Ankur Warikoo spent Rs 15 lakh on MBA despite EMI stress. He shares 5 ways money can grow your wealth

Most money advice revolves around cutting costs, avoiding indulgences and saving every extra rupee. But what if some expenses are the very reason people move ahead financially? Entrepreneur and content creator Ankur Warikoo has sparked fresh debate after arguing that the real game is not spending less, but spending smarter. Drawing from his own journey, from financial struggle to building multiple income streams, he shared five kinds of spending that can create long-term wealth instead of draining it completely over time.

Ankur Warikoo recently took to LinkedIn to explain that not every expense should be treated as a liability. According to him, certain kinds of spending have the power to increase income, create opportunities and build assets over time. He framed his advice around five categories where money, when used intentionally, can make a person richer rather than poorer.

1. Spending on learning

Warikoo placed learning at the top of the list. He said courses, tools, books and anything that improves a person’s skills can generate returns for years. To illustrate the point, he shared his own experience of spending Rs 15 lakh on his MBA at ISB, even though the EMI was difficult for him to manage at the time. According to him, that one year of education multiplied his salary six times within 18 months.


He added that within his family and team, there is no upper limit when it comes to spending on learning because the upside can be enormous.

2. Spending on access

The second category was access, which included events, communities and the right environments. Warikoo argued that being in the right room can change a person’s direction faster than working hard in the wrong one. He pointed out that something like a Rs 10,000 conference ticket may seem expensive initially, but one valuable conversation there could lead to a client worth Rs 3 lakh or an introduction to a future co-founder. His larger message was that access often creates opportunities that cannot be predicted in advance.

3. Spending to save time

The third idea focused on buying back time. Warikoo said people should consider outsourcing lower-value tasks so they can focus on higher-value work. That could mean hiring someone, using software tools or leveraging AI.
In his view, spending Rs 500 an hour to free yourself for work worth Rs 5,000 an hour is a smart trade-off. He stressed that time is the only asset that cannot be earned back once lost.

4. Spending on health

The fourth category was health, which he linked directly to earning capacity. Warikoo said income depends heavily on energy, consistency and well-being. Because of that, things such as a gym membership, a good mattress or quality food ingredients should not be seen as luxuries. He described them as foundational investments. He noted that many people work extreme hours and burn out quickly, while others sustain focused output for years because they protect their physical and mental health.

5. Spending to build leverage

The fifth and final category was spending to build leverage, meaning assets or systems that can earn money without requiring constant personal time. Warikoo shared that in 2020, he hired a content team even when he was making no money from content. It was an upfront expense with uncertain returns.

According to him, that decision paid off significantly. He said the content business earned ₹9 crore in revenue last year. The example underlined his belief that some spending creates future engines of income rather than immediate consumption.

From scarcity mindset to growth mindset

Warikoo also expanded on the emotional side of money decisions. He said he grew up in a household where every expense had to be debated because the family lived hand-to-mouth. That conditioning helped him stay careful with money for years. But later, he realised it was also limiting him. He said he had become too focused on less spending, less risk and less exposure. Over time, that also meant less growth.

Only after making what once felt like risky expenses did he realise many of them were not really expenses at all. They were investments that helped build a bigger future.

The larger takeaway

Warikoo’s message challenged a common belief that wealth comes only from relentless saving. His argument was that saving matters, but the real shift happens when people learn to identify which expenses create returns.
In other words, the goal is not simply to spend less. It is to spend better.