What would you do if you were fired today?
Would you spiral into panic or pause in relief?
In a raw and unnervingly honest Reddit post, a 36-year-old man from North Delhi lays bare his financial life after getting fired. But this isn’t a sob story. It’s something more jarring: a confession, an audit of choices, and perhaps most importantly, a mirror.
He isn’t a tech millionaire or a crypto bro. He’s a father, a husband, a son, with another child on the way. And he has something most of us don’t: breathing room. Emotional, financial, and mental.
This is not a feel-good story. This is a feel-everything story. And at the heart of it lie five brutal truths about money and life that could and should rearrange how you think about your own.
#1 He Didn’t Just Save Money. He Built a Life That Pays Him Back.
“Assets that are generating incomes –
- 7 Rental Properties – Rs 120,000 per month (This increases 4-5% every year)
- Dividends – Rs 40-45k per month (Again a monthly average from a Rs 2.5 Cr. Portfolio)
- Banks – Rs 6,000 per month (from 12 lac investment, I know low returns)
Around Rs 1.5-1.6 lac a month.”
He wasn’t chasing FIRE hashtags. He was just building. Slowly. Silently.
Seven rental properties now send him monthly cheques. A ₹2.5 crore equity portfolio drips in dividends. A modest ₹12 lakh parked in banks fetches a trickle. Altogether, his income from assets touches ₹1.6 lakh a month, without clocking in anywhere.
This is not a man who stumbled into wealth. It’s someone who swapped instant gratification for future leverage. While others were upgrading gadgets, he was buying rentals. While others discussed market noise, he quietly bought dividend-paying stocks.
Takeaway: You don’t need to retire early. But you do need money that works harder than you do. Passive income is peace on autopilot.
#2 His Budget Isn’t Rigid, It’s Responsive.
His family’s monthly expenses float between ₹85,000 and ₹90,000. That includes groceries, electricity, kids’ education, outings with his wife and friends, and even medical needs. But what’s remarkable isn’t just the clarity; it’s his calm willingness to adjust.
“May be I will have to cut travelling budget for few years”
There’s no panic. No martyrdom. Just fluidity. He’s treating his finances not as a fixed document, but as a living organism, something that breathes with life changes.
This flexibility allows him to hold on to what matters (school fees, groceries) while trimming the excess (travel, luxuries). He isn’t giving up; he’s fine-tuning.
Takeaway: Financial planning isn’t about rigid rules. It’s about knowing which expenses nourish you and which ones drain you.
#3 His Liquidity Is Not Idle. It’s Strategic Stillness.
“I have around 65-70 lac cash that I am not interested to invest at all right now because I am keeping 15-20lac for health emergency expense. I also have enough saved up for our next baby delivery hospital bill.”
In a culture obsessed with “don’t let your money sit idle,” this man chooses the opposite. He lets it sit. But that cash is not idle. It’s alert.
He’s expecting a baby. He’s got ageing parents. He’s committed ₹80 lakh over the next few years for three under-construction properties. That cash is the bridge between where he is and where he wants to be. He’s not hoarding; it’s pre-allocated.
There is clarity in his caution. He is not playing the markets. He is protecting peace.
Takeaway: Cash is not dead weight. In times of flux, it’s your shock absorber. Keep enough of it to sleep soundly even when the world shakes.
#4 He’s Not Debt-Free, But He’s Never Debt-Drowning.
“I have already paid 45% altogether, so total 80 lac payments are still going to go towards these properties in next 2-3 years.”
On the surface, this is a risk. But dig deeper; it’s structured. He isn’t paying EMIs. He’s not maxed out. His future liabilities are tallied, timed, and tethered to an income source that still flows.
Most importantly, he isn’t adding new liabilities post-job loss. He’s honouring old ones, step by step.
In a financial world where “zero debt” is hailed as nirvana, this is a refreshingly nuanced take: debt is not the enemy; disorganized debt is.
Takeaway: You can carry debt without carrying dread. But only if it’s premeditated, planned, and patiently paced.
#5 His Struggle Isn’t Financial. It’s Existential.
“I am both worried and calm at the same time. I don’t have to go to office anymore and I can’t be more excited thinking about it but again, I am just running through my expenses, assets etc. continuously.”
This is where his post becomes haunting.
His finances are solid. His support system, wife and mother, are warm. His responsibilities are known. And yet, he’s anxious. He walks through his spreadsheet like a man walking through a storm with a good umbrella, still bracing for rain.
Because money can buy freedom, but it cannot buy certainty. And what’s scarier than job loss is stepping into an identity void. If he’s not employed, who is he?
His wife’s response is beautiful: more moral support, more time with her husband. His mother, wise and reassuring: “Jo hua acche ke liye hua” (Whatever happened, happened for the best).
But he’s still circling the same question: “Am I really free? Or am I fooling myself?”
Takeaway: Financial freedom is not the end. It’s the beginning of asking yourself: What do I really want to do with my time and my life?
The Uncomfortable Question His Story Asks You
This isn’t a story of a rich man retiring early. It’s the tale of someone who planned quietly and refused to run blindly.
He didn’t escape capitalism. He navigated it on his terms. Now, he’s standing at a fork in the road with a newborn on the way, no office deadlines, and just enough fuel not to panic.
He’s not preaching. He’s not bragging. He’s asking and asking himself if this plan will hold. Asking if he’ll be okay. Asking if now, finally, he can live more fully.
And in his questions lie answers for us.
Ask yourself:
- Can your money outlast your job?
- Could you pause your income and not lose your peace?
- Are your current expenses aligned with your real needs?
Life will change. It always does. And when it does, a rigid financial plan can crack under pressure. Those who stay afloat are the ones whose money choices adapt with their life, not resist it.