Actor Alia Bhatt saw success rather early in life but comes across as a sensible person. Her financial planning too reflects that attitude. In a new interview with Economic Times’ Panache magazine, she said how she knows how to live within a budget and invests in bonds and mutual funds.
She said that she believed in the merits of living within a budget. She said, “I can live within a budget. I don’t spend that much. My chartered accountant often tells me ‘Why don’t you spend more?’”
Alia also mentioned how even as a teenager she was frugal with her expenses and would accompany her mother and sister for their holidays to London, reportedly the only place they went to as kids. She would often go to a store called Primark (known to be a budget store line across United Kingdom) to buy stuff in 5 to 6 pounds. She still buys her pyjamas from the said store. Speaking matter-of-factly she said, “Even now I buy my pyjamas from Primark. So what? They’re pyjamas. How different can they be?”
Alia also said that she doesn’t understand financial matters. She told the publication that over the years she has tried to understand the subject and revealed that she invests in mutual funds, bonds and FDs. She was quoted as saying, “I still don’t understand investing, but over the years, I’ve become keen to learn more. My home in Mumbai (Juhu, Mumbai) is the first property I bought. I invest in FDs and bonds. Mutual Funds are good, so I’ve been told.”
She does splurge every now and then though, on fancy bags and gym clothes. She said, “The first expensive thing I bought (as a teenager) was with my own money — a Louis Vuitton bag. I splurge most on bags. I love them. And gym clothes. I have every sort of trackpant from Lululemon.”
She also loves spending on holidays. She added, “I also splurge on holidays, but take one holiday a year — a New Year one. I spend on the destination and the hotel. I hate shopping when I’m on holiday.”
Alia wishes to own a private jet and a home in the mountains. “A private jet would be a luxury. I have chartered one before, but not for a holiday. A home in the mountains is a dream. I’ll fulfil it later in life. I had a dream to buy a house in London and I did in 2018. It’s in Covent Garden and my sister lives there part-time.”
