Podcast

How to Be Financially Empowered and Prepared with Wealth Advisor Minoti Rajput

Listen now:

There is nothing more intimidating than finances. Luckily Minoti Rajput is a pro at breaking down what needs to be done and hand holds you in the process of financially planning life. In this podcast we discuss everything from her advice to start discussing finances with a partner to aspects to keep you financially secure like life insurance, estate planning and most importantly knowing your numbers.  

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • Minoti discusses her initial interest in finance and the turning point when she realized she wanted to take financial matters into her own hands to empower women. 
  • Minoti talks about her journey from working in finance in India to starting over when moving to the USA in the 1980’s. 
  • Making a decision to be financially savvy and empowering her daughters and other women to create financial security. 
  • Defining financial security and the steps needed over the lifetime to achieve it. 
  • Minoti talks about the mistakes many women make in their finances from a savings perspective. 
  • Minoti’s view on retirement and her personal goal to inspire women through speaking and connection. 

To learn more about Minoti Rajput, visit her website Secure Planning Strategies and check out her LinkedIn and Instagram

Emily Merrell  

Welcome to the sixth degree Podcast, the podcast where we grill our guests about the things that make them tick and find out how human connection plays a role in their life. I’m your host, Emily Merrell.

Hello, and welcome back to the sixth degree with Emily Merrell, the podcast where we grill our guests about the things that make them tick, and find out how human connection plays a role in their life. I’m your host, Emily. And today I’m thrilled to have my dear friend Minoti Rajput as our guest Minoti Welcome to the show.

 

Minoti Rajput  

Thank you, Emily. It’s my pleasure to be here.

 

Emily Merrell  

You’re like, it’s to me, it’s like having the queen on the show having you on the show? We’re just

 

Minoti Rajput  

honored that you feel the if I’m a queen on the show.

 

Emily Merrell  

You are you have to you have to correct me if I do any of the formalities wrong, and I curtsy incorrectly please. No, no, but seriously, it’s been a Minoti. And I have gotten close the last four or five months or so. And it is it is always just a treat just getting to spend my day virtually with you. I think my biggest disappointment is that we haven’t had the pleasure of hugging in person quite yet. But that day will come I know it.

 

Minoti Rajput  

I know, it will. 

 

Emily Merrell  

It will, well the theme of today’s podcast, I thought would be financial care. And I know it’s a vague one. And it’s a big one. But you are a financial Maven. And you’re so good at empowering and inspiring women to take control of their financial future. But before you were in finance, what actually let you lead you to the world of finance.

 

Minoti Rajput  

I grew up in India, my schooling and college education was in India, and I come from a family where almost everybody is either a doctor or a pharmacist. So that was probably an expectation. But I was not attracted to the world of medicine. But I still grew up in the world of science and math. And I was very good at math. And I was a pretty good student so but numbers attracted me. And then there were evidences in the family where if you do well in math and science, that’s the road to be successful. But also behead instance in a family where I felt that my mother should be more involved in financial matters. And that kind of made me start thinking about financial matters. And I saw very few women involved in financial decision making process or even as a professional, I didn’t find too many women involved in finances. And I was always the one who wanted to do things that not too many people do. So I entered the financial world. First through education, I have an undergrad in organic chemistry, believe it or not, why I didn’t. But then I did my MBA in finance. And that solidified my interest in finance. And I didn’t like the accounting part, but the financial Journal of Economics. And although that was not much involved in personal finances, it eventually led to personal finance that I was fascinated by. And the two things put together as women and finance. And I wanted to do that because not too many people were doing that.

 

Emily Merrell  

How the heck did you go from organic chemistry? What, Why ? Did you do organic chemistry thinking you’d be as in a scientist or a doctor? Or was that just something that you enjoyed,

 

Minoti Rajput  

but I had already gone in the science area in order to determine whether I would be going to medical school or not. But no, I still kept organic part. I loved organic chemistry, I mean, the pens and rings and, and the munitions, the equations and all of that. And I did very well in chemistry, but at the same time, I just felt that should I do Master’s in chemistry and going to research. I found that pretty confining and not that exciting. So then when I had to choose what I would be majoring when I was accepted for the MBA program, I said, you know, finance and marketing, advertising and things like that, but even then I eventually just focused on finance.

