Navratri comes every year. For nine days the house fills with fasting, prayer and celebration — and when it ends, everything slips back to normal. This year, give the nine days a second purpose. Alongside worshipping the Goddess, complete one small financial task each day; none needs more than an hour. A question that arrives constantly is "where do I start?" Here is the answer: nine days, nine tasks.
The challenge at a glance
Day 1 — Check every nominee
Open each bank account, fixed deposit, mutual fund folio and insurance policy, and look at who is actually named as the nominee. Life moves — marriage, the loss of a loved one, a change in relationships — and nominations quietly fall out of date.
Bring every nomination in line with your current circumstances, and remember the easily-missed ones: bank lockers, demat accounts and anything else of value held in your name.
Day 2 — Write down your net worth
Take a diary page. On the left, list everything you own — the flat, gold, fixed deposits, mutual funds, PPF, cash. On the right, list everything you owe — home loan, car loan, credit card outstanding. Subtract one from the other. That number is your net worth.
Most people have never done this in writing. Seeing the number on paper changes how you think about money: it turns a vague feeling into a fact you can act on.
Day 3 — Review your emergency fund
You should be able to reach three to six months of household expenses at any time. A savings account is ideal; liquid funds, which take a working day or two to reach your bank, are a good second layer.
If the fund does not exist yet, today is the day it starts. A modest standing transfer every month builds it faster than waiting for a lump sum that never comes.
Day 4 — Check what your insurance actually covers
Pull out every policy — health, life, motor, home — and read what it covers, what it excludes, and when it expires. Then ask one simple question: if something went wrong tomorrow, would these policies actually hold your family up?
If the honest answer is no, write down the gaps today. Fixing them is a separate exercise; knowing them is Day 4’s job.
Day 5 — Open every investment account
Log in to each investment account and look at what is actually inside. Are all your SIPs running as they should? Is there a folio you had forgotten about entirely?
You do not need to produce a report — but you should be able to say, roughly, what you own and which goal each investment is working for. If you cannot, this hour closes that gap.
Day 6 — Talk about money with your family
This one needs no spreadsheet; a conversation over tea will do. Who knows where the locker keys are kept? What loans are currently running? Who knows the passwords?
The real question underneath: if something happened to one person, could the others manage the family’s affairs? In many households the honest answer is no — and one conversation starts changing that.
Day 7 — Check your credit score
India has four licensed credit bureaus — TransUnion CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark — and you are entitled to one free credit report from each of them every year.
Visit any bureau’s website, fill in the required details and pull your report. If the score is lower than you expected, the report will usually tell you why — a forgotten card, a missed EMI, high utilisation — and each of those can be worked on.
Day 8 — Review your income-tax position
If you are in the old regime, check how much of the ₹1.5 lakh available under Section 80C you have used this year and how much room is left. October is early enough to invest the balance thoughtfully rather than in a March panic.
If you are in the new regime, use the hour differently: revisit whether that choice was a deliberate calculation or a default, and run your own numbers for both regimes.
Day 9 — Map the access to your money
Collect into one folder — physical or a secure digital space — the things your family would need in an emergency: your will, locker keys, a list of every account, each policy with its number, and the contact details of your CA or financial adviser.
Write down your passwords and secure them properly, then tell one trusted person where the folder is kept. These are the nine things we all keep meaning to do “someday”. The nine days of Navratri are that someday.
From strength to wealth
Navratri is devoted to the Goddess in her forms of strength; Deepawali, which follows, welcomes Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth. The sequence is no accident — strength first, prosperity after.
Nine days, nine hours of honest effort, and you will have done more for your family’s financial security than most people manage in a year. What better way to prepare to welcome Goddess Lakshmi than with your financial house genuinely in order?
Key takeaways
- One task a day for nine days — none needs more than an hour
- Nominations, updated everywhere, are the cheapest protection your family can have
- A net worth written on paper beats a number guessed in the head
- Keep three to six months of expenses within easy reach at all times
- Your family should know what exists, what is owed and where the keys are
- One folder holding the will, accounts, policies and contacts completes the challenge
Want a head start on the challenge? Measure where you stand in a few minutes.
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Open your investment accountThis article is for general information only and is not financial advice. Mutual fund and market-linked investments carry risk. Please consult a qualified financial professional for guidance specific to you.
