New Delhi : “Your salary isn’t growing — and it’s not your imagination,” says finfluencer Akshat Shrivastava, founder of Wisdom Hatch, who recently shared a viral post highlighting how India’s middle class is being left behind in the country’s fast-changing wealth landscape.

Shrivastava pointed out that between 2020 and 2025, gold prices surged over 56 percent, while average salaries actually fell by 0.07 percent. Despite India’s economy expanding at nearly 7 percent annually, wage growth has stagnated, creating a widening gap between asset owners and salaried professionals.

He argues that India’s economy is becoming increasingly financialized, where wealth generation depends more on owning assets — such as gold, real estate, or stocks — rather than earning a monthly paycheck. Those who

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