 

Emily Merrell  

Wow, that’s incredible. I feel like a lot of people give up science and give up their whole pursuit of medical, their medical career when they when they take an organic chemistry class so they could have learned a thing or two from you. And it’s interesting. So when you majored in finance, what was your career trajectory after that? Did you join a big bank and no, I feel like in the States, you see, again, I feel like my representation Have people in finance or men who go off and they join Goldman Sachs and they they make a lot of money in investment banking? Is that something that you did or was what was your journey? 

 

Minoti Rajput  

I didn’t join a bank. And banking in India at that time was not necessarily related to investment banking. But I worked in a department where the bank lent the money to the small business owners. So my job was to protect the bank’s interest by doing planning for the small business owners, looking at their financial models, their profit and loss statements doing the analysis, and sort of being involved in the financial planning of the business owners. So that’s what I was trained for. And that’s what I enjoy. Because it was partly number crunching. It was partly doing analysis, but it also gave me a chance to interact the business owners, and see because they were different kinds of businesses. They were all small business owners, but still, nonetheless, they were all businesses. And there was a lot of human aspect associated with being a business. And I was fascinated by what takes a person. What makes an entrepreneur, an entrepreneur, and what are the challenges and how are the family’s successes depends so much on this one person, whether solo or through a team is running a business. And I learned a lot about what it takes to plan a business for the successful because success is always deemed to be the financial success. But there’s also the other side of the reputation, the the name in the industry, and all of that has to be looked at and finances go hand in hand with that.

 

Emily Merrell  

That’s such a good point, especially as an entrepreneur, we put so much emphasis on the financial and forget to acknowledge the reputation and all of the other aspects of business that come with it. Yeah, so. So you’ve had this all happened while you were in India? And then I know in the early 80s, you came over to the States. What was that transition? Like from working in the world of banking in India versus in the States? And did you find that there was a difference in the way women were treated or represented in the industry?

 

Minoti Rajput  

Well, the surprising part was that women were a minority in finance in India. And it was the same here. And I had a challenging time to break into the finance world, because most of the other immigrants from India were because of the immigration laws who America wanted. As immigrants from the Southeast Asian countries. They were all engineers, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, or research people. I was not. So I just took my experience into account and started looking for bank positions. The banking industry in India is considered very, very good for women, when when they are in it, but also it’s a very, very prestigious job, what I was doing, when I looked into the banking industry wanting to do the same thing, it wasn’t happening here, I would have to start from scratch. And I didn’t feel that I needed to do that I had the qualification experience. And I also felt that I will be very limited in the scope where this will lead me too. I felt that I needed to look at alternative approach. And when my recruiters would listen to what I was looking for, they said, you’re looking at financial planning, and banking is not going to lead you to financial planning. By the way, it happened much later that they were going in that direction. But at that time, they said you have to enter it through life insurance route or stockbrokers route. My heart literally sank that from being in a very prestigious or or very comfortable job position. I would have to actually go into sales type of thing in order to become a financial planner, because, you know, nobody wants to really talk to a life insurance agent. A life insurance is often sold to people. And I didn’t have a client base because any insurance company that you talk to, they’re looking for people who have contacts, and stockbroker did not attract me at all, but reluctantly I started with an insurance company. And looking back that was the best decision I made. Because I wanted to learn about estate planning and business planning and insurance company, the one that I chose mutual benefit life in 1980 They gave me the training or that industry taught me a lot. It also taught me another important thing about myself that I was able to convince people through proper education as to why they needed something. I was told that I was very good in sales, I did not. I have not sold a thing in my life until I came here. How do you get a client, I will saris when I went to work at the bank in India, I was now wearing western clothes. The western world was not unfamiliar to me. I went to an English education. And I had read quite a bit before I came here. But it was still a major transition, I learned to drive to get to people, once I came here and break into a market, which was not very friendly. So it was cold calling, walking through industrial parks and talking to small business owners, one brick at a time. So it was not easy. But I had the determination, the zeal of that every immigrant has when they first arrived.

