Ashwani Nexus

  A few months ago, I was catching up with a friend — a senior executive in a large company. Sharp, respected, and someone who could spot a financial discrepancy from a mile away. Naturally, he managed his own investments. “I’ve been in finance for 20 years,” he said, smiling. “I know what I’m doing.” As we talked, I asked him how his portfolio was performing. “Pretty good,” he said confidently. “A few stocks doubled — can’t complain.” But when he pulled up his records, the story changed. For every stock that had doubled, there were two that had quietly sunk. Buys made on tips , trends , and gut feeling — all sitting in the red. It wasn’t lack of knowledge. It was overconfidence — the silent assumption that I’m always right. He had fallen into the same trap many individual investors do — remembering the winners and conveniently forgetting the losers. That evening, we discussed something simple yet powerful — the difference between being financially knowledgeabl...

  We often hear about the “Protection Gap” in big numbers — billions of dollars, percentages of GDP, and other abstract data. We also hear debates around the “low returns” from life insurance compared to other investments. But the real story isn’t about statistics. It’s deeply personal. Let’s look at it in simple, human terms — through the lens of Life Insurance. Imagine a person — let’s call him “A.” While alive, A earns an income that keeps the household running: paying bills, funding education, managing EMIs, and doing a hundred little things that hold a family together. A might also have some loans — a home loan, a car loan — along with a few savings or investments that give a sense of financial comfort. Now imagine, suddenly, A is no longer there. The income stops. But the expenses, EMIs, and financial commitments don’t. The “high-return” investments that seemed promising on paper can’t step in to pay school fees or clear a home loan. That’s where Life Insurance quietly ste...

  Today, during a long conversation with a friend — an academic who works closely with organizations on transformation — we found ourselves reflecting on how rapidly the environment is changing. AI is disrupting systems and processes, entire business models are being reimagined, and many organizations are scrambling to respond. We started talking about which kinds of organizations might thrive in such times… and which might quietly fade away. My friend said something that stayed with me: “Organizations that become overtly sensitive to critical appraisal — that are busy projecting their achievements and hiding their failures — will struggle to survive.” That hit home. Because when the world around you is shifting every day, survival isn’t about perfection — it’s about learning faster than the change itself. And learning demands honesty. It demands an authentic culture — one that encourages open conversations, where even uncomfortable truths are heard without fear. Su...

The AI revolution isn't just about smarter tools — it's about tearing down structures we've taken for granted. For decades, financial services have been built on hierarchy: 📌 Top-heavy decision-making 📌 A rigid chain of command 📌 Massive middle layers supervising and relaying information 📌 Standardized products from the top, sold at the bottom But that model is running out of time. Here’s what’s coming: 💡 AI replaces the specialist — It doesn’t just automate tasks; it generates real-time insights, runs compliance checks, and offers personalized financial strategies at scale. 💡 No need for layers of oversight — AI will monitor, flag, and recommend. MIS reports? Auto-generated and continuously updated. The middle management’s role in control and supervision? Radically reduced. 💡 From standardization to hyper-personalization — AI enables infinite product customization. That means the real value will shift to the frontline — professionals who can vet AI-generated opt...

  A friend called me last week — perplexed, almost guilty. He asked, “Should I shift my home loan to another NBFC offering a lower rate of interest?” He wasn’t just asking about money. He was asking about loyalty. This was the same housing finance company that had stood by him for years — funding every property he had ever bought. A relationship built over time, trust, and milestones. But numbers don’t always respect emotions. The Situation 🔍 Loan Outstanding: ₹1 crore Remaining Tenure: 15 years Current ROI: 8.35% p.a. (floating) Offered ROI by New NBFC: 7.75% p.a. (floating) His existing HFC refused to reduce the rate — even though new customers with similar CIBIL scores were being offered 7.55%! It wasn’t about affordability. It was about fairness. The Back-of-Envelope Math 📊 ·        At 8.35% , his total interest outgo over 15 years = ₹75.67 lakh. At 7.75% , for roughly the same EMI (~₹97,700), the l...