Meet CA Himanshu Jain who isn’t just a teacher but someone who has lived the world of finance from the inside. With over 15 years of experience across investment banking, valuation, project financing and strategic consulting, he brings a rare mix of corporate insight and classroom clarity.
He has worked with some of the most respected names in the industry including McKinsey, Moody’s and PwC. He’s also the Co-Founder of ARC Financial Services and The Wall Street School, two ventures that reflect his deep-rooted belief in both practical finance and quality education.
Since 2009, Himanshu Sir has been training students and professionals in stock market concepts, financial modeling and valuation. What sets him apart is how simply he explains things whether you’re a college student or a senior executive, his teaching style feels relevant and real.
Apart from it, he recently led his 4th Masterclass on Value Investing with The Economic Times, where the audience ranged from CEOs and consulting partners to curious students. There, his session was planned for 12 hours but went on for over 16 because of the engagement, the energy of the group and the depth of discussion. He also co-hosted a Q&A session there with Mr. Rajiv Nagpal, Head of Market Intelligence at ET, tackling questions from all corners of the stock market world.
Himanshu Sir brings real experience to the classroom. He does not just talk about the stock market. He shows how it actually works in the real world.
Below Is the Interview Transcript Where Himanshu Sir Breaks It Down for Beginners –
1. Okay, let’s start simple—what even is the stock market? Like, how would you explain it to someone who has never heard of it before?
I usually explain it like this: Think of the stock market as a big vegetable market or sabzi mandi. But instead of buying and selling fruits or vegetables you are buying and selling tiny ownership pieces of large companies. Imagine a big company that makes your favorite mobile phone wants to build a new factory to make even more phones. To get the money for this new factory it decides to sell small pieces of itself to the public. Each tiny piece is called a stock or a share. When you buy a share you become a small owner of that company. If the company does well and its profits grow the value of your tiny piece also grows. It is a place that connects companies needing money to grow with people who have savings and want their money to grow.
2. A lot of people think the stock market is just gambling with fancy words. Is that even true?
That is a very common feeling but it is not quite true. The difference is in the control and knowledge you have. Gambling is putting money on something you have no control over like a lottery ticket or a dice roll.. It is based purely on chance and hope. Investing in the stock market when done right is the opposite. It is about studying a business. I remember once I was thinking about investing in a company that makes paints. Before I put any money in I spent weeks reading about them. I wanted to know if people were buying more paint if the company was expanding to new cities and if it was managing its costs well. That felt like making a business decision not placing a random bet. So I would say gambling is a game of luck and stock investing is about learning and thinking.
3. Also, what’s the difference between investing and trading? I hear both terms but never really know which one is for who.
The main difference is how much time you give and what you want from it. Investing is for the long term. It’s like planting a mango tree. You plant it in good soil take care of it and wait patiently for years. You don’t check its height every day. One day it grows big and gives you fruit.
That’s what investing is like. You put your money in good companies and wait. It can help you later in life for things like retirement or your child’s education.
Trading is short-term. It’s more like a vegetable seller at the market. You buy tomatoes in the morning when they’re cheap and try to sell them by evening for a small profit. But to do that you have to keep checking prices all the time and move fast.
Trading needs full focus every day and quick decisions. Some people enjoy that but it’s not for everyone.
4. Let’s say someone knows nothing about stocks. What’s the very first thing they should understand before jumping in?
The very first and most important thing to understand is that the stock market is not a magic lamp that grants wishes overnight. You will not get rich in a week or a month. I had a friend who heard about a “hot stock” and put 50000 rupees in it expecting it to double in a few weeks. When the stock went down by 10 percent he got scared and sold everything immediately losing 5000 rupees. The problem was his expectation. You must have patience. You are buying a part of a real business and businesses take time to grow to launch new products and to increase profits. You must think in years not in days.
5. Everywhere on social media, people are like “made lakhs from stocks.” But is it really possible for a normal person? Or is that just hype?
Yes it is possible for a normal person to make money from the stock market but not in the quick or flashy way you often see online. A lot of those profit screenshots come from risky trades that are more like lottery tickets. You see one person who made it but you don’t see the many who lost doing the same thing. Let me tell you what actually happened with a relative of mine who started investing a small amount in a well-known IT company every month for over 15 years. It was a boring strategy. But over time that small regular investment grew into a very large sum that helped fund his daughter’s higher education when the time came. That’s how most normal people build wealth through stocks not by chasing hype but by being patient and consistent.
6. What’s one mistake you see beginners making all the time?
One of the most common and costly mistakes I’ve seen is buying a stock just because someone else said so. I’ve seen many people who put their money into a company they had never heard of only because a friend or someone at their gym, office or some so-called expert on TV told them it would go up fast.
They don’t know what the company does or how it earns money or whether it is in loss or in debt. And when the tip goes wrong which happens often the stock crashes and they lose a big part of their savings.
The main problem is that they trust someone else’s opinion more than their own understanding. You should never put your hard-earned money into something you don’t understand. Even if you’re not an expert, at least do some basic homework. Know what the company sells, how it makes money and if it is doing well financially. That small effort can save you from a big mistake.
