Sachin's 50th Birthday: 5 Money Lessons We Can Learn From The Master Blaster's Cricket Career

Sachin has hit yet another half-century, but this time, it's off the field.

The master blaster, and one of the greatest players to have ever played cricket, has turned 50 years old today. Not just India, fans, players and admirers from all over the world must be celebrating his bday and conveying their good wishes.

While it's a no-brainer that millions around the world must have learned and admired the cricketing legend's career, not many are aware of the financial planning lessons his cricket journey teaches us.

Money Lessons From Sachin Tendulkar's Cricket Career

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Curious to know? Read on as we explain money lessons that we all can learn from the little master blaster's cricket career.

1. Starting Early Helps

Sachin Tendulkar held his first bat at the age of just 11 years, and he went on to debut for India as a teenager aged 16 years in 1989. Who would have thought in 1989 that this teenager would go on to become one of the world's greatest batters to ever grace the game? And it was not a rosy ride, with lots of ups and downs. But starting early in his teenage years allowed the little master blaster more time to further understand his game, his strengths, and his weaknesses, and accordingly get better and better. And the rest, as we know, is history.

Similarly, when it comes to financial planning, the phrase 'the early bird catches the worm' holds true. We keep hearing this all the time that one should start saving early. Starting early not allows you more time to learn from your mistakes and improve, but also helps to accumulate greater wealth without stressing about your finances too much.

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For example, if a 25-year-old starts to invest just a small amount like Rs 5000 per month in an equity mutual fund through SIP mode (assuming a conservative 12% return), and continues to invest till the age of, say 50 years, the corpus would amount to around Rs 93 lakh.

But if a person begins to invest at the age of, say 35 years, it would require a bigger SIP amount of about Rs 23,000 every month (vs 25-year old's Rs 5,000) to accumulate a similar corpus by the age of 50. And if a 35-year-old thinks of beginning to invest a similar amount like the 25-year-old's Rs 5,000, the accumulated corpus by the time the person reaches 50 years of age, will be lesser, i.e. around Rs 24 lakh.

That's why, the earlier you start, the better you are positioned to maximize the power of compounding, as you allow more time for your money to grow.

Also Read: 5 Investment Lessons We All Can Learn From FIFA World Cup

2. Know When To Quit

After piling up heaps of runs for the country for 24 years, Sachin knew when to hang up his boots. He chose the day he would retire, as he best knew about his mind and body, and also about the status the Indian cricket team had at that moment. Keeping lots of aspects in his mind, he retired on November 16th 2013, about two years after India won the World Cup in 2011.

While the nation would have wanted the little master blaster to play on forever, he perhaps knew when it was time to retire.

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Similarly, when it comes to financial planning, it's important to know when you wish to retire, and accordingly, plan for it. While taking the decision to retire, it's important to take into account your current and expected responsibilities before taking a call. Remember that you should never copy anyone else, as everyone's life has a different journey and the decision should be yours to take.

Also, knowing when to quit helps you exit some investments which may not be yielding expected returns. This way, you could least minimize the loss instead of letting the investment go further deep into the red and eat away all your money!

3. Important To Shut Out The Noise & Stay Focused

One thing that separated Sachin Tendulkar from most other cricketers is his focus on letting his actions speak for themselves. Knowing how aggressive the game gets sometimes and the highs and lows that are a part of the journey, Sachin never had time to stare back at the fast bowler who beat him, or at the cricketers who tried to sledge him.

The master blaster would just look down, walk down a few paces, tap the pitch and take guard again, play his usual innings and let the bat do the talking. Perhaps this characteristic was among the key reasons he continued to stay focused and play at the highest level for over two decades.

Similarly, in financial planning, it is important to stay focused on our financial goals all the time and not let emotional decisions control us. There would be times when life may throw us into difficult situations and the noise from outside could try and deviate us from our financial goals. That is when you should stay focused, shut out the noise, stick to your financial plan and trust it. Whether it's economic uncertainty, stock market ups and downs or something else, do not blindly follow the crowd and ensure to stick to your money mantras and believe in them, as this will help you reach your financial goals.

4. Discipline Pays Off In The Long Run

If we have to choose one quality among the many the little master blaster possesses, it would be his discipline, right? No matter how many injuries or ups and downs in his form came during his career, Sachin would always have belief in himself and remain disciplined, and trust the process. He would always thrive to improve as well. That discipline, that commitment to his career is the single most important virtue that made him what he is.

A legend indeed.

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Similarly, in financial planning, it is hard but never impossible to have discipline. There may be lots of shortcuts to becoming wealthy quickly. But that won't last. It is only through being financially disciplined that you can accumulate wealth. For example, instead of expecting miracles to make you rich when investing, it is better to be disciplined and stick to the basics. If you are doing SIPs towards a goal, do not stop midway, and continue to invest in a disciplined manner until the goal is reached.

5. Always Have A Post-Retirement Plan

No matter how much you are earning during your work life years, it's always important to have a post-retirement plan.

During his playing days, Sachin, being a foodie opened a chain of fine-dine restaurants. Besides that, he has also invested in many different companies where he holds various percentages of stakes. These include Smartron India, Smaaash Entertainment, JetSynthesys, Spinny, etc.

All this supplements the other income that he receives from endorsements. All this diversification has been a key to having a financially stress-free post-retirement life.

Similarly, it is very important to plan for one¡¯s retirement well in advance and not when we are just a few years away from it. And do not forget to diversify, as that helps to lower the risk in your overall investment portfolio. Remember that planning for your post-retirement years will not only leave you stress-free, but also enable you to enjoy those golden years to the fullest after working so hard for most of your life.

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