 

Emily Merrell  

That’s an incredible story. I’m thinking of idea. Never even dawned on me thinking of how do you build that Rolodex, when you are fresh in a new country, and you have no one, you have no one to lean back on, you don’t have a safety net of friends or community. So it was true grit. And this is also a time before the Internet where you can’t necessarily Google local businesses. So you would actually tangibly be knocking on doors to find clients.

 

Minoti Rajput  

The insurance company offered to do some marketing for us. So they would send out you know, they have different address, mail, you know, list of addresses and geographical area that you live in. And they would send out a mailer, that if you gave a consultation, we will give you a baby book, or I ran McNally address an atlas or something like that. So I remember I had a bag and I would carry those things in my bag. And then I would get appointments. And once I get an appointment, what I discover that if I sell five people, I pretty much close three cases, whether they have a $10,000 policy or $100,000 policy, like I said, one at a time. And that’s what’s the beginning for me.

 

Emily Merrell  

Do you have any advice for people who are starting out with their businesses now? And they have that reluctance of the nose? I think rejection is probably the the biggest deterrent I hear from people starting they they’re so scared of the know. And they’re so scared of a client or a potential client saying you’re not the right fit or this isn’t. This isn’t going to be I don’t want to work with you. Do you have any advice on how to overcome that fear?

 

Minoti Rajput  

But I have been asked this question now would you enter financial planning world the way you have? You did at that time, but the world has changed quite a bit. The marketing doesn’t work the same way it did before. You know, people can even block the calls and things like that. The world doesn’t work that way. But will you face objection? And in any industry rejection? Yes, you will. And I think that you have to keep trying, because after every 15 or 20 rejections, you will get one. And it just makes you that much tougher and more convincing. Because you have to have conviction in your own self, and believe that you’re doing this for a purpose. And this is one way of doing this until you learn other ways. Because once the core clients become warm clients, the referrals or believe in the product that you are offering them and the way you’re offering them, they will respect you, and they will want you to deal with people that they know. So it takes a long time. That’s why most of the companies will put you on a salary first until you no longer need the salary and can work on the commission or whatever other sales incentive that that is given to a person. So yes, I think that rejection or or being turned down is is very common, and is part of building your business. Doesn’t matter what business.

 

Emily Merrell  

Yeah, I can I completely agree. And I think it I’m so happy you said that. It takes a long time. I think we hear so much about overnight successes, and we see people that oh, they just posted an Instagram post and all of a sudden they’ve gone viral and everyone is buying their product and they’re an overnight success, but really an overnight success. says years in the making, it’s a lot of work before you.

 

Minoti Rajput  

Look if it’s an overnight success, but I could afford to be a variable income generating person in our, as a couple, my husband had a steady job with benefits. That was done. I have also seen people change careers and get into financial planning and start from scratch, but they have ample emergency funds to fall back on. So you have to have a plan in order to enter into an unknown territory, but you don’t know how things are gonna work out. But in my life, I have always believed in one code, quitting is not an option, the more you do something, you just become an expert over a period of time. So after three months, if you say this is not working for me, you are leaving it too early and leaving opportunities on the table and walking away from that.

 

Emily Merrell  

Amen to that I can, I can not agree more. And I always joke I wish I had lived in the Northeast house as a child because I feel like I would still play the viola, the French horn and the piano and probably would have been a better dancer because you wouldn’t have let me quit. I think it’s so easy, quitting is usually the easier option. So that’s why people take it. I love that. Well, switching gears a little bit, you know, Minotti, you clearly are holding your view had, you had such an important role in your own household, you were clearly not ever someone who didn’t have a role in the financial realm of your your world. But historically, women have struggled with handling finances in their households. And it’s usually put on the male to be a male thing, or my husband’s dealing it dealing with it or my partner is dealing with it. So what is financial security mean to you? And how can you help a woman strive to achieve it? Or what steps do you recommend women take to start becoming more financially curious?

