If you earn less than ₹50,000 per month, should your biggest financial goal be finding the right mutual fund? Or should you focus on increasing your income first? The question has sparked a lively conversation online after YouTuber and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia shared his thoughts on money, savings and wealth building. Instead, they believe their energies are better spent figuring out how to earn more. “If you are earning less than Rs 50,000 per month, stop thinking about where to invest. Start thinking about earning more. Saving Rs 5,000 per month will not change your life. Double your income will. And never increase your lifestyle as fast as you increase your income. Fix the inputs before optimizing the output. Something I knew while building beerbiceps from scratch Had to put it,” he wrote in the post. His post immediately caught people’s attention. But amidst all this, Ranveer’s advice is being liked by many women across the country. Why this advice may appeal to many women in particular For many women, money decisions often come with an added layer of responsibility. There are many financial priorities that compete for attention, whether it’s contributing to household expenses, supporting parents, repaying education loans, raising children or resuming a career after a break. This is why Allahabadia’s advice has influenced many working women who sometimes feel guilty for not investing “enough.” Financial experts have long said that investing is important, but your income is one of the biggest factors that determines how quickly you can build wealth. Simply put, you can only save so much with a limited salary. For someone earning ₹35,000 per month, increasing your income to ₹60,000 or ₹70,000 through a promotion, job switch, freelance work or learning a new skill can have a much bigger impact than trying to squeeze an extra ₹1,000 into investments every month. The Trap of “Save First, Ask for More Later” Ask any woman who has ever negotiated, or tried to, a pay raise, and she’ll tell you it comes with a special kind of guilt. Her male colleagues rarely keep up. Several studies on India’s workplace behavior have shown that women are statistically less likely to demand a pay raise, less likely to negotiate a starting salary, and far more likely to accept the first number given. Instinct is not laziness or lack of ambition, it is conditioning. Allahabadia’s advice essentially says: That ₹500 you’re saving by skipping lunch isn’t going to be your ticket to financial freedom. It could be learning a new skill, changing jobs, having a tough conversation, or starting that side business. The message is not ‘don’t save’ Allahabadia is not telling people to stop saving completely. His big message is about priorities. If most of your salary is already spent on rent, groceries, transportation, and bills, spending hours comparing investment products may not make the biggest difference in your financial future. Instead, that time can be used to upgrade your skills, negotiate a higher salary, create additional income, or prepare for a higher paying role. For women, this could mean taking online certification, learning digital skills, improving communication, starting a freelance service, or turning an existing hobby into an additional source of income. He warns against lifestyle traps Another piece of Allahabadia’s advice that resonated with many was his warning against lifestyle inflation. This is a pattern that many young professionals fall into. Salary increases often lead to a bigger house, more shopping, expensive gadgets, frequent food deliveries or luxury vacations. Soon, the higher salary disappears into higher expenses. His advice is simple: Don’t let your expenses grow as fast as your income grows. For women working toward financial independence, this can be especially valuable. Allowing salary increases to increase savings and investments rather than just lifestyle upgrades can help build emergency funds, retirement savings and long-term security faster. Whether you agree with Allahabadia’s exact words or not, his post sheds light on an important financial question: Are you spending more time trying to maximize small income, or finding ways to increase it? For women, financial independence is not just about cutting expenses or choosing the right investment plan. It also comes from demanding the pay raise you deserve, switching to better opportunities, learning high-value skills, and creating multiple income sources. Saving wisely always matters. But in many cases, your greatest financial asset isn’t the ₹5,000 you invest every month: It’s your ability to compound what you earn over the years.