A Deeper Look into the Unspoken Chapters of Sanjay Kathuria’s Journey
In the world of personal finance, numbers often take center stage. But behind every graph, return rate, and compounding curve, there’s a story. And Sanjay Kathuria’s is unlike most.
At 39, when many are chasing promotions, he walked away from a well-paying career, not because he was tired, but because he was financially free. But freedom wasn’t a spreadsheet formula.
It was waking up without dread. It was saying no to meetings that drained him and yes to mentoring strangers who reminded him of his younger self. “I didn’t retire early to stop working. I retired to stop compromising,” he says.
What most people know: He’s a CFA, an early retiree, and a mentor to over 25,000 individuals.
What they don’t: He battled a fear of failure so deeply rooted, it almost stopped him from posting his first finance video.
The Night the Algorithm Didn’t Matter
When Sanjay’s first video crossed 1,000 views, he didn’t celebrate. He sat in silence, overwhelmed. “Not because of the views,” he recalls. “But because someone messaged me saying, ‘I’ve never understood money before. Thank you.’ That was the win.”
Today, with over 2.4 million followers across platforms, Sanjay still carries that message with him in every script, every video, every word of advice.
Rooted in Middle-Class Reality
Sanjay’s story doesn’t begin in air-conditioned boardrooms. It begins in a modest home where dinner-table conversations often end with his father’s sighs about rising costs and unpaid bills.
“I wasn’t born rich. I wasn’t even born financially literate,” he says. “But I was observant. I watched what money could do and undo to a family.”
His turning point wasn’t a financial milestone. It was watching his parents’ stress dissolve when he took over their financial planning. “The peace in their eyes… that’s when I knew this work mattered.”
A Personal Life That Mirrors Simplicity
Despite his professional success, Sanjay lives a minimalist life. No luxury cars. No designer watches. His phone is six years old. “I don’t buy things to impress people. I invest to protect freedom,” he says with a half-smile.
He starts his mornings with his secret Money Manifestation Technique and priming for the day. His day is now busier than when he was in a job. He recalls “In a job you can take a Chai Sutta break every hour, not that I smoke, but here, sometimes even after 5 hours you feel that you don't want to take a break, that's what happens when Purpose takes over Pay cheque”.
Lessons for the Next Generation
Sanjay doesn’t just teach about SIPs and asset allocation. He talks about financial anxiety. About being the first in your family to break the cycle of debt. About money fights in marriage. About the guilt of earning more than your parents ever did.
His message to the youth: “Earn money. But don’t lose yourself earning it. And when you start earning, don’t forget to teach your parents about financial independence too.”
He’s Not Here to Sell a Dream. He’s Here to Wake You Up.
From TEDx stages to mentoring teenagers in remote towns, Sanjay’s mission is clear: to close the financial literacy gap not with jargon, but with empathy.
He’s currently working on a personal project, a short documentary on “financial trauma” and how childhood money stress silently shapes adult behavior. It’s personal, he says. “We talk about healing mental wounds, but what about the financial ones?”
What’s Next? Stillness. And Scale.
“I’m not building a personal brand. I’m building a personal responsibility,” he says. Whether it’s his new series on "Money and Mental Health" or his quietly growing mentorship platform, Sanjay isn’t after attention. He’s after impact.
In a world obsessed with overnight success and shiny returns, Sanjay Kathuria’s story is a gentle rebellion, one that says: real wealth is the ability to sleep peacefully, wake up purposefully, and live freely.
