‘A spa day won’t save you...’: CA shares what real self-care in finance should look like

For many people, self-care means taking a break, booking a spa appointment, buying skincare products or enjoying a relaxing weekend away. While those things can certainly help reduce stress, chartered accountant Nitin Kaushik believes they miss a much bigger issue. According to him, true peace of mind comes from something far less glamorous but far more powerful: financial independence. In a recent post, he argued that real self-care is not about temporary comfort but long-term security.

CA Nitin Kaushik's take on self-care

CA Nitin Kaushik took to X with a message that challenged conventional ideas about wellness and empowerment. He argued that “fancy face masks and spa weekends” are not genuine self-care if a person remains financially dependent on others. Instead, he described financial freedom as the most important form of self-care a person can invest in.

His post focused particularly on women and the way financial habits have traditionally been shaped across generations. According to Kaushik, women have often been encouraged to focus on small-scale savings, budgeting tricks and household penny-pinching while major investment decisions were left to male family members.




He suggested that this approach may create the illusion of financial responsibility without necessarily creating financial independence.

Moving beyond saving money

A key point in Kaushik's argument was the difference between saving money and building wealth. He noted that many people spend years concentrating on cutting expenses, finding ways to save small amounts, and carefully managing day-to-day budgets. While those habits are important, he believes they are only part of the equation.


Kaushik argued that true independence comes from owning assets that generate income over time. He encouraged people to shift their focus from simply preserving money to acquiring “income-generating assets” such as equity mutual funds and land.

Savings can provide a safety net, but investments have the potential to grow and create additional sources of wealth. Over the long term, those assets can provide financial security that basic savings alone may not achieve.

Why dependence can be risky

Kaushik also warned against relying entirely on someone else for long-term financial security. In his view, depending on another person's income, investments, or financial decisions can leave individuals vulnerable if circumstances change unexpectedly.

He described reliance on others as “an incredibly risky financial strategy” because it places control of one's future in someone else's hands. Whether the dependence is on a spouse, parent or other family member, Kaushik's message was that everyone should have a personal financial foundation that they can rely on independently.

Financial freedom as empowerment

One of the strongest parts of Kaushik's message focused on the relationship between money and personal freedom. He argued that genuine empowerment does not come from luxury wellness experiences or temporary indulgences. Instead, it comes from having enough financial strength to make choices without being trapped by economic dependence.

According to Kaushik, building a personal investment portfolio can provide a level of security that extends far beyond financial returns.

He wrote that real empowerment comes from creating a situation where a person never has to remain in “a bad job, a bad marriage, or a bad situation” simply because they cannot afford to leave.