For Saadique, financial freedom isn’t, as opposed to what we so often hear, about retiring early. For him, freedom means sleeping well, and planning growth in investments, in his career, and in his skills. It means an assurance that income will grow and investments along with it.

To start us off, how did you discover Sarwa?

Saadique:

Before that, a bit of background. I started my career at PwC as a finance auditor, then joined the Financial Audit Authority, which is like a Big Four setup but for a government entity. On the side, I was always interested in investing and small side hustles.

I’ve been investing since I started working and even during internships. My dad had a strong investment culture at home. I saw how my parents saved and invested for our education, so it was obvious to me that the moment I earned my first dollar, a portion of it had to be invested.

In 2021, I joined a small startup on the side. It was a moonlighting role focused on spare change investing, helping people invest leftover change at the end of the month. Around the same time, I would pass through DIFC after work and see Sarwa. That’s how I first discovered it.

The startup eventually didn’t work out, but I had already started with Sarwa. I was investing in India since 2011 in mutual funds and blue chip stocks. I had also started using another trading platform in 2018 or 2019 and learned trading during COVID. As a chartered accountant, I understood the technical side of markets.

When I came across Sarwa, the ETF concept immediately made sense. It aligned with how I viewed mutual funds. I knew ETFs, did my own research, and started investing around early 2022.

Before fully committing, I met Amen Ghebre and spoke to Akshay. I wanted to understand the philosophy behind the company. In India, when you deal with mutual funds or policy funds, you always want to know who’s behind it and why they’re selling it. Trust matters.

After speaking with them, understanding how the operating model worked, where the money goes, and how everything is structured, I felt confident. Since then, it’s been a very good experience.

How important was it to get to know the people behind the company before investing?

Saadique:

Very important.

While working on the startup, I was interviewing potential investors. The biggest barrier was trust. One person lost money in crypto and stopped investing entirely. Another invested in something backed by a known personality and lost everything. One bad experience was enough for them to walk away from investing completely.

So when evaluating platforms like Sarwa and others, I looked at transparency first. What are they charging? Is it clear? Some competitors had too much information and unclear pricing. Sarwa was straightforward.

Then I met the team. I wanted to know if they were investing their own money on the platform. They were. That matters. Skin in the game builds trust.

I tested them with scenarios. If I want financial independence by 40, what do I do? If my dad is retiring, how can Sarwa help? They gave practical answers with numbers and historical context.

Trust and transparency are everything in money. After that, I brought several friends into investing. I would tell them, start with $100 per month. Worst case, you lose $300 over three months. That’s manageable. Investing is gradual. Even if you have a lot of money, you shouldn’t deploy it all at once. That’s always been my philosophy.

Your investing mindset started early. What did you learn from your father?

Saadique:

We are four siblings and grew up in Saudi Arabia. For many NRI families, the path is clear: study in the Middle East, then move to India or the West for higher education.

My parents decided early on that they would fund our education through investing. Even when they didn’t have large sums, they started small and planned six to eight years ahead.

I remember in eighth grade they told us how much they were investing every year for our education. My father has always been transparent. Even today, he shares statements showing what he invested and what the returns were.

When I went to university in the UK, my education cost around £8,000 per year. Hypothetically, they may have invested only £4,000 or £5,000 of that amount over time. The rest came from compounded returns. That compounding created the difference between average and excellent education.

They also invested for weddings and future milestones years in advance. It was a very methodical approach. The biggest lesson was compounding and planning early.

[Read our other features of Wealth’s New Look: “Marc & Maria” and “Amina & Horia“]

How has your relationship with money evolved over time?

Saadique:

By nature and by profession, I take calculated risks. Lower risk usually means lower reward, so I sometimes push myself to take slightly more risk.

But what really changed is clarity. If I invest 10% of my income consistently, I know what it becomes in five, ten, or twenty years. That visibility lets me make decisions confidently.

If I know I’m saving and investing 30%, then I don’t feel pressured to spend 90% of my income. I think about what I truly value.

For example, daily expensive coffee or business class travel isn’t important to me. Visiting family multiple times a year is important. So I adjust my spending accordingly.

Even with real estate FOMO in Dubai, I ran the numbers. In 2017, I couldn’t afford a 1 million property. But I knew that by increasing my investment rate slightly and staying consistent, by 2022 I could afford more. That certainty helps you sleep at night.

How do you manage lifestyle expansion in a consumer-driven city like Dubai?

Saadique:

For me, 25% investing is non-negotiable. That’s the base.

Just because I can spend 80% doesn’t mean I do. Fixed expenses take a portion. Variable expenses take another portion. Whatever remains can either be invested or saved for short-term luxuries.

If I plan a bigger expense in three months, we consciously cut back elsewhere. My wife is a freelancer with cyclical income, but even for her, 20–30% investing is fixed whether she earns that month or not. That creates buffers. For example, when Zakir Khan came for a show, I chose better seats because I had already built that cushion.

Do you feel less guilty about spending because you invest consistently?

Saadique:

Yes.

I used to feel guilty spending on things like sports training. Now, if I spend 200 dirhams on a tennis session, I don’t feel bad because I know 25–30% is invested every month.

When you know your future is covered, you enjoy the present better.

How important is financial alignment as a couple?

Saadique:

It’s the most important, in my opinion.

Money is often a source of conflict because couples don’t talk openly about it. What matters is conversation.

In our case, I take responsibility for core household expenses. My wife’s income is treated as bonus growth for investments and experiences. Other couples split 50/50. Both approaches can lead to the same financial outcome.

We have quarterly check-ins. We review investments, returns, upcoming expenses. It’s not complicated, but it keeps both of us aware. Without that, resentment builds. One person might feel the other is too stingy or too careless. Joint decision-making builds confidence and avoids misunderstandings.

How did you and your wife meet?

Saadique:

We met in college in Pune when we were 18. She was a year junior. I later moved to the UK for four years for my studies while she remained in Pune. We continued dating long distance.

After that, I moved to Saudi, and after eight years of long distance, we got married in 2016 and moved to Dubai.

What are your strengths as a couple when it comes to money?

Saadique:

We’ve seen each other grow from pocket money to full income. That history helps.

She’s slightly more of a risk taker as an entrepreneur. I’m more calculated. Together, we land somewhere in between. That balance works well.

How do you think about teaching financial habits to your son?

Saadique:

He’s two and a half, so it’s early.

But I want to teach him compounding. Not just in money, but in habits, discipline, and effort. Small actions over time create big impact.

I also want to be transparent about money the way my father was with us. Showing what we invest, what the returns are, and how we plan.

What does financial freedom mean to you?

Saadique:

It doesn’t mean retiring early.

It means sleeping peacefully and planning growth. Growth not only in investments, but also in career, skills, and experiences.

If you earn 10,000 per month for 30 years, even if you invest 20%, that’s fine. But if you invest in your skills and grow that income to 30,000, 20% of 30,000 is very different. Financial freedom is having that flexibility to grow across all areas.

Final thoughts

You might be wondering why we’ve chosen to focus on everyday people instead of the Warren Buffetts or Peter Lynches of the world. Well, we did it because Sarwa exists for people who are figuring out money in real life. We wanted to highlight how people actually think about money under the pressures they face.

At that point it became clearer to us that we needed to do away with all the smoke and mirrors that usually make up ad campaigns. The only way to do that was by speaking to real people, and letting them speak for themselves.

Please note the views expressed above reflect the personal experiences of the individuals featured and are shared for illustrative purposes only. They do not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to invest.