A Delhi-based entrepreneur has stirred a heated conversation online after sharing a strongly worded LinkedIn post questioning the spending habits of high-earning professionals who claim even salaries as high as ₹75 lakh per annum are not enough to sustain their lifestyle.
The viral post
Abhijit Chakraborty, the entrepreneur in question, took to LinkedIn to vent his frustration over what he called poor financial decision-making masked as helplessness. He began his post by saying, “Been reading a lot of posts and articles by educated, high earning people who say 40 LPA, 50 LPA or even 75 LPA is not enough to survive because of 2 lakh home loan EMIs, 50K car loan EMIs, expensive lifestyle, etc etc. It makes me so angry. Who asked you to buy a home you cannot afford?”
While Chakraborty expressed some understanding for those investing in property, calling it a “saving on rent” and a “positively appreciating asset,” he was less forgiving of the choice to take large car loans. “How do you explain spending 50K EMI (or about 20 lakhs on the car, assuming a 4 year loan), when you don't have the means?” he asked. “When did a Creta become so intrinsically linked to your existence?”
{{/usCountry}}While Chakraborty expressed some understanding for those investing in property, calling it a “saving on rent” and a “positively appreciating asset,” he was less forgiving of the choice to take large car loans. “How do you explain spending 50K EMI (or about 20 lakhs on the car, assuming a 4 year loan), when you don't have the means?” he asked. “When did a Creta become so intrinsically linked to your existence?”
{{/usCountry}}Sharing his own experience, Chakraborty wrote, “When I was at 30 LPA, I was still driving a 5 lakh rupee car. At 60 LPA, I decided to upgrade to a 10 lakh rupee car.” He emphasised that he never took a loan to buy his vehicles or property. “Financial misery is often a result of poor decisions rather than actual constraints,” he said, adding, “They trade ego for peace of mind. And then they complain 75 LPA is not enough to live in Bangalore or Gurgaon.”
Check out the post here:
Mixed reactions online
The post drew a range of responses on LinkedIn. One user quipped, “Trying to figure out if you’re giving financial advice or bragging.” Another added, “I love the way how you steered the narrative about expressing concern to subtly bragging that you earned '30 LPA ages ago'."
Others came to his defence, with one noting, “They don't discriminate between needs and desires,” while another remarked, “Exactly! You choose your lifestyle and not the other way round.” One user commented, “Don’t discourage them man. These people are the backbone of the consumer economy!” Another pointed out, “Given the infra and house rent of, say, Bengaluru—owning a good four-wheeler and a house is not a luxury, at all. It’s a necessity.”
One comment summarised the broader concern: “Easy credit and social media is only pushing the idea that ‘more is better’. Hoping people start understanding the trap they are getting in and start practising conscious living.”