7. If someone is scared of losing money (which, let’s be honest, most of us are), is it still worth learning about stocks?
Yes definitely. In fact, being scared of losing money is actually a good reason to learn. The fear makes sense because there is some risk in investing. But the way to deal with that fear is by learning.
It’s just like learning to drive. In the beginning you’re scared of crashing. So what do you do? You learn the traffic rules, you understand how the brake and accelerator work and you practice slowly until you feel more confident.
The same thing happens with investing. When you learn the basics you understand how to reduce risk. You learn not to put all your money in one company. That’s called diversification. It’s like not keeping all your money in one pocket. From what I’ve seen, knowing how things work may not remove all the risk but it at least helps you handle it better and avoid panic when things don’t go as planned.
8. There are so many terms like IPOs, index funds, options, ETFs. Do people need to remember all this to start investing?
Not at all. You don’t need to know all those big terms to get started. It’s like trying to learn every word in the dictionary before reading your first book. You really don’t need to do that.
I always tell beginners to just start with something simple like an index fund. I recommend it because it spreads your money across many top companies so you’re not depending on just one to do well. It doesn’t need deep research and it’s a low-cost way to get exposure to the overall market. For beginners it’s a safe and easy first step. Once you begin you can learn more slowly over time. To take the first step you only need to understand the basics.
9. Can learning about stocks actually help in day-to-day life, even if someone never becomes an investor?
Yes, it’s very useful. Learning about stocks is really just learning how businesses and the economy work. Once you understand the basics you start seeing things differently around you.
You begin to understand why prices are going up in shops or why your bank changed the interest rate on your loan. I’ve seen that it even helps people understand the news better and how government decisions can affect their daily life.
Even if you never buy a single stock it’s a skill that makes you more aware and helps you make smarter money choices.
10. You’ve trained so many students over the years. What kind of people usually join the stock market course? Are they mostly from finance backgrounds or do people from other fields join too?
People who join the course come from all kinds of backgrounds and most of them are not from finance. I’ve had students who are doctors, engineers, teachers, business owners and even people who took a break from work and now want to learn something useful. In one class I remember there was a young doctor who had just started earning, a software engineer who wanted to invest his bonus, a homemaker who wanted to understand family finances better and a retired army officer who was looking to manage his savings more smartly.
Even though their jobs were completely different they all had one thing in common. They wanted to understand how money works. Many of them told me that no one ever taught them these things in school or college. They weren’t looking for shortcuts or overnight profits. They just wanted to feel more confident about their money and make better decisions for their future.
11. Some people think it’s too late to start learning if you’re in your 40s or 50s. Do you agree?
I don’t agree with the idea that it’s too late to start. It’s never too late to learn and take control of your money. Yes young people have more time to grow their money but someone in their 40s or 50s usually has one big advantage—they often have more savings to start with.
Their goals are just different. A 25-year-old might want to grow wealth over the long term while someone who is 50 might want a steady second income from dividends to support their monthly expenses.
I still remember one student who started learning at the age of 52. Her goal was simple as she wanted to earn just ₹10,000 a month from stocks so she didn’t have to touch her main savings. That’s a practical and very possible goal no matter what age you are.
If you’re willing to learn and take it step by step your age doesn’t matter. What matters is that you start. Even small progress can make a big difference over time.
12. What’s one money lesson or investing tip you really wish more people knew, especially young people?
I really wish more young people understood how powerful it is to start early even with a small amount. I always give this example. Imagine investing like rolling a snowball.. The money you put in is the snow and the returns you get are more snow sticking to it. Time is the hill you roll down.
Even if you start with a small snowball if the hill is long it can grow really big by the time it reaches the bottom. Someone who starts at 20 has a much longer hill than someone who starts at 30.
When you’re young your biggest strength is not how much money you have but how much time you have. That’s why it’s best to start as early as you can.
13. And finally—if someone is still unsure about learning stocks, what would you say to them? Like, what’s the harm in just understanding how it works?
This knowledge is very useful even if you never invest. It’s basic financial understanding and that’s something everyone needs in life. Once you learn the basics you become more confident with money. You can understand loan terms better. You can talk to your family about saving and planning. You also learn to avoid things that sound too good to be true.
I’ve seen many people use this knowledge to make smarter choices like picking better insurance plans, managing daily expenses or planning for future goals. It helps you feel more in control of your money and less confused by financial jargon.
That’s why I always suggest learning the basics even if you’re not ready to invest yet. It’s one of those life skills that always pays off sooner or later.
We hope this Q&A helped clear some of your basic doubts about the stock market and gave you a fresh way to look at investing and money.
We’re truly thankful to Himanshu Sir for taking the time to answer these questions so patiently and in such a simple way. His insights have helped many people understand the stock market without fear or confusion.If you have any questions about the stock market or just want to understand something better feel free to drop your queries at himanshu@wallstreetschool.com. We’ll try to get them answered in our next conversation with him!
