Your money moves for every chapter—single to parenting

Managing financial priorities and risk appetites amid a transition by households

- Anagh Pal

For couples, money decisions evolve as quickly as life does. The shift from carefree dual incomes to growing family responsibilities can rewrite how, and how much you save.

Chetan Verma, 47, and Shalini Bali, 47, have lived that shift across continents and life stages. They began their journey as a “dual-income, no-kids" household (a DINK setup) while working in Africa—comfortable incomes, low financial pressure, and little need to plan beyond monthly expenses.

That changed in 2012 when they moved to Gurgaon and were expecting their first child, Vardaan. Their priorities flipped: clearing the home loan, strengthening health insurance, and tracking where every rupee went.

A later move to Mumbai—and Shalini stepping back from her career—tightened things further. Their single-income-with-kids (SIWK) phase demanded deeper planning and discipline. By the time their second son Shaurya arrived, the Vermas had diversified investments, engaged a financial planner, and built a system strong enough to support every transition.

Income structures may shift from SINK (single income, no kids) to DINK to SIWK, but time is the biggest wealth multiplier. Here’s how each life stage redraws money decisions, and why starting early matters.

How family stages redraw risk profile

Being single with no dependents typically means higher disposable income. These SINK years are the ideal time to double down on investing.