Exclusive: Ankur Warikoo Shares 3 Money Lessons Every Young Professional Should Know

Ankur Warikoo is an Indian entrepreneur, content creator, and author. From relationship advice to money lessons, he speaks to his audience on a wide range of subjects.

Warikoo has written several books, including Build An Epic Career, Do Epic Shit, Make Epic Money, and Get Epic Shit Done. In 2026, he published Winning People Without Losing Yourself, which is now available on Audible, like his other books. 

In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Ankur Warikoo, founder of WebVeda got candid about wealth creation, investing, homeownership, and the financial habits young professionals should adopt to build long-term wealth.

What Is Your Top Financial Advice For Young Professionals?

The emergency fund is non-negotiable. I don't even think of it as investment advice. It is something that everybody should have, because an emergency can frankly wipe out your entire savings and you don't want to be a part of it. 

Everyone should have health insurance, life insurance, and an emergency fund that can cover six to nine months, and ideally up to twelve months, of expenses.

Beyond that, I believe investing in mutual funds is a great discipline to build. Don't try to buy individual stocks because you're not an expert. I'm not an expert either. Identifying the right stocks is a full-time job.

A large part about money is just pure discipline. It is not how much you spend or how much you invest and what's the growth or the return and so on.

Compounding is magical even if you were to get 12% return every single year, averaged out for 20-30 years, your money is going and growing far beyond your imagination.

How Do You Encourage Your Kids To Take Your Advice?

The only way that kids learn is by observation. They never learn by being told what to do. And we, in fact, detest when parents try to tell us what to do. And the rebel in us takes over. So, I've done that. Everybody goes through that. As parents, our job is not to teach them, but to become the best examples that they can imbibe.

It stems from the simple fact of how Ruchi, my wife, and I handle disagreements. They're never disputes. They are conversations aimed at understanding both perspectives and, hopefully, reaching a point where we can align and work towards a common goal.

"A large part about money is just pure discipline," Ankur Warikoo said.

You Bought Your First Home At 40. What Is Your Advice On Buying A House Today?

I do believe that owning your own house is a wonderful life achievement and a wonderful life event. Everybody should experience it. It's an incredible feeling. So I'm not denying that that shouldn't be somebody's goal. My only humble admission is to make it happen at the right time in your life.

The pressure most people feel isn't necessarily about buying a house. It's about buying one too early.

My strong advice is to consider alternatives such as renting or staying with your parents for as long as you can. Continue investing your money, and then, between the ages of 35 and 40, consider buying a home.

Even if property prices rise, which they probably will, they are unlikely to rise at the same pace as your investments can grow over time. That's how you make a smarter financial decision.

What Are They Money Lessons You Believe Every Parent Should Teach Their Children?

The most important thing you need to teach your children, or the generation that follows you, is what truly matters in life.

You will find several examples of people who are incredibly rich, incredibly successful, but not incredibly happy.

The brilliant lesson we could teach our kids is that there is a world beyond money. There is a world beyond professional success. It involves people, it involves your relationships and involves interactions with the world, whether it is nature, animals, or other people.

Try to discover yourself through those interactions. Every meaningful connection teaches you something about yourself and the other person. The more honest and meaningful the conversation, the more you'll learn about both.

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