Akash

Just because someone got rich, it doesn’t mean they are qualified to give investment advice. Some of the worst financial advice is peddled by people who became wealthy. Wealth can come from luck, leverage, timing, inheritance, concentration, specific skill, or survivorship. Good advice needs process, risk awareness, humility, and repeatability.

As someone who has 10 crore, my own home and a nice car; let me tell you the difference in quality of life between me and a hypothetical me who has 50+ crore. 1 - He lives in a 3 floor house in a posh locality in Jaipur. I live in a flat on outskirts. 2 - He always travels business class / first class. He always stays in the best hotels and suites wherever he is travelling say 50k / day. It is premium economy flights sometimes and mostly economy for me. In terms of hotels, my comfort range is 10-25k / night. 3 - He has a full time nanny, a full time cook, a full time house-help, driver, and a gardener. I don't even know what I would do if I had 100+ crore. There are levels to wealth. You can always see the one just above you because those options become available to you. Now whether you move up the wealth ladder or not is mostly a function of luck. But denying that such gaps exist is incorrect.

India rolled out the red carpet for IRIS Dena at MILAN 2026; Navy chiefs shook hands, bilateral cooperation was praised, a “new chapter” in Indo-Iranian maritime ties was announced. That same ship sank the moment it left Indian waters. 148 sailors are missing. And New Delhi is silent. Iran defied direct US pressure just to show up at India’s naval exercise, and this is the return India offers? Not a statement. Not a rescue coordination offer. Nothing. This is Modi’s “Neighbourhood First” policy in real life; invite them, photograph them, then abandon them when it costs you politically. You claim Indian Ocean leadership. You host the world’s navies. But when a partner nation’s warship sinks in YOUR backyard, your government can’t even find words? Chabahar is at risk. Iran oil imports are at risk. India’s credibility as a reliable partner in the IOR is at risk. One ship didn’t just sink. India’s strategic reputation did.

My Current Reward Redemption Strategy Across Cards 💳 Not random. Fully planned. 1️⃣ ICICI EPM Domestic flights → Always via iShop Reason: • 100% points usable • OTA pricing often cheaper than SmartBuy/Hopper 2️⃣ AMEX Platinum Travel / MRCC → Marriott Bonvoy transfers → Taj stays via free Vouchers 3️⃣ Axis ATLAS Depends on future travel plans Mostly Class A miles → Accor transfer 4️⃣ HDFC Infinia Rarely use points for flights/hotels via portal Prefer airline transfers Recently booked: DEL–HANOI 🇻🇳 Vietnam Airlines Business Via Flying Blue 22K points. Absolute steal. Moral: Redemption strategy > Earning strategy.

📢 Update Alert: ICICI Emeralde Private Metal Credit Card Effective January 15, 2026, ICICI Bank is updating the feature set for its ultra-premium Emeralde Private Metal card. The changes signal a shift towards spend-linked benefits and 'rationalized' rewards. Here is a summary of what’s changing: 🧵👇 1️⃣ Revised Reward Structure: The card is moving away from bulk spends. You will no longer earn Reward Points on: 🔹 Government Services & Tax Payments 🔹 Fuel & Rent 🔹 Property Management & Wallet Loads 2️⃣ Benefit Thresholds Added: Some perks that were previously unconditional now have usage criteria: 🎟️ BookMyShow: To unlock the BOGO offer, a minimum spend of ₹25,000 in the preceding quarter is now required. 🚂 Transport Rewards: Capped at spends of ₹20,000 per month (effective Feb 1). 3️⃣ Fee Updates 💱 DCC Markup: Revised to 2.00%. 💳 Add-on Cards: New supplementary cards will attract a one-time fee of ₹3,500. 4️⃣ General Surcharges • Gaming: 2% fee on platforms like Dream11/MCC 5816. • Utility/Transport: 1% fee on transport transactions >₹50k. • Wallets: 1% fee on loads >₹5k.

BYD has released a new video of them dropping a 2-ton tree on their Yangwang U8L three consecutive times.

Let’s talk card wallets 💳 I’ve been hunting for the perfect minimalist wallet for a while. Tried many… some had too few slots, some were bulky, some just didn’t feel premium. Finally settled on this Da Milano card wallet and absolutely loving it ♥️ 👉 8 card slots and 1 money pocket 👉 I use 6 for my most-used credit cards 👉 2 slim slots for govt IDs 👉 Thin, premium and fits in the pocket Which wallet are you using? And how do you manage your cards? 👀