Monika Halan had a master’s degree in economics but no idea how to write a cheque. That jarring gap became the origin of her life’s mission: making personal finance accessible to every Indian.

In this conversation with moderator Anamika, Halan traces India’s financial illiteracy to centuries of colonial impoverishment — a generational memory that elevated poverty as virtue and made money a taboo subject. She introduces her signature Runway Rule: secure your present with an emergency fund, insurance, clear nominations, and a will before placing a single rupee at risk. Her most striking argument is on gender: girls are never raised to ask about money, leaving them catastrophically unprepared for the “Double D” — death and divorce. Drawing on twelve years inside SEBI’s mutual fund committee, she explains how mutual funds have been hard-coded for retail safety, while life insurance products remain a mis-selling scandal waiting to repeat. A reference to Yudhishthira’s Mahabharata answer on mortality anchors her case for legacy documentation and estate planning.

The session closes with sharp audience Q&A on handling crypto temptation, SIP versus lump sum investing, India’s macroeconomic resilience, and Halan’s own asset allocation philosophy: equity-first, always.

About the Speaker:
Monika Halan A voice you can trust on all matters money. Monika Halan is a writer and broadcaster who cuts through the jargon on personal finance. She plugs back learnings the ground to work with regulators and policy makers to make markets safe for ordinary investors.

Anamika is part of the management team at Garuda Prakashan.