Know your spending to grow your wealth
- Abhinav Kaul
- TNNUpdated: May 19, 2026, 19:32 IST IST
Most people don’t truly know where their money goes — and that’s where wealthbuilding actually starts. Before picking the right fund or stock, understanding your spending patterns matters more. Expense trackers and AI tools aren’t just bookkeeping; they expose the hidden habits that shape your financial future.
A survey conducted between Aug and Sept 2025 by CGAP, a US-based think tank that promotes financial inclusion, found that 85% of personal finance management (PFM) app users in India reported improvements in their ability to manage their finances because of these tools, with 31% reporting significant improvement. Anjana Jayalakshmi, a 27-year-old senior content consultant from Chennai, started budgeting when she was 20, through rows and columns in Excel, spending two hours every month trying to assemble a complete picture from her own memory and bank messages. The effort was exhausting, and left gaps.
A survey conducted between Aug and Sept 2025 by CGAP, a US-based think tank that promotes financial inclusion, found that 85% of personal finance management (PFM) app users in India reported improvements in their ability to manage their finances because of these tools, with 31% reporting significant improvement. Anjana Jayalakshmi, a 27-year-old senior content consultant from Chennai, started budgeting when she was 20, through rows and columns in Excel, spending two hours every month trying to assemble a complete picture from her own memory and bank messages. The effort was exhausting, and left gaps.