 

Minoti Rajput  

Well, I witnessed this in my own house and my own family. When I was in my late teens. All of a sudden, we ran into financial problems as a family. And it was also the beginning of my father’s dementia. And all of a sudden, from being very comfortable, we really were struggling as a family. And my younger sister and I had to take on a lot of responsibility. There’s a time I first tasted what feeling insecure about finances mean, it also was an awareness that my mother, as smart as and she was an educator she was she was struggling herself as to how to take care of this when she had no knowledge and experience, because that was my father’s role. And I made a decision very quickly at that moment that this is not going to happen to me. I’m not going to struggle financially, I want to be financially savvy. And my younger sister felt the same way. And I said to myself that my daughters will not experience this, my daughters in law will not do that. Every woman I come across, they will need to not understand what it creates what what you have to do in order to create your own financial security. To me financial security is to take steps over your lifetime, over your working lifetime. And set up a plan or a way that you never have to think about whether I can maintain the same standard of living that I have, I am accustomed to, or that I had a vision of and so on. So financial security is at certain stage in your life, not to struggle, wanting to live comfortably. But it cannot happen overnight. It takes a lifetime to achieve that. So financial security in the event of a disaster. I was just sharing with you that one of my clients recently lost her home in the hurricane and all of a sudden you feel that your financial life is just completely gone. And your security is taken over from you. But that’s why you know, it’s not just having a system in your overall financial plan of saving but also risk management tools. Because hurricanes can happen, fires can happen, earthquakes happen. Also death and disability happens. And health happens. Health Matters happen. So in order to just plan, you have to think about that nothing is going to go wrong. And I’m going to work and I’m going to retire ultimately, and take care of my retired life and financial secure life. But in case any of those situations happens to me or any of my family member what to do Do I need to put together or what’s going to be the foundation that I create, that I will not have those hiccups come in my way of feeling insecure, but I can pay my bills. But then I can still eat the way I want to live where I want to, and send the kids to school, I want to all of those making all the right plans, is creating the financial security for yourself.

 

Emily Merrell  

I think I’m so curious to hear your thoughts on this, there’s something about feeling behind schedule. Or at least that’s something you know, surrounding myself with entrepreneurs who are scared, they’re scared to look at it, they’re scared to look at their numbers, or they’re scared to, to look at what they have and where they should be. Do you have any advice for people who feel behind schedule, but maybe they didn’t save the way they should have or could have in their 20s, but are just getting their footing in their 30s?

 

Minoti Rajput  

There’s a saying in an Indian language that it translates to its morning when you wake up. Okay? What it means is that I can worry about what I didn’t do. Here I am today, can I make a start? And how do I start? What tools do I need, because if you’re going to dwell or I should have I could have and not do anything, because if that paralyzes you, or freezes you, then you’re really completely frozen and not take the next step that you need to do. So people who are in their 20s or even 30s, early 40s. Remember, today, people are working a lot longer because their health allows them. You just have to have the right mindset. If you didn’t start early, you need to catch up. So if you see our compound interest table, if you invest $400, a month in your 20s, how much will you have given interest rate by the time you’re 65 years old? versus how much do you need to save, when you’re 45 years old, right? You have lost the building power of the compound interest of that. But if you didn’t have those first 20 years, because you were sleeping at that time, or you were too busy doing things that you felt that you’re going to be left behind, if you don’t take so many trips, or if you don’t buy certain things, your awards were graded greater than your needs were fine. You just have to accept the fact that either you have to invest, well take some aggressive approach, or be prepared to work longer. But forget about what happened last time or last few years, let’s have a new start or do the right thing and avoid making mistakes.

