No stock tips, no shortcuts: Here’s how middle-class Indians can build ₹3-6 crore wealth

Smart financial planning plays a quiet but powerful role in everyday life. Most money troubles don’t begin with a single disastrous decision but with small, repeated choices — spending a little more with every raise, relying on easy credit, or postponing investing for “later”. Mistakes happen, markets fluctuate, and setbacks are inevitable. But instead of panicking or losing hope, financial stability is often rebuilt the same way it is created: patiently, piece by piece, with consistent habits over time.

That message was at the heart of a recent post by chartered accountant and financial educator CA Nitin Kaushik, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to underline what he calls a “simple rule” that could quietly turn millions of ordinary earners into millionaires.

In his post, Kaushik argued that wealth is not rare because earning money is difficult, but because maintaining discipline is. According to him, most people don’t fail financially due to lack of income or poor market returns, but because their spending rises faster than their investing.

Kaushik outlined three basic principles that, if followed consistently, could dramatically change long-term financial outcomes. The first is investing at least 15 percent of monthly income into low-cost index funds through systematic investment plans (SIPs). The second is building one’s lifestyle around the remaining 85 percent of income, resisting the urge to upgrade expenses with every salary hike. The third is avoiding high-interest traps such as unnecessary EMIs, excessive credit card use, and “buy now, regret later” debt.

Crucially, Kaushik stressed that this approach does not depend on market timing, stock tips, or shortcuts. Instead, it relies on patience and the power of compounding. With long-term equity returns historically ranging between 12 and 15 percent, he noted that a normal salary combined with consistent investing over 25 to 30 years can quietly build portfolios worth ₹3 crore to ₹6 crore — even for middle-class earners.

“The math isn’t magical — the behavior is,” Kaushik wrote, pointing out that people often blame market crashes for wealth erosion, when in reality, lifestyle inflation and poor spending discipline do more damage over time.

His broader argument challenges the popular idea that becoming wealthy requires exceptional luck or extraordinary income. If more people focused on simple money rules rather than chasing visible lifestyle upgrades, Kaushik suggested, the label of “millionaire” would no longer feel exclusive or rare.