The three habits that won a Sebi quiz, and matter more than degrees

Lovaii Navlakhi, managing director and CEO of International Money Matters, won a quiz for securities market intermediaries on July 25, organised by the National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM), Sebi's education body. The quiz questions ranged across finance, current events, the football World Cup, and client psychology. When NISM students asked how he and his teammate knew so much, the answer had nothing to do with professional certifications.

It came down to three habits, Navlakhi wrote in Mint Premium.

The first is reading the newspaper daily. Not just headlines. Understanding what the news means, why something happened, and what it signals takes practice repeated every day, whether in print or on a screen.

The second is deliberately reading outside your own field and seeking out views that contradict your own. Scanning headlines across multiple websites is not enough. Reading in depth, following the implications, and connecting different viewpoints builds a rounded picture. A narrow field of reading gives a narrow field of vision.

The third is guarding against your own ego. The moment you believe you know it all, that belief becomes your biggest weakness. Continuous questioning and openness to new tools and technologies keep you relevant, especially as artificial intelligence takes over routine thinking.

Navlakhi was India's first CeFT (Certified Financial Transitionist) and had been part of the first CFP convocation in India. The quiz win, he said, was built on habits available to anyone, starting today, with a newspaper.