’10 30 50′: Edelweiss MF CEO Radhika Gupta’s rule to save in your 20s, 30s, and 40s

Whether you’re juggling home loans or tempted by late-night food delivery, saving money can feel impossible—until Edelweiss Mutual Fund CEO Radhika Gupta breaks it down with a cricket-inspired strategy and her powerful 10-30-50 rule.

In her new book Mango Millionaire, co-authored with Niranjan Avasthi, Gupta compares saving to net practice before a cricket match: essential, repetitive, and the foundation of financial success. “No player would dream of walking into a match without net practice,” she writes, “and no investor can succeed without mastering saving first.”

Her 10-30-50 rule lays out a clear, decade-by-decade roadmap:

• 10% in your 20s: Start small—even 1% is enough to build the habit. Think of saving as “paying your future self,” Gupta says, especially when flashy purchases are tempting.
• 30% in your 30s–40s: With rising income from promotions or business growth, step up savings to 30%.
• 50% in your 40s+: As expenses like retirement and kids’ education loom, aim to save half your income.

To make saving seamless, Gupta introduces a “TDS hack” inspired by the tax system—only this time, it’s SDS or Savings Deducted at Source. “Imagine if your money was automatically routed to SIPs, RDs, or FDs before you could spend it—like a financial autopilot steering you toward your goals.”

Gupta emphasizes that habit beats amount when it comes to saving. “Initially, forming the habit of saving is more important than the percentage of money you save,” she writes.

Mango Millionaire is packed with real-life stories and down-to-earth advice—not about chasing unicorn IPOs, but about helping everyday Indians (“mango people”) build lifelong wealth without sacrificing life’s pleasures.