New Delhi: After spending nearly a decade in the United States, an NRI who recently returned to India is now making waves with his inspiring financial journey. He has successfully built assets worth over Rs 12 crore and established a steady passive income stream of around Rs 1.5 lakh per month—offering valuable insights into smart investing, long-term planning, and the power of financial discipline.
According to his Reddit post, the user shared that he has no regrets about leaving the US and is genuinely enjoying his return to India. “I liked my 7 years there — the clean air, water, and systems were nice — but I’ve never felt unhealthy living in India either, so I don’t see much difference in all that talk,” he wrote.
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In 2007, the individual who is now in his 40s moved to the US to pursue a master’s degree, funded by a Rs 5 lakh student loan. At the time, his family was already struggling with a debt of around Rs 40 lakh. Instead of following the traditional path of taking up a full-time job after graduation, he chose a different route. While still studying, he launched a small software company, taking on freelance projects from clients across the globe and laying the foundation for his future success.
His software business flourished over the next 13 years . He managed to clear his family’s debts, purchased a home in the US, and gradually began investing in real estate. However, after his father’s passing in 2016, he felt a strong pull back to India. Wanting to be closer to his mother and believing that Pune offered better long-term opportunities for his children, he made the decision to relocate with his family.
In 2016, following his father’s passing, he made the decision to return to India for good. Even though his work was fully remote—giving him the flexibility to live anywhere—he chose Pune. The city offered better educational opportunities and a more promising future for his children, making it the ideal place to start the next chapter of their lives.
The Reddit user gave a detailed breakdown of his current investments, which reflect a smart mix of real estate, stocks, and gold. His portfolio includes agricultural land valued at around Rs 2 crore, residential flats worth another Rs 2 crore that earn him Rs 34,000 in monthly rent, and two office spaces valued at Rs 3 crore, generating Rs 1 lakh in rental income each month.
In addition, he owns a self-occupied flat for his family worth approximately Rs 2 crore. His stock investments, valued at Rs 2 crore, bring in about Rs 2 lakh annually through dividends. He also holds around Rs 1 crore in gold and maintains Rs 50 lakh in cash reserves for added security. While his passive income continues to grow, his software business remains his primary source of active income, generating a profit of nearly Rs 80 lakh each year.
With a solid financial base in place, he’s now focused on growing his wealth through strategic investments. He’s started allocating more of his savings into small-cap mutual funds, recognizing their higher risk but also their strong growth potential. To maintain balance, he’s also begun investing in international mutual funds as a way to hedge against any potential slowdown in the Indian market.
For him, true financial independence means having a reliable income stream without needing to work every day. Thanks to his investments in real estate and dividend-paying stocks, he now earns around Rs 1.5 lakh per month in passive income giving him both freedom and peace of mind.
He summed up his journey with a powerful message about financial priorities and freedom: “My conclusion is simple: live where you can save the most and build financial independence. Once you cross 40, you should be working only if you want to — not because you have to. That freedom is worth more than anything else,” he said.
Looking back on his decision to leave the US, he says he has no regrets. While he appreciated the clean infrastructure and organized systems abroad, what matters more to him now is being close to family, being able to care for his mother, and enjoying the everyday conveniences—like affordable domestic help—that are harder to come by in the US.
“Live where you can save the most and build financial independence,” he concluded, adding that after 40, one should work only out of choice, not compulsion.
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