Overview
Finance mentor Palak Jain shared a LinkedIn post highlighting how high-paying professionals can still struggle financially.
Her example—Priya, a software engineer with a Rs 50 lakh salary and Rs 60 lakh total debt—shows how glossy
social media lives can mask cash-flow stress.
‘The Instagram Life’
- Salary: Rs 50 lakh (software engineer).
- Car: BMW on EMI.
- Home: Apartment in Gurugram with Rs 40 lakh loan.
- Travel posts: Dubai and more.
- LinkedIn following: 10,000+.
‘The Bank Account Reality’
- Total debt: Rs 60 lakh.
- Monthly EMIs: Rs 85,000.
- Other monthly expenses: Rs 50,000.
- No emergency fund; lives paycheck-to-paycheck.
- Any shock (medical/family) could risk financial distress.
‘The Brutal Math’ (Illustrative)
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly take-home (after tax) | ≈ Rs 2.8 lakh | On Rs 50 lakh annual CTC |
| EMIs | Rs 85,000 | Home + car |
| Regular expenses | Rs 50,000 | Lifestyle & essentials |
| Visible monthly outflow | Rs 1.35 lakh | EMIs + expenses |
| On-paper potential savings | ≈ Rs 1.45 lakh | 2.8L – 1.35L |
| Hidden/irregular costs | Varies | Insurance, maintenance, repairs, society fees, home upkeep, healthcare, lifestyle extras |
“Rs 50 lakh salary. Rs 60 lakh debt. Meet the ‘successful’ millennial who’s actually broke… This is Priya’s story. And it might be yours too.” — Palak Jain
Palak adds that on-paper savings often shrink once car maintenance, insurance, repairs, home upkeep, society fees, lifestyle expenses, and unexpected medical bills are counted—“reduces it a…” (original post text truncated).
Bottom Line: A high income can still coexist with fragile finances when debt and lifestyle costs dominate cash flows.
Building an emergency fund, right-sizing EMIs, and tracking irregular expenses are crucial to avoid being “rich on paper, broke in reality.”
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