Better Late Than Never – The Story of Ravi and His SIP

Ravi Verma, a 38-year-old sales manager in Jaipur, had a realization one evening while visiting his childhood friend, Anil.

Anil, now 40, showed him his mutual fund portfolio over chai. “Started SIPs back in 2005. Just ₹4,000 a month and 10 % annual increase . Never stopped,” he said casually. The number Ravi saw shocked him — over ₹1.3 crore in current value.

Ravi’s heart sank a little. “If only I had started back then…”

He thought of all the excuses he had made over the years: “I’ll start after my wedding,” “Let me clear this loan first,” or “The market looks risky now.” Twenty years had passed in hesitation.

Seeing Ravi's regret, Anil smiled and said, “I planted my financial tree early, yes. But that proverb — you’ve heard it, right? 'The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.'”

Something clicked in Ravi’s mind.

That very week, he met a financial advisor and began his first SIP — ₹25,000 a month. Not to catch up, but to show up.

Years later, he would tell his own kids, “I missed the first tree. But I planted mine just in time.”