Hey There...

I am Franky Fernandes, known to some as Frank, Franko, or FF, and even occasionally as Frankenstein too 😊. I got married to Shabeena in February 2001, and we've been happily married for over 23 years now, as of 2024. This period marked a significant turning point in my life, where I embarked on a journey of discovering the dynamics of a special relationship and exploring my attitude towards money.

Over the past two decades, I've gleaned invaluable insights into relationships and finances that have exceeded my wildest expectations. Despite being everyday aspects of life, both have the power to profoundly transform you and your marriage.
My wife and I have had the privilege of coaching and counseling numerous young couples over the last fifteen years, which has been an immensely rewarding experience.

Background
I grew up in a lower-middle-class family in Mumbai, where my father worked as a tailor and my mother was a homemaker. During my childhood, my brother and I lived with our dear aunt, for which I'll always be grateful. Our parents moved to the Middle East when we were quite young, which inevitably changed our standard of living and shaped my perspective on money.

Work
At the age of 22, I landed a job at SBI Mutual Fund after clearing the All India exams and interviews. This marked my entry into the world of finance, investments, and mutual funds. Over the years, I've witnessed the ebbs and flows of not just the industry but also the stock markets, with the BSE index growing from less than 2000 to a staggering 74000.
After five years at SBI Mutual Fund, I transitioned to SUN F&C, Alliance Capital, and eventually spent the last 18 years with Franklin Templeton in my 28-year career in the asset management industry. In 2020, I decided to pursue my passion for coaching and consulting, stepping down from my role as Director of Business Strategy.
 

Family
I married Shabeena, a speech therapist, in 2001, and we are blessed with two daughters, Neysa (20 yrs) and Areta (16 yrs). Our marital journey began on a rocky note, teaching us invaluable lessons about relationships. Through God’s abundant grace, we overcame our challenges, transforming our mess into a message.
Feeling called to support young families in building strong marriages, we began teaching and counseling couples after just seven years of marriage. We also ventured into pre-marital counseling to equip couples for the journey ahead. Additionally, I authored two books on marriage after leaving the corporate world.
 

Money
Having grown up with parents working abroad and experiencing imported luxuries at an early age, my perception of money was greatly influenced. I naturally became a spendthrift. Even when I began working with SBI Mutual Fund and saw a significant increase in my salary, my financial habits remained unchanged.
Fortunately, there were a few positive practices I adopted. My Christian faith instilled in me a sense of generosity towards the church and those in need. I also learned the importance of budgeting and living within my means, although saving was never a priority.
To address my lack of savings, I made the decision to take out a home loan in the early '90s when it was less common. At the time, I viewed this as a wise investment in purchasing a home early in life. However, in hindsight, I realized it was one of my biggest mistakes in terms of investing. While it forced me to save, it also meant missing out on opportunities to invest in long-term wealth creation instruments like mutual funds, despite being involved in the industry.
 

My initial property investments further compounded my financial missteps. Both purchases, made in the mid-'90s and just before my marriage in 2001, resulted in no profit and eventual losses. I often caution my clients, especially young families, against rushing into property investments early in life.
Even after marriage, my spending habits remained unchanged, leading to the classic conflict of a spender married to a saver. Fortunately, my wife's upbringing, marked by frugality due to the loss of her father at a young age, balanced out our financial dynamics. Her prudent approach to money management saved us from potential financial disasters.
During the early years of our marriage, we faced financial challenges, particularly when we relocated to Hyderabad due to Alliance Capital's closure. My wife chose to prioritize raising our children over pursuing a job, leaving us reliant on a single income to support our family of four. This often led to periods of financial strain, forcing us to live hand to mouth until we could establish a stable foundation for saving and investing.
 
Introduction to Financial Planning
Working in the asset management industry, particularly with mutual funds, exposed me to the world of investing and the potential for high returns. However, despite this exposure, I failed to grasp the importance of patience and consistent, gradual investing. Regrettably, I found myself investing in mutual funds sporadically – a practice I now strongly discourage among my young couple clients.
It wasn't until my early 40s when I met with a financial planner that I realized the extent of my financial mismanagement. The initial shock of that meeting made me confront the reality that I had severely mismanaged my finances. Despite saving diligently, I hadn't made significant progress towards achieving my financial goals.
I found myself lacking sufficient funds for retirement, my children's education, and other important life milestones. Moreover, I had accumulated a portfolio of poor investments, primarily consisting of insurance policies that offered a mix of investment and insurance benefits. To compound matters, I lacked essential insurance coverage such as term life and health insurance, leaving me vulnerable to financial risks.
Thankfully, that providential meeting served as a wake-up call. With renewed determination, my wife and I devised a plan to address our financial shortcomings. We committed to investing a substantial sum monthly through Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs), despite initially being able to contribute only 50% of our target amount.
We overhauled our budget, discontinued ineffective insurance policies, and purchased essential term life and health insurance coverage. Additionally, we prioritized repaying our 20-year home loan, managing to settle it within six years. Over time, we steadily increased our SIP contributions, striving to make up for lost time and ensure a more secure financial future.
 
Entrepreneurship
My tenure at Franklin Templeton prepared me both mentally and financially to finally take the plunge into consulting, freelancing, and entrepreneurship in 2021. During my time there, I served in various roles, both as an individual contributor and as a leader. In addition to my primary responsibilities, I also conducted training sessions on investments and mutual funds for thousands of employees over my 18-year tenure.
Upon leaving Franklin Templeton, I pursued certification as an executive coach specializing in senior leadership. This experience deepened my understanding of my passion to teach, coach, and provide financial planning services for young families, confirming that it was indeed my calling. Subsequently, I obtained certifications as a marriage coach and a financial planner from FPSB, USA.
My wife and I are both dedicated educators in the field of marriage, and we conduct extensive workshops and seminars on this topic. Additionally, I assist families in managing their finances by providing guidance on investing. We firmly believe in empowering both spouses in financial management, as we believe that building wealth and a strong marriage is most effectively achieved when done collaboratively as a team.
Come join us in this journey of building marriages and wealth so that we all can leave a legacy of love and generosity to the next generation for our nation