 

Emily Merrell  

Minoti I think you could be a life coach in addition to a financial planner, or

 

Minoti Rajput  

It’s interesting that a lot of financial planning today is really life planning. And especially for older people, because we talk about also living too long. And if you did that, what are the chances of running out of money, there’s health issues, there’s inflation issues, and there is market issues and so on. But I think that the younger generation have different challenges as well, because of the job uncertainty and the changes in the market conditions. You know, you have Google stocks and you have the vested stocks and so on. And but what happens if If a stock company goes really down, you know, I live in Michigan, where even company like General Motors declared bankruptcy. So, there are different challenges that industries get wiped out, you know, now, Michigan is struggling with automotive company everything is going to be electric at some point, you know, so if you are a mechanical engineer, what happens? How do you retrain, so the younger people have different challenges that they will have to overcome, but constantly remaining alert and educated and be prepared to all of those things need some counseling, and you cannot do pretend you cannot pretend that you know it all. And be prepared that I can handle it. No, be vulnerable. Find the right people and say you know I need help. Because there are people who can help you and put you in the right directions holding your hand.

 

Emily Merrell  

I love it. I think it’s it’s very comparable to any mental health issue or fitness issue like you don’t need to solve it on your own. There are very talented professionals like yourself out there who can help get you in shape the way that you needed to get in shape without Googling and struggling on your own. So

 

Minoti Rajput  

That’s true because you and I feel that we are financial doctors You’re not going to go on Google and find what symptoms you have and diagnose yourself and see if you can get medicated for that. It doesn’t happen, but why? Because you don’t want to take your health into your hands and not take care of yourself. I think you need somebody to help you build a platform. And then if you have learned to fly, do that with periodic checks, but help let somebody help you to diagnose where you are, and give you the tools to get started.

 

Emily Merrell  

I love that. I think that’s such a great, great reminder for anyone who is on the edge about getting started. Get started today, and a minority is here to cheer you on. If you need someone in the money side, she will definitely I feel like you. You’re like mama Minoti or auntie Minoti Minoti auntie and being able to push people the way that they need to be pushed. So I have another question for you. Because I think you know, historically, I say historically, but just societally we’re growing. Growing up, you don’t really talk about money. Money is kind of like politics. It’s one of those topics that can feel really taboo to talk about. And when you’re starting a new relationship or having kids, do you have any advice on how you introduce conversations on finances into your relationship, so it doesn’t become a strain in your relationship down the line.

 

Minoti Rajput  

I think that money talk is as important as buying the house raising the children, where the kids are going to go to school and what our careers are, because money can create a lot of tension if it’s not addressed correctly. Money is a sensitive topic, money is a taboo topic. And a lot of the younger people are also victims of coming from families where money was never addressed. Money was always a parent’s responsibility. I feel that maybe not in your first day, maybe not even in your second day. But if you feel that you are getting serious in a relationship, then it should be brought on early on and say well, how, what is your relationship with money? How do you treat money? Oh, I like to trade, I just have spent so much money on buying the stock and I lost it all. But you know, it’s just bringing up and if a woman says Well, I know nothing about it, only thing I do know is that we need to address that. So if at all, it has not been addressed. And if you feel that this is going to be a stress factor, get advice, right in the beginning, let somebody hold your hand and introduce you to what you need to learn or read things yourself. Fortunately, Internet has a lot of basic information available. But it’s very important to know that investment is not the most important part of the financial planning. It is it is important, but it’s a segment of it. You know, cash flow, how much income you have, and how much you’re spending that can be discussed even before a relationship is formed. But definitely, because how do you know what you can afford? Where can you afford to live? And how much is your going to how much is your income taxes, how much you should be putting aside for the future. All of those are discussions right in the beginning. And if one person is stronger than the other in their knowledge and experience, one has to have patience with the other person makes. It’s almost like if you’re climbing, but you need to be together if you have to extend your arm and have that person come aboard with you so that he can climb that peak together. It’s extremely important because you don’t want the person to fall because there is no joy and climbing this alone. Hmm. Or reaching the destination alone in a couple.

