Autobiography by SIP
Hi! I am your SIP. No.. No.. not “ a SIP of water” or “ a SIP of tea”. My full name is Systematic Investment Plan. You own me I guess.
You must be wondering why is your SIP writing to you like this ..
Well I think I should have done this long time back but it’s never too
late to start an initiative I guess.
I had to personally write to you, because I am a little concerned
today the way things are shaping up around me and the core purpose of my
existence is getting compromised as well. You must be wondering how it
matters to you. It does .. trust me by the end of this letter you would
have this question answered.
If you are here with me till now, I presume you would be there till the end as well.
I don’t exactly remember how and when was I born nor do I remember
who gave me my name but if my memory serves me right it’s been more than
15 years since the time I was born.
My father is Equity and Mutual Fund is my mother.
You all know my cousin brother quite well I suppose. Born to Govt
Securities and Bank, he is much older to me and a favourite of mostly
all Indian households.
Don’t remember him? His name is Recurring Deposit. He is the blue
eyed boy of mostly all Indian families I have come across. It’s
worshipped like God in households and I know of people who would miss
their morning teas but would not ever miss feeding my cousin every
month. God knows what makes him so popular but this is how things are!
Lucky he!
If I have to tell you the truth, am quite jealous of him and why
shouldn’t I be? I think am much smarter, younger and faster compared to
him and he is quite lazy, dull and older to me and yet he has more fan
following than me. No… No I am not sulking.. It’s just that I have found
someone to talk to after a long time so just…!
I have a secret to tell you. I have one more brother. He is the evil
one amongst us & hence my cousin and I usually don’t mention about
him to anyone. His name is EMI – Easy Monthly Instalment. Why do we
think he is evil? Well my cousin and I help people save and grow their
wealth but this brother of mine I tell you… he is like a mirage! You
know what a mirage is right? An illusion..! Initially people like him
because he is an expert in creating illusions and temporarily makes one
feel good and powerful. With his evil powers he can make you feel as if
he owns a house or a car and other household goods but I know him well.
He actually makes one a slave, lays a trap for those who fall prey to
him. Forgot its name… What’s it called..!! mmmmm Yes ! A debt trap! Am
told almost every 2nd individual in US has fallen prey to my evil cousin. God bless them!
He is also quite popular amongst people in India as well, especially
the salaried individuals. Their dedication towards EMI is much more than
my other lazy cousin but it’s ok. We have come to terms with it and
accepted the reality.
Coming back to me, remember I told you in the beginning that I am 15
years+ right but you know something? I still feel like a 3 year old
toddler.
That’s because there is no individual who adopted me has seen me
grow for 15 years. People would very merrily pick me up, play with me
for sometime and given the first opportunity dump me for reasons best
known to them.
The other day while I was being processed in the backend, I heard
someone tell someone that he dumped his 2 year old SIP of Rs 3,000 a
month; he had started for his retirement to buy a new iPad. Holy Steve! I
simply hate him.
On another occasion a 65 year old was telling his son over the phone
in Dubai that he is going to stop his SIP which he started 3 years back
because it’s giving same returns as his senior citizen bank FD rate.
What was the need of starting a SIP at the age of 62 in the first place
when he has no risk appetite or life goals left? and who said my
father’s health would always be pink?
I don’t know whom to blame now for my untimely deaths. It’s a vicious
cycle, I tell you. More like the government. The murder happens but no
one wants to take the blame.
But for me I will always blame the person who picked me up for my untimely deaths.
Makes me feel miserable you see.. I feel like an orphan every time
this happens to me. Just like anyone else even I want to grow up, see
the world, multiply and prosper and achieve my dreams. However I am yet
to complete my complete life cycle through childhood, adolescence,
gentleman and then as a mature happy individual who can proudly retire
with all his dreams fulfilled- for self & for others as well.
Sigh! Yes.. “dreams fulfilled for others as well” ! That was the
first and only purpose my parents taught me when I was very small. They
gave me the responsibility of fulfilling people’s life goals like
daughter’s foreign education, a son’s business set up, a world tour for
husband and wife at 50, a farmhouse outside the bustling city limits, a
brand new BMW SUV.
