Goal-Based Investing for a Secured Future of Your Children

Father’s Day is just around the corner and it’s the perfect opportunity to reflect on the timeless lessons they implant in their children’s mindset.

Take my case for example… When I was eight, I asked my dad for a cricket bat.

A proper one. Heavy. Like the ones real players used.

He didn’t say no. He just said, “Okay. Let’s start saving up for it.”

That week, he gave me a glass jar.

We labelled it in bold letters: BAT FUND.

Every time I skipped buying my chocolates or saved some pocket money, we dropped coins in.

He matched it rupee for rupee.

Three months later, we walked into a dusty sports shop and bought the bat.

It wasn’t the most expensive one. But it was mine. And I knew I earned it!

What I didn’t realise back then was that I wasn’t just saving for a cricket bat.

I was learning my first investment lesson:

• Define the goal
• Allocate for it
• Stay patient
• Celebrate when you reach it

That glass jar was my first SIP.

My dad was my first advisor.

And the bat? It was proof that every goal, no matter how small, needs a plan.

Do You Remember Why You Started Investing?

By the time you’re in your 30s or 40s, investing isn’t new. 

You’ve seen your share of stock market rallies. Sat through corrections periods like the Covid-19.

You’ve ticked off terms like SIP, ELSS, index funds, REITs, and maybe even dabbled in a few IPOs you now regret.

But somewhere along the way — between bonus cycles, rent agreements, school admissions, and late-night portfolio checks — it becomes easy to forget what it was all for.

Wasn’t it…

• To never say no when your son/daughter dreams big?
• To retire before burnout catches up?
• To take that one-year sabbatical and write your book?

You didn’t start investing just to “beat the inflation.”

You did it to build a life on your own terms.

And that’s exactly the thesis around goal-based investing.

What Is Goal-Based Investing?

Think of it this way: traditional investing asks, “How much return can I make?”

Whereas goal-based investing asks, “What am I investing for?”

And that changes everything.

Because once you attach a real purpose to your money – your daughter’s college fund, your dream home by the hills, your desire to retire with grace – your portfolio stops being a number.

It becomes a map. With destinations. Checkpoints. And meaning.

In fact, research shows that goals-focused portfolios have been shown to grow wealth by over 15% compared to traditional models.

Goal-focused investors are also less likely to make panicked decisions.

Which is why on this Father’s day, we want to list a couple of handy tips that will set you on the right path.

# Teach Your Child About Investing Early On…

Many children today grow up feeling entitled and the difference between need and want is more or less blurred.

Which is why teaching your kids about savings and investing early on in their lives will go a long way into nurturing them in this tough world. 

Looking back at my conversations with my day, I realise just how meaningful that was…

I still remember one evening — I must’ve been in the 8th or 9th grade — when I overheard my dad talking about how he had skipped buying a new phone that year.

He said, “That money’s better off going into the mutual fund. You don’t touch what’s meant for the future.”

I didn’t think much of it then.

But later, when I asked him what he meant, he took a moment and walked me through a small goal he was working toward — saving up for our family’s first international trip.

He opened the laptop, showed me a basic SIP calculator, and said, “This is how it adds up. Bit by bit. Quietly. But it works.”

It wasn’t about stocks. It wasn’t about jargon. But it was about a deliberate choice.

Years down the line, when I started earning, I found myself naturally drawn to investing. Not because I was chasing returns. But because I had already seen what it could do.

# Investing Your Savings

Putting aside a part of your income every month is a great habit.

But if that money isn’t growing meaningfully, it’s simply treading water — not swimming toward your goals.

Take this common example: most parents, the moment a child is born, rush to open a Public Provident Fund (PPF) account. It feels safe, long-term, disciplined — and it is.

But here’s the catch: PPF offers fixed, modest returns, and when you’re saving for something 15–20 years away, like higher education, that just may not cut it.

Over such long horizons, even a plain vanilla index fund has the potential to outperform traditional savings instruments.

If you’re not allocating your savings wisely across stocks and other growth-focused avenues, you’re essentially leaving money on the table.

Worse, you might actually miss your goal despite being “disciplined.”

# Being Patient and Controlling Your Emotions

When we were kids, we wanted everything — and we wanted it immediately.

Qualify for the finals after day one of the league. Become team captain in the first season. Climb straight to the top without breaking a sweat.

And when all these things didn’t happen, frustration hit hard. The dreams were there, but the patience wasn’t.

That’s when Dad would quietly step in and say: “Be patient. It will happen. Just keep showing up.”

We didn’t realize it then, but he wasn’t just talking about football. He was laying the foundation for one of life’s most underappreciated skills — delayed gratification.

The idea that good things take time, and even great things often come disguised as slow progress.

The same wisdom applies to investing.

Ask any seasoned investor and they’ll tell you most of their mistakes aren’t made from a lack of information. They’re made from impatience.

Jumping from one stock to another because this quarter’s returns weren’t great. Panic-selling when the market dips.

Remember, no great goal was ever achieved without time in the game.

Compound growth, like character, reveals itself only when you’re in it for the long run.

Final Words

So this Father’s Day, take a moment to reflect on the values your father passed down – patience, resilience, and the importance of showing up every day, even when results take time.

These are the very qualities that define successful investors. 

Don’t let your hard-earned savings sit idle or scatter across short-term ideas. If your goals are real, they deserve a strategy that’s rooted in long-term equity investing and guided by sound advice. 

Join Equentis Wealth Advisory, get clarity on your path, and commit to investing systematically. 

Because wealth isn’t built in bursts — it’s built like every good legacy… one thoughtful decision at a time.

Here’s a big heartfelt thanks to all the fathers out there.

Happy Father’s Day and Happy Investing!

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