 

Emily Merrell  

Love that metaphor. I think that’s such a great one. And I think that’s an important thing to bring up. And you know, just asking people their feelings on it right from the get go versus being two years in a relationship and finding out that the person has terrible credit and doesn’t doesn’t contribute to their 401k I could imagine that puts more of a strain on a relationship when that could have been something you figured Get out straight out of the gate. And you could have helped guide the person or helped an individual in some way, shape or form. Well, my last question for you Minotti, because I could probably spend six hours asking you questions, and I know how precious your time is. So I’m going to keep it, keep it short, you could be sitting back and relaxing, you could be retired right now, you could be reading a book, cooking a delicious meal, traveling the world, but instead, you’re out there inspiring audiences, changing lives and motivating women. What keeps you motivated to keep doing this work.

 

Minoti Rajput  

Um, to me, retirement is doing things that gives you pleasure, that keeps you stimulated. And that makes you feel fulfilled. I don’t feel that I need to do what I’m doing in educating and directing people in the finance, the only thing that would be too boring to do the same thing over and over again, but balancing it with other things that I enjoy doing for recreation, being with family, as you said, cooking, and learning Spanish that I that I enjoy doing, and so on it, I feel that if at all, it helps people. And I think that if they learn a few things from me, and make their financial goals achievable, then that’s a win win situation for me. And that, to me is very exciting and very rewarding.  

 

Emily Merrell  

Well and I know you have a bunch of incredible presentations coming up. Speaking to women’s organizations, who I’m, I feel like I’m your agent here, but I have to say, Menotti has also been featured in podcasts. She’s been featured in Wall Street Journal and incredible memorable publications, just telling her story. And she’s written a few you’ve written two books.

 

Minoti Rajput  

I didn’t one book, that articles and things like that. But I really wrote a book. It’s called Beyond appearance love. It’s a collection of two true stories of working with families or special needs children, which is one has been one of my sub specialties for the last 30 years.

 

Emily Merrell  

Well, I highly recommend you check out all of these things. Before we move on to our six fast questions. How can people find more information on you and what you’re working on? In the upcoming months?

 

Minoti Rajput  

Well, first of all, you can go on Instagram. You can also Google me, you can go on my company website, www SPS financial.com. Where my company information is there. Well, Google provides a fair amount of information about my book and what I have been doing.

 

Emily Merrell  

Well, thank you for telling your story. Again, I wish this was a six hour podcast because I feel like we’re just scratching the surface of how it started, where you are and how much wealth of information you you have to provide. Well, we’re going to switch gears more to a little bit fast questions for you. So my very first question for you Minotti is tell us an unknown fun fact. And I’m I mean, the organic chemistry does not count.

 

Minoti Rajput  

Well, I’m not, I don’t know if it’s fun. But it’s funny that I never learned to ride a bike. But I made my first attempt at the age of 45. And then I learned to balance but never rode again until I was 65. And I had my trainer really helped me I mean, he would happen puff and run after me until I really got the hang of the bike. I still don’t have the courage to take the bike in the midst of traffic, but I can ride a bike now.

 

Emily Merrell  

That’s amazing. I kind of feel like that’s a parallel to what we’re talking about the people who should have or could have in their 20s. And getting started like There’s never too late of time to get started. It’s just a little extra work. harder work to do in your 60s. And when you’re six. Yeah. Oh, I would love that. Well, if you’ve any videos of you riding a bike, please send me send them to me. Very good luck. Who would be a dream person you’d want to be connected with?

 

Minoti Rajput  

A dream person. But you know, I have always been attracted to strong women. But I never met my grandmother, my paternal grandmother. She had passed away before my parents got married. But what I have heard about her she was a woman beyond her years, and in the late 30s and 1930s. She believed very strongly and treating women equally with men. And she raised her daughters that way. And she was a nurse. My grandfather was a doctor. She wasn’t a trained nurse but she worked with them side by side and she was also a midwife when most women stayed home and raised children, and I found out later that she was also a sculptor, and she was, she was gifted, and I just wish I could meet her that I would have had a chance to meet her, get to know her. And I feel that maybe somewhere her genes have been passed on to me, just a little anchor, I want to thank her for that.

 

Emily Merrell  

Just a little bit, again, riding her bike at 60 years old and learning Spanish and taking dancing lessons. So you definitely sound very comparable to her and your successes and your achievements. I love that one. What TV show I know you and your husband like to watch TV shows every once in a while? What TV show are you currently watching and loving?