Every time someone picks me up I vow that I will fulfil all these
goals without blinking my eye but alas! every time my father develops
some temporary bad health they treat all of us very badly and my mother
and I have to suffer the most in this process.
My father is now 30 years +. He is ageing but quite mature and
wise and has always made those rich and wealthy who have laid faith in
him over a long term period. But I tell you life is not as smooth as you
think it would be. The same set of people who loved my father in good
health would curse him when he sneezes or develops a fever and is unable
to deliver desired results in the short term.
As a result of this my mother and I also suffer miserably. Someone
was telling me the other day for every 1 SIP that is born an equivalent
number dies each month. This way I feel very soon if something is not
done fast I too would be extinct soon and would only be available in
archives.
I see so many kids around me who go to school. They always don’t do
so well during their term tests but eventually they excel during the
final examinations. Forget about other kids. Let’s take your example.
Were you always a brilliant student and always topped all subjects?
Weren’t there times when you too scored a little less in term tests but
eventually passed at the final examination with flying colours? Do
parents stop sending their kids to school if they fail a couple of
exams? I don’t think so! This discrimination is only for me I believe.
Does a Sachin hit a six on every ball? Does a Dhoni always win a
match? Does Harbhajan grab a wicket in every match? No right? Still
cricket continues to be a religion in India!
As far as my potential is concerned, those who have taken the
pain of being with me for a long term , do swear by my powers of beating
consumer price inflation and building wealth over long term every month
, bit by bit through the magical power of compounding !
Many people say they want to adopt me but don’t have enough money to
bear my expenses. Not even Rs 2,000 a month, I ask them? Liars! They
have all the money in the world to smoke , drink , eat out , watch
movies at swanky multiplexes and shop online every now and then. But
don’t have Rs 66 a day to adopt me.
I have waited long to see the ray of hope and finally when things are not moving have decided to write to you on my own.
India has a population of 121 Crs+ & total live SIPs as per
recent census are only about 60 Lacs or .50% of India’s total
population! Imagine. Don’t I deserve to be taken to many more
households than this?
(A person would have minimum 2 or 3 SIPs. So 60 lakhs SIP may mean an
investor base of only 20 lakhs. 2 million people out of the population
of 1200 million is hardly 0.2%- Muthu)
I don’t have a control on what others do but since you have taken 5
minutes off your precious time to read my story, I urge you to
1) Please write down your life goals on a sheet of paper if not already done. If already done in the past! Great.
2) For any help required in doing so you may want to refer to this link- http://www.idfcmf.com/systematicdreamplanner.aspx ( this would take you another 10 mins)
3) Once you have done your life goals planning & started your
SIP or mapped your current SIPs to goals, you have to make a promise to
me -
“Not to please dump me ever midway in sickness and in health. Come
what may! Uncertain political scenarios , global crisis , fiscal
deficits , such issues have come and passed by enough no of times and my
parents and I have always delivered his commitment of making people
wealthy by compounding and beating inflation”
You would have definitely seen Taare Zameen Par & Stanley ka
Dabba directed by Mr Amol Gupte. Mr Amol Gupte now has come forward
& takes up my cause as well. He has made a 30 min movie on my
importance & my relevance to the Youth of India. It’s called “One
Idiot”. You can view it here – http://oneidiot.in/
Sorry I took quite a bit of your busy time but I merely seek an
opportunity to serve you till you achieve your long term life goal. See
your kid’s marriage and hear you laugh and tell someone that it’s all
because of me, your son/ daughter is getting married!
I also want to see you and spouse happily holidaying on the beaches
of Mauritius or you sitting proudly in your son’s new BMW SUVs.
All that I can say towards all the commitments I just made … “I do”
Do you?
P.S – If I made any sense to you, please pass my letter to 5
individuals you know who recently stopped their SIPs or are thinking
about it.
Thank you once again for hearing my story.
(Source: IDFC Mutual Fund)