Shifting Sands

It was in March 2020 that the Covid virus first started showing its true colours. Two years later, the world and the lives around us have changed in more ways than one. With Covid creating new priorities, it is not surprising that people’s life and financial goals have also changed. Unplanned medical expenditure, job losses, pay cuts and volatility in the stock markets have all played a part in how people now visualise their financial lives. According to a recent report by Standard Chartered, Wealth Expectancy 2021: Bridging The Confidence Gap, almost 94 per cent of the Indians who participated in the study, have set new life goals in the last 18 months. The study, which was conducted across 12 global markets, interviewed 1,501 people in India. Almost 41 per cent Indians said that the pandemic prompted them to rethink their overall priorities, and 39 per cent felt it was important...