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Go, Ruin Yourself

Two Books. One Purpose. A Better Life.

“This is a masterpiece.”

—Morgan Housel, Author, Psychology of Money

“Discover the extraordinary within.”

—Manish Chokhani, Director, Enam Holdings

Charlie Munger used to say that all he wanted to know was where he was going to die so he could simply never go there. It’s a brilliant way to look at life. If you can identify the traps that ruin most people, investing or otherwise, you just have to stay away from them to win.

In India, that trap is woven into our very skin. We are raised with a scarcity mindset. “Save every rupee, and turn off every light,” we are taught. But we are also shackled to a performance. We treat our children’s weddings like a debt we owe to society and our homes like trophies rather than shelters. We’ve been told that “safety” means doing exactly what our uncles did thirty years ago, ignoring that the world has moved on.

We try to grow our wealth while using it as a shield to protect our social standing, often at the cost of our actual freedom. I think it’s a dangerous mix.

But this isn’t just an Indian thing. It’s a human thing. We misbehave with our money because we use it to fix our feelings instead of our finances. We use it to buy status we haven’t earned and safety we don’t actually have.

So, if you really want to dig that grave while looking successful on the outside, I have some excellent ideas for you. Think of these as the financial “death traps” you may want to fall into if you want to ruin yourself.

Let’s start.

Treat your portfolio like a scoreboard for your ego. If a stock falls because the underlying business is declining, don’t sell it. That would be admitting you were wrong. And being “right” is much more important than having money in the bank, no?

Only buy stocks that make you sound like a genius at a dinner party. If you can’t explain it in a way that makes people think you have inside information or a high IQ, it’s not worth owning. Boring stuff that actually works is for people with no imagination.

Insist on picking your own stocks even if you have zero time, zero skills, and zero interest in how a business actually works. Convince yourself that mutual funds are for the “unintelligent” masses who aren’t as clever as you. Just because everyone in your WhatsApp group is playing fund manager, you should too.

Assume that because you’re a great doctor, lawyer, or programmer, you’re naturally a great investor. Forget that these are completely different skill sets. Just wing it.

Treat the market like a vending machine. If you put a few rupees in and a chocolate bar doesn’t come out immediately, kick the machine. Better yet, find a new machine every three weeks.

Wait until you are “settled” to take any risks, forgetting that by the time you feel settled, you’ll have too much to lose to ever take a risk again.

Listen to the person who shouts the loudest. If they’re on TV or have a million followers on social media and they’re sweating and pointing at their large portfolios and net worth, they must know something you don’t. Quiet people are usually just hiding their lack of ideas.

Spend your weekends obsessing over your stock portfolio and what you can do with it on Monday morning instead of playing with your kids or taking a nap. Let a bad day in the market ruin a good day with your family.

Base your financial goals on someone else’s highlight reel.

Assume that the more complex an investment product is, the better it must be. If you can’t understand the fee structure, it must be because it’s sophisticated.

Value the “story” of a company more than the math. If the CEO is charismatic and says they’re going to change the world, ignore the fact that they’re burning cash like a bonfire. Reality is for cynics.

Invest money you’ll need in six months. It adds a nice layer of desperation to your decision-making, and everyone knows you think clearest when you’re panicking about next month’s rent.

Forget that “risk” isn’t a number on an Excel sheet, but how you’ll feel at 3:00 AM when the market is down 30% and your spouse is asking if the retirement fund is okay. Assume you’re a cold, calculating robot until the moment you actually lose money.

Wait for “certainty” before you do anything. Don’t move until things are perfectly clear and everyone agrees it’s a good idea. By then, the opportunity will be gone, but at least you’ll feel safe while you miss out.

Assume that “long term” is a fixed destination you reach, rather than a series of short-term pains you have to survive.

Use your net worth as a way to settle scores with people from school who don’t even remember your name.

Try to buy back your health at 60 with the money you made by destroying it at 30.

Believe that more information always leads to better decisions. If you just read one more report or find one more hidden metric, the future will finally become predictable.

And finally, the best way to stay miserable: compare your “level one” to someone else’s “level twenty.” Ignore the fact that they started thirty years before you, or got a small inheritance, or simply got lucky. Just focus on how much further ahead they are and let it ruin your day.

If you do all that, I promise you’ll end up exactly where you don’t want to be. And the best part is that you’ll be able to blame everyone but yourself the whole way down.

Now, pass this on to ruin someone else.

Thank me later.

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