Financial literacy isn’t seamlessly accessible — especially in our country because we’re not taught taxation and investments unless we picked those as majors. While things haven’t changed as much, financial influencers are trying to bridge this gap.

Sharan Hegde (@financewithsharan) is one such creator known for his financial content. When asked what his mission was, we were told he intends to create financial content for the masses.

In today’s Morning Rush, we’re bringing you the conversation we’ve had with him. 👇🏼

But, First: Who’s Sharan Hegde?

Let’s dig into the conversation now. 🤯

Thousand Faces Club: What got you into finance or understanding money?

Sharan: My father owned a restaurant in Mysore, and during summer vacations, I'd go to the restaurant. I used to love collecting money, reading books, and inquiring about cash flow at the cash counter. That's how I got interested in money, but like most Indian parents, my parents' knowledge of investing was confined to a savings account, FD, and real estate. But, they never discouraged me from talking about money or savings. Besides, whenever I received money on festivals from my grandma, I’d save, and when the savings reached a lakh, I wanted to invest it. I wanted to go beyond a savings account and FD and leaned towards the stock market

Thousand Faces Club: Interesting! What made you get into creating financial content?

Sharan: Most of my friends and I entered the job market during the pandemic, and I used to explain investment options and taxation to them. I'd individually explain these terms to each of my friends, but I was getting frustrated doing it repeatedly. I also understood there was a knowledge gap for these concepts even beyond my friends' circle as we're not taught these things at school. That's what inspired me — besides, I had free time during the pandemic and consumed more content. Soon, I discovered Ali Abdaal, who achieved so many things and was the source of inspiration for me to get started.

Thousand Faces Club: Right! Do you have a content creation strategy?

Sharan: My strategy is simple — I try to explain things as I would to a 10 or 15-year-old. I also cover topics like taxation, mutual funds, and insurance regularly. Another way I pick content is based on what's out there; since I don't create new content, it's mostly about repackaging existing content in simpler formats.

Thousand Faces Club: As an influencer, it must tough to reduce your screen time. How do you ensure you spend less time online?

Sharan: I limit my social media consumption by setting up time reminders that notify me whenever I spend more than intended time. Now that we're all stuck at home, we lack social avenues, so I ensure to eat all my meals with my family — I make it a point not to take my phone and have a conversation with them and live the other part of my life.

So that was a slice from our conversation with Sharan Hegde. Curious to find what else we spoke about? Check out the creator journey we wrote about him. 👇🏼

A management consultant turned financial influencer