Srishailan GS is the vice president for treasury & capital markets at Invest AD, an Abu Dhabi-based asset management firm. The 51-year-old, from India, says property is his biggest investment passion.
Describe your financial journey so far.
I work in the treasury and capital markets division at Invest AD, deploying capital in local money markets and managing foreign-exchange risk for clients, so I guess money is a big part of my life. But it hasn’t always been easy. I come from a middle-class Indian family and both my parents worked hard to take care of me and my three siblings. Growing up, my main focus was always to become financially independent, and at an early age, in the final year of my bachelor’s degree, I joined a bank. My initial years in the banking industry were a struggle, as I was transferred from one state to another in India. But, in hindsight, my whole career has been a wonderful journey, taking me to interesting places and also placing me in a sound financial position. I always dreamed of owning my own home, and bought my first property when I was 28.
Since then, investing in property has become a passion. I moved to Abu Dhabi in 1999, which gave me even more financial freedom, and I continued to invest in property back in India. I have always preferred to invest through my savings, rather than take out loans. And now I have diversified my investments equally into real estate, bonds and equities.
Are you a spender or saver?
I would call myself a saver because of my upbringing. My family was always on a shoestring budget and there was an urge to attain a state of financial stability. This led me to budget all of my expenses when I became financially independent. Lately, the need for budgeting has diminished, as all my goals for saving have been achieved. I expect that I will turn into a spender from now on.
What is your philosophy towards money?
Money is a necessary evil that is needed to achieve a level of comfort for ourselves, and more so for our families. I call it a necessary evil as it has become a matter of importance in this material world, and I find it difficult to stop making it work for me. I hope to achieve a level of contentment one day that would allow me to change from a material person to a philanthropic person.
Have you made any financial mistakes along the way?
I don’t remember making any financial mistakes that cost me too much. We bankers have this false belief that we know how to manage our finances better than anyone. I have tried investing without guidance in the past and burnt my hand. Nowadays I trust in a professional financial planner to manage my money for me.
If you win Dh1 million, what would you do with it?
That is easy to answer. The UAE has been my home away from home for the last 15 years, but I have always shied away from investing in a property here. The first thing I would do is to buy a home in the UAE with some savings, which I have already built up.
What has been your best investment?
I have always been interested in real estate, and my investments in Indian property have paid off well. But for the past seven years most of my savings have been managed by a financial planner and spread across bonds and equity mutual funds. These are also paying off well. Since most of the accumulation has been on a systematic investment plan, I have participated in all market conditions with good results.
What do you enjoy spending your money on?
I rarely indulge in fancy items. Instead, I like to travel and enjoy good food in boutique restaurants with friends and family.
mkassem@thenational.ae
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