 

Minoti Rajput  

Well, I would say that the pandemic took away watching TV shows and switch it to Netflix and and Amazon and I look forward to any good new show on Netflix. And I recently watched a Jordanian series of six episodes of Amravati School of girls, it was about bullying. Wow. And it was fascinating. And I look forward to good shows that comment. Somebody told me about the Last Tango in Halifax. It’s a British show. And I’ve just starting to see that. So I enjoy watching good shows on Netflix and prime.

 

Emily Merrell  

It’s so it’s so interesting how television has changed. When I was in the seventh grade Minoti. My teacher asked me what my favorite TV show was. And I associated TV with being such a negative thing. And such a time suck, especially in the seventh grade. So I didn’t permit myself to watch TV. And the one TV show that I said that I liked or that I watched was Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Yeah, because it was an educational show. learning things. But now I feel like TV is is almost as good as a novel. It’s just so well done compared to the TV of the early 2000s or 90s.

 

Minoti Rajput  

But I do watch the news regularly. And CNBC at 630. Yesterday, and occasionally catch up on MSNBC during the election, it got a little bit too dicey. And very stressful to watch all of that. But now things are getting has been normal. And so just to catch up. I do turn on the TV for the 6:30 PM evening news.

 

Emily Merrell  

Evening news. Yeah, I think that’s interesting. That’s such a generational thing. My mom also watches the TV, like the news at a certain time where my sister and I always laugh. We’re like, what? Why are you watching it at a certain time? We just watched it on our phone when we want to watch it versus I love it. What I know you’re an avid reader and you’re in a book many book clubs, it feels like but what book are you currently reading?

 

Minoti Rajput  

This is not in in my book club. But I I often find books written by authors who are immigrants from India. And this is an author called Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and it’s a book called Title, sister of my heart. And it’s fascinating. I’m reading that last month I did read Melinda Gates book on forget the title. Somewhere here, the the left, the moment of left. I was just so fascinated, but I love reading biographies, especially of strong women.

 

Emily Merrell  

I think that’s a great one. Have you read Pachinko?

 

Minoti Rajput  

No, you told me about it. 

 

Emily Merrell  

Yeah, read Pachinko. Add that to your list. I just finished it this week. 

 

Minoti Rajput  

Okay

 

Emily Merrell  

 Good TV show. And then what? What is your favorite emoji? You know, we all use emojis when we text every single day. Yeah, you have a favorite that you gravitate to?

 

Minoti Rajput  

But the love the heart is of course there but also being grateful than I must say sign is those are my two favorite ones. Yes. My face. Yes. Yeah.

 

Emily Merrell  

All of them well rounded. And my last question for you is Who gave you permission or inspiration to do the thing you wanted to do in your life?

 

Minoti Rajput  

Um, I like the word inspiration then the permission. But I think the circumstances and other women and my mother being one of them, she became the reason why I went to finance but also meeting interesting people knowing about what some of the women have achieved wanted me to be a stronger or better woman. And also, as I mentioned why In the finance and is for those reasons but also special needs planning is its comes from really my heart. And that’s because of coming across families who have special needs children, and having a family member with autism that direct me to do that. Those are my inspirations and my reasons for doing what I do.

 

Emily Merrell  

I love it. Well, Minotti we are again, so lucky to have you on this podcast. And thank you so much for sharing your wealth of information. There’s just so much that you bring to the table and inspiring women inspiring your clients, inspiring your family inspiring me. And I was just grateful to hear all of the things that you have done.

 

Minoti Rajput  

It’s my pleasure, and I’m always honored. And it’s so wonderful to talk to you. Thank you.

 

Emily Merrell  

Thank you. And for our podcast listeners. Thank you so much for joining the sixth degree podcast. If you liked today’s episode, make sure to like it. Give us a five star review and share it with your friends and we’ll see you the next time on the sixth degree with Emily Merrell.

 

second degree society

Members Login