urged audiences to rethink what “returns” truly mean. In his latest YouTube video, Jain presented a behavioural and psychological lens on wealth, arguing that bank balances alone can no longer serve as society’s scorecard of success. Instead, he said, the emerging framework is the “life portfolio”—a diversified set of non-financial assets that bring joy and reduce stress.
For decades, investors have equated progress with the pursuit of “more”: more salary, more assets, more multi-baggers, more security. But Jain pointed to a growing body of global research—including life-satisfaction-versus-income studies—that show a clear satiation point. Past a certain income threshold, happiness barely moves. “Once your basic needs are met, incremental income adds very little to your satisfaction metrics,” he said, adding that India’s lack of social security and historical insecurity often amplifies the fear of “never having enough.”
He described this endless chase as the “hedonic treadmill”—a psychological loop where individuals require increasingly larger wins merely to feel the same level of happiness. And the consequences are visible everywhere: billionaires struggling with time poverty, affluent professionals facing burnout, and ordinary individuals constantly comparing their lives to others.
Jain argued that the shift now underway—especially post-pandemic—is the recognition that “accumulation without fulfillment becomes a golden cage.” Through charts and behavioural case studies, he contrasted two types of dopamine curves: the short-lived spike from buying luxury items, and the sustained uplift that comes from contribution, purpose, and meaningful connections. “True wealth,” he said, “is the currency of contribution. Money is the currency of transaction, but impact is the currency of the soul.”
One of the central ideas he championed is “time affluence,” which he calls the new luxury of the modern world. In contrast to the old model—80% work, 10% sleep, 10% commute—the “truly wealthy” blueprint allocates significant space for health, connection, leisure, and meaningful work. The strategy, he noted, lies not in adding more activities but in aggressively subtracting: cutting digital noise, automating mundane tasks, and buying back time through smarter choices.
Jain also presented what he calls the “Diversified Life Portfolio”. The old wealth index placed disproportionate weight on financial security, with minimal value assigned to purpose, connection, physical vitality and time freedom. The new model distributes weight evenly across all pillars, reflecting a more holistic definition of prosperity. “If you have millions but no health, you’re bankrupt. If you have time but no purpose, you’re lost,” he noted.
To illustrate this shift, Jain shared the story of a 55-year-old scientist who recently quit his high-paying MNC job to pursue personal aspirations. “He realised that he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life optimising a single metric—money—while neglecting everything else,” Jain said.
He concluded by urging viewers to audit not only their bank balance but their “time balance and relationship equity.” The real goal, he emphasised, is not to reject wealth, but to dethrone it as the sole measure of a rich life and use it instead to fuel purpose, vitality, and deep human connections.
In a departure from the traditional wealth-first mindset long embedded in India’s investment culture, Alok Jain, Founder of Weekend Investing, has urged audiences to rethink what “returns” truly mean. In his latest YouTube video, Jain presented a behavioural and psychological lens on wealth, arguing that bank balances alone can no longer serve as society’s scorecard of success. Instead, he said, the emerging framework is the “life portfolio”—a diversified set of non-financial assets that bring joy and reduce stress.
For decades, investors have equated progress with the pursuit of “more”: more salary, more assets, more multi-baggers, more security. But Jain pointed to a growing body of global research—including life-satisfaction-versus-income studies—that show a clear satiation point. Past a certain income threshold, happiness barely moves. “Once your basic needs are met, incremental income adds very little to your satisfaction metrics,” he said, adding that India’s lack of social security and historical insecurity often amplifies the fear of “never having enough.”
He described this endless chase as the “hedonic treadmill”—a psychological loop where individuals require increasingly larger wins merely to feel the same level of happiness. And the consequences are visible everywhere: billionaires struggling with time poverty, affluent professionals facing burnout, and ordinary individuals constantly comparing their lives to others.
Jain argued that the shift now underway—especially post-pandemic—is the recognition that “accumulation without fulfillment becomes a golden cage.” Through charts and behavioural case studies, he contrasted two types of dopamine curves: the short-lived spike from buying luxury items, and the sustained uplift that comes from contribution, purpose, and meaningful connections. “True wealth,” he said, “is the currency of contribution. Money is the currency of transaction, but impact is the currency of the soul.”
One of the central ideas he championed is “time affluence,” which he calls the new luxury of the modern world. In contrast to the old model—80% work, 10% sleep, 10% commute—the “truly wealthy” blueprint allocates significant space for health, connection, leisure, and meaningful work. The strategy, he noted, lies not in adding more activities but in aggressively subtracting: cutting digital noise, automating mundane tasks, and buying back time through smarter choices.
Jain also presented what he calls the “Diversified Life Portfolio”. The old wealth index placed disproportionate weight on financial security, with minimal value assigned to purpose, connection, physical vitality and time freedom. The new model distributes weight evenly across all pillars, reflecting a more holistic definition of prosperity. “If you have millions but no health, you’re bankrupt. If you have time but no purpose, you’re lost,” he noted.
To illustrate this shift, Jain shared the story of a 55-year-old scientist who recently quit his high-paying MNC job to pursue personal aspirations. “He realised that he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life optimising a single metric—money—while neglecting everything else,” Jain said.
He concluded by urging viewers to audit not only their bank balance but their “time balance and relationship equity.” The real goal, he emphasised, is not to reject wealth, but to dethrone it as the sole measure of a rich life and use it instead to fuel purpose, vitality, and deep human connections.