Today, I received a phone call that I wasn’t expecting.
The caller said she was looking for financial counselling.
Like most financial professionals, I assumed she meant financial consulting or financial planning. But within two minutes, I realized I had misunderstood.
She wasn’t looking for someone to recommend investments.
She was looking for someone who could help a family member come out of the addiction of investing and trading in equities.
That conversation made me think…
We often discuss alcohol addiction, gambling addiction, or social media addiction.
But how often do we talk about investment addiction?
It usually starts innocently.
A colleague shares how much money they made in a stock.
A friend talks about a multibagger.
Social media is flooded with screenshots of extraordinary returns.
News channels keep discussing the “next big opportunity.”
And somewhere, we start believing:
“If they can do it, why can’t I?”
Deep down, most of us aren’t chasing stocks, actually we’re chasing the dream of becoming wealthy quickly. The idea of creating wealth patiently over 15-20 years often feels too slow when stories of overnight success are all around us. Unfortunately, the desire to get rich fast can make us overlook risks, ignore discipline, and believe that we will be the exception.
What we don’t realize is that every person’s financial situation is different. Their income, responsibilities, risk appetite, and even the losses they never talk about are different.
It reminds me of Abhimanyu and the Chakravyuha.
Getting into direct equity or trading is easy today. Opening an account takes minutes.
The difficult part is knowing when to stop, when to book losses, and when to walk away.
Many investors don’t.
Instead, they keep adding more money, hoping to recover previous losses.
One loss leads to another. Hope replaces discipline.
The numbers are worrying too.
According to SEBI’s latest study:
Around 93% of individual traders in the equity derivatives segment incurred losses in FY26. Their aggregate net losses exceeded Rs. 1.05 lakh crore.
This isn’t about saying that direct equity is bad.
Direct equity can be a wonderful wealth creation tool but for those who have the knowledge, temperament, time, and discipline to manage it.
The real issue is when investing becomes emotional rather than rational.
Sometimes, people don’t need another stock recommendation.
They need someone who can say:
“Pause.”
“Protect your family’s future.”
“You don’t have to recover every loss.”
Maybe that’s what financial counselling truly means.
Not helping people make more money…
But helping them avoid decisions that could destroy the wealth they have already built.
What do you think? Should financial counselling become a specialized service, just like career counselling or mental health counselling? I’d love to hear your perspective.
Definitely…
Money decisions affect life as much as career or health choices, yet most people learn finance by trial and error. A financial counselor helps with budgeting, debt, investments, insurance, and retirement planning based on personal goals. Just as we consult doctors or career guides, expert financial advice prevents costly mistakes and builds long term security.
Completely agree. Not every financial problem needs an investment solution, “sometimes it needs a behavioural solution”