'Won't get a 10% increment in salary...': Wealth expert on smart pursuits to grow wealth, beat inflation

Most people won’t see a 10% salary increment every year, and even if they did, simple math shows it would take more than seven years for their income to double. Akshat Shrivastava, founder of Wisdom Hatch, points out that when you factor in inflation and the rising cost of living, that doubled salary may barely maintain today’s standard of living a decade from now.

Yet, despite this reality, many professionals dedicate 100% of their time and energy to their jobs, making work the centerpiece of their lives. There is nothing wrong with valuing your career—it provides stability, discipline, and structure—but relying solely on linear salary growth can severely limit wealth creation. If your only financial engine is your paycheck, you risk missing out on opportunities that have the potential to produce exponential change.

Inflation further erodes the value of money and impacts real returns from investments. Rising material and labor costs, increased consumer demand, supply chain disruptions, and changes in monetary policies are among the factors driving inflation.

Shrivastava said this is where the concept of asymmetry comes in. Asymmetric risk opportunities are those where the potential upside far outweighs the downside—think fivefold or tenfold returns. Examples include starting a side business, building digital assets, investing in high-growth equities, or creating intellectual property. While these pursuits carry uncertainty, they also offer the possibility of life-changing outcomes that no annual increment can match.

"Most people won't get a 10% increment at their jobs. Even if they did, it would still take them 7.2 years to double their salary. Factor in the rising cost of living: in 10 years, even that 2X salary might not amount to much. Yet people make their 'jobs' their entire life. I am not saying that don't respect your job. What I am trying to say is: that maybe at least 20% of your life should be spent chasing asymmetric risk opportunities (aka your dreams). Think of 5X opportunities. And, take some steps that can get you there. If 100% of your time gets spent on chasing linearity, you will never see a parabolic rise. Only way to do that: chase asymmetry," Shrivastava wrote on X.

Shrivastava added that even dedicating 20% of your time to such pursuits can drastically alter your financial trajectory. It doesn’t mean quitting your job or acting recklessly—it means planting seeds for exponential growth while your job provides a safety net. If you invest all your energy in linear growth, you can only expect linear results. But by allocating time to asymmetric opportunities, you open the possibility of a parabolic rise, where returns outpace both inflation and traditional salary growth.

Inflation, investment & salary

The numbers underline the urgency. Inflation and muted average salary increases in India have meant that real wage growth—after factoring in Consumer Price Index adjustments—ranged from -0.4% to 3.9% over the last five years, according to Deloitte. This has constrained disposable income and consumption, and the outlook for 2025 is only slightly better, with real wage growth projected at around 4%, still below pre-COVID levels of over 5%.

Whether it’s equities, bonds, real estate, or even cryptocurrencies, inflation remains a persistent challenge, steadily eroding purchasing power. Although inflation has eased recently, India’s structural realities—a large population, limited capital, and dependence on imported commodities such as crude oil—suggest inflationary pressures will continue. Coupled with strong domestic consumption and potential global supply chain disruptions, maintaining price stability remains uncertain.

In this environment, protecting investments from inflation is no longer optional—it’s essential. Investors can mitigate risk through strategies like leveraging indexation benefits for capital gains taxation, which adjusts the purchase cost of assets for inflation and reduces taxable gains. 

The bottom line: respect your job, but dedicate a portion of your life to chasing asymmetric opportunities. That is where the potential for transformative wealth—and a parabolic rise—truly lies.