He retired at 47 with ₹15 crore - no inheritance, no business, just a 9-to-5 tech salary

A fixed salary, no inheritance and no business — that's how Vivek Waman describes the foundation of his wealth. After spending 24 years in the information technology industry, the former Wipro and PwC employee retired at the age of 47 after realising he had already achieved financial freedom.

Waman recently appeared on the 1% Club's podcast, where he revealed to host Shreya Hegde that he had accumulated a family net worth of ₹15 crore by 2021 — far more than the ₹10 crore he believed he needed to retire. Today, that figure has grown to more than ₹20 crore, despite market volatility.

Waman introduced himself on the podcast by saying: “I spent about 24 years in the corporate world, mostly in information technology and consulting. In 2021, when I realised I had achieved financial freedom, I quit my job and started my own financial services business.”

His LinkedIn profile shows that he has worked at companies like Wipro, Accenture and PwC India.

How he built ₹15 crore net worth

In 2021, Vivek Waman quit his job with a net worth of ₹15 crore. He was only 47 at the time, years away from the typical retirement age in India.

Waman explained on the podcast that at his last job, he earned between ₹4 to 5 lakh per month. This is a far cry from his first salary of ₹12,000 per month, but he is of the opinion that no salary is too small to begin saving.

Asked how he managed to get rich, Waman replied: “The short answer is: bit by bit, drop by drop.”

He then elaborated on this by saying that investing consistently contributed to his ₹15 crore retirement fund.

“It required patience, discipline and consistent investing over a long period. Investing is often compared to watching paint dry or grass grow. It's boring, but that's exactly what long-term investing is supposed to be,” he said.

It is not unheard of, but it is certainly rare for a person to retire early and accumulate wealth simply through a salary, without any side income streams. But that’s exactly what Waman managed to do — and he feels that every salaried employee can follow in his footsteps.

“Let me make a bold statement: every salaried employee working a 9-to-5 job can become financially free, irrespective of their income, provided they start early and stay disciplined,” he said.

He advised young employees to continue learning throughout their careers. Second, he also recommended keeping lifestyle expenses low.

“When you start your jobs, don't restrict yourself to learning and acquiring new skills only at the beginning of your career, because only that helps you to get that enhanced probability of increasing your incomes,” he said.

“When your incomes increase, don't increase your expenses by the same proportion,” Waman said. “Number three is work with a good advisor to create your goal-based financial plan. And finally, don't interrupt compounding."

While many equate wealth with luxury purchases, Waman said financial independence gave him something far more valuable.

Asked how his life changed after he built a massive corpus, the former Wipro employee said: “The biggest luxury money gives you is the psychological freedom. The ability to say no."

(Also read: Indian woman goes from earning ₹1 crore in London to cleaning flats in Melbourne: ‘I’ve realised that money is freedom’)

He added that wealth should ultimately be measured in time rather than money.

"Money is infinite. No matter how much wealth you create, there's always someone wealthier than you. However, time is very finite."

When asked whether money can buy happiness, he replied: "Money can't buy happiness but time can. If you can buy time using your money, you are getting closer to the happiness that you want in your life."