I have lost lakhs due to the global melt down - Vineet Raina

Money. That's what drives everyone in the final analysis, whether in the glamour world of acting or the hard grind of scripting and producing. Cashin' In sits down with TV celebs to know well they handle their financial matters, and tracks their spending patterns. Vinnet Raina hates spending money unnecessarily. He is well aware of the uncertainties of his profession and hence saves for the rainy day. In spite of being a wise player in terms of finance, he has made a few mistakes. Here is Vineet Raina discussing his finance exclusively on Tellychakkar. How important is money for you? It is one of the most important things in life, for everyone. It is not a want, it is a need. Are you an impulsive buyer? I buy things only if I like them though sometimes I do buy things on an impulse. I try to refrain myself from impulsive buying and save money for the future. Saving money has become more necessary with the global meltdown. What are the investments you have made? I have made a mistake by investing a lot of money in shares, mutual funds and aggressive funds. Recently when the market crashed down, the loss was also aggressive. I suffered a loss in lakhs of rupees. What is your most expensive purchase? A piece of land that I bought in my home town Jammu is my most expensive purchase. Do you feel financially secure? Being an actor you can never feel financially secure as there are times when you have work and there are times when you don’t have work at all. It all depends on how you manage your finance for the future. Who handles your expenses? I feel that the person who earns that money is the most suitable person to handle it. I handle it entirely on my own. I do listen to suggestions from others but the final decision is always mine. What was your first salary? What you did with it? In the holidays after my twelfth grade exam, I had joined a carpet company as a marketing executive. They used to pay me Rs. 3,000 per month. With my first salary, I bought a pair of ‘Woodland’ shoes. I spent the entire month’s salary at one go on the shoes. Those shoes were in vogue at that time. How much money do you carry every day? I carry plastic money (credit cards) and debit cards. I avoid carrying much money on a daily basis. Any advice for investors? Gold and real estate are the best investments to make as the market for this is going high. For those who have already invested in stock market, I would suggest that don’t withdraw your money due to the falling market. Just be patient and trust the market as anything that goes up, comes down.