American research reveals two things:

1. America is a debt-ridden nation.

Most students are neck deep into loans. By the time they graduate, and thereafter, most people spend practically all their life paying some loan or the other. If they are lucky they might be debt-free when they touch retirement age.

2. Financial worry is the top cause of stress.

Most people don't know this; chronic financial worry makes life miserable.

Financial health is not very different from emotional or physical health. We do a lot of things to keep ourselves physically fit.

However, we don't give financial health equal status with physical or emotional health. The next time you feel stressed, stop and think. Who do you really need to visit: your doctor or financial advisor? If financially fit, you can take a variety of risks and you are your own boss.

Usually, the number one cause of stress comes from work, peers, colleagues, a competitive work environment and often, from our boss/bosses. Being financially fit also means you have the freedom to carry your resignation in your pocket. You can afford to be really picky.

Now, the circumstances to get financially fit are easier than ever before, given that you are educated and earning fairly well. If you do things properly you could be fit in a few years. The country is on a high growth trajectory and it is up to us if we want to take advantage of it.

But being debt fee depends on the lifestyle that we wish to pursue. For this Rs 30 lakh (Rs 3 million) can be more than enough. Or on the flipside Rs 90 lakh (Rs 9 million) may also fall short.

The modus operandi would be to first get to your own magic figure and then have it invested in a manner, where inflows keep flowing into your bank account forever no matter what.

Kartik Jhaveri, an expert at Financial Planning, is a Certified Financial Planner� and a Certified International Wealth Manager�.