Dr Amreen Fatima is a physician and philanthropist. In an interview with MintGenie, she explains why it is important to be wealthy to stay in the pink of health.
She shares her thoughts on the regular contribution to savings that she does to secure her future, and post-retirement life. She also shares her fascination for gold that enabled her to earn huge gains a few years ago.
Edited Excerpts:
Q. What does money mean to you? Is it the most important factor when it comes to your life decisions like what to study, career and so forth?
Money is extremely important. Most of the things are not possible without it. If you are financially weak, your health will suffer also. For instance, one can’t get access to medical therapies without money. It is important for all the vital things in life.
Q. What do you spend your money on every month? Can you give a breakup in percentage terms?
I save 20 percent, spend 30 percent on charity, another 10 percent on spa and the rest on my family. As far as the charity is concerned, I spend all the money from my pocket and don't borrow money from anyone.
Q. What is the linkage that you see between profession and being financially healthy?
We all should aim to lead healthy and happy lives. For this, we should steer clear of loneliness and addiction. Importantly, if we are loyal to our profession, we can earn a lot of money.
Q. What do you think about investing your money? If you have a certain amount of money set aside, will you want to invest it in the stock market, mutual funds, or do you just keep it in your bank savings account?
I would prefer to invest in a property as the real estate gives the highest returns. Besides this, I prefer to invest in mutual funds and securities. Higher the risk, higher the return – goes the age-old adage.
Q. Can you tell us something about passion for your job?
Passion is very important. If you are devoted to your profession, the money will follow on its own.
I don't believe in only accumulating wealth. The real wealthy people are the ones who enjoy their wealth. For my passion, I organise medical camps for the underprivileged persons in my home town of Kanpur.
We recently organised a camp in an urban slum here. There were 300 children, women and elderly who were infected with anaemia. We distributed iron tablets and homeopathic medicines among them.
Q. Do you think you have an understanding on how to save and invest? If yes, how did you learn? If not, are you trying to learn?
I am interested in saving. I am an explorer of life, passionate of travelling. I believe saving is imperative as it gives you confidence about your future.
My mother used to invest in stock markets. Despite being a homemaker, she made a lot of money from the markets. And I follow into her footsteps. We invested in gold in 2015 and made around ₹5 lakh in a few years.
But besides these assets, it is advisable — excuse me for being philosophical — to invest in children. They are the real wealth.
Q. Do you follow social media influencers and follow their investment advice?
I do not follow social media influencers or even too much of social media. I believe in making judicious use of time. People tend to get lost in the virtual world by wasting too much time on the social media.
Q. What are your future plans?
I plan to expand my wellness initiative i.e., ‘Aura Healer’. Besides this, my immediate future plan includes sharing my knowledge at a conference in Hahnemann College of Homeopathy in Slough, UK on October 25.
This will revolve around homeopathy and neurology, where I would share my insights about some of the rare treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer that are offered by homeopathy, unlike allopathy.
