r/FIREPakistan

Hey
I was reading this post https://www.reddit.com/r/FIREPakistan/s/edCI6PBPLR about freelancer tax.
So basically I am doing freelancing for years and withdrawing through WISE. I am withdrawing around PKR 1.5 Crore for past 3 years. I do freelancing on Upwork and Fiverr, and I also have a remote Job Contract on Deel. I get paid on deel as well.
I am registered with PSEB and I also have the PRCs, but the status code is 9471 or 0401 or 0201. I have Meezan Freelancer DigiAccount and it doesn’t deduct 0.25%, but I file taxes in the category of IT exports 0.25% Tax and pay the tax by myself.
According to the post, its technically wrong because 9471 is served as home remittances.
Home remittances are tax exempt?
What are the conditions for it?
How much tax I am liable to pay under this category?
What is the best approach to file the tax with 9471 0401 0201?
What about my past income tax returns?
What will happen if FBR audits?

Seven years of "family support" sitting in one cell of my FIRE spreadsheet at "$500 to $700 monthly." Never decomposed. Never questioned. Cleaned up the spreadsheet last month and the number that came out is genuinely embarrassing for someone who optimizes his VTI expense ratio to the basis point.

Chase wire averaged roughly 3.8% total cost across those years, fee plus exchange rate markup combined. Apps today do it at under 1% if you actually compare before sending. Seven year leak: about $1,200. Not in one hit. In invisible slices every month. Compounded at 8% over the remainder of my FIRE timeline, that's close to $5,000 just gone.

Now it's taptapsend us to pakistan and wise on my phone, compare before every send, pick the higher PKR number, done in three minutes. No fee structure above $200 kills percentage fees on larger amounts. Wise sometimes wins on smaller sends. Either way the money stays in my family's system instead of shipping to a bank's forex desk in some skyscraper.

Same guy who obsesses over 0.03% expense ratios was just casually losing 250 basis points on every remittance for 7 years because he never looked.

Does this require any balancing or i should keep adding to the existings???

https://preview.redd.it/jm7u05gnmh2h1.png?width=842&format=png&auto=webp&s=2f9141443e534529ed7144d49ecfc05660123f7a

Hey Everyone!
I started investing this year and have been slowly learning and building my portfolio. Recently an IPO happened for Sitara petroleum and I invested in it as well. Well I received a form today in email asking me to fill it and send it via email or mail to receive my shares. The thing a few months ago there was another IPO and those share automatically came in my Finqalab account so why are these one asking for this form?

what to do for SPSL hold or sell?

Hey everyone, I was checking out a few SIP calculators available online and found that all of them showed different results for the same values.

I used Mahaana's SIP calculator, Finhisaab and SIP calculator.pk.

Anyone knows why that is or which one is the most accurate?

Thank-you.

Hey everyone, I’m completely new to investing and recently started learning about PSX and the KSE-100 Index. I made this long-term portfolio (20–25 year horizon) mainly based on strong KSE-100 companies/sectors. Took help from ChatGPT also.

I’m planning to SIP about 100K into this portfolio monthly and basically buy and chill long term instead of trading.

ETFs — 20%
• NITGETF — 6%
• MIIETF — 8%
• UBLPETF — 6%

Growth — 40%
• LUCK — 10%
• ENGROH — 6%
• SYS — 6%
• MEBL — 7%
• UBL — 4%
• ILP — 2%
• SAZEW — 2%
• FATIMA — 3%

Oil & Gas — 20%
• MARI — 6%
• OGDC — 6%
• PPL — 6%
• POL — 2%

Dividend / Defensive — 20%
• FFC — 10%
• HUBC — 8%
• SEARL — 2%

Do you guys think this is a solid buy and hold portfolio for a 20–25 year timeline? Any major weaknesses, overlaps, or risks I should know about as a beginner? Thank you in advance.

For context: 23M, Overseas Pakistani (very much looking to settle in Pakistan sometime down the line)

Current Monthly earnings - 600k-800k
Savings - 4M
Investments - None
Assets - A used car worth not a lot

After following this sub for some time now ive realized there are quite a few people with great knowledge so thought I’d share my case here.

Im relatively new into my professional life and already building a business in my domain that i want to eventually use to quit my day job/s. Any advice regarding finances or FIRE would he appreciated.

My eIPO subscription was successful and the shares will be listed on psx tomorrow but i dont know how to shift those shares in my broker app?

Assalamualikum

Currently i have roughly portfolio of 20million invested

10 invested in highrisk mutual fund

10 in etfs and stocks (arouns 6 mil in etfs rest in div+growth stocks)

I do monthly sip of 1.2 million. Is ARN or any other advisory service better for me? For example arn charges arouns 3.7 laks for a year of their service.

I will be redploying my direct stocks and future sip amount in the portfolio they will design for me( will not touch etfs and mutual funds for sake of compounding)

Does anyone have availed their services? Focus is not on learning due to time constraints but better investment opportunities and return.

The thing is i wont have any time to learn about stocks investing etc. I can only give some time to my portfolio each month.

Jazakallah.

As title suggests, what would you suggest to keep up with the inflation for long term, (2-3 years) or 6-7 years.

Okay, so I was facing that same old NCCPL bioverification issue for over a month. (it's almost like a national Pakistani investor problem atm)

I tried the app multiple times, got CNIC blocked. Sent over dozens of emails to JS (my brokerage), no response at all, customer service sucks.

Coming back to today. I searched and found the fact that there's an NCCPL office in Lahore (idk, why I thought it was only in Isb). I went to their office. I thought they would have this fingerprint machine where I'll have to place my fingers to get scanned, but it turned out he was also using the application to scan my fingers.

His approach was different, so I thought I might share in case this helps any of you.

He brought me a wet tissue paper on a plate. Told me to press my four fingers on the paper to get them slightly wet, then he told my husband to hold his mobile's flashlight on my fingers, and that's when he scanned them on his phone application. Just one scan and it got accepted.

Barely took a minute.

I want to track my dividends and write it down and I am trying to find all dividends I’ve gotten so far.

I go to CDC app to check but IT IS ALWAYS NOT UPDATED, I am so pissed that even after 2 weeks of receiving dividends, it’s not updated in the CDC app.

How long does it take to be updated on CDC app?

Is there any other way where I can check my total dividends paid so far since 2025?

Hey everyone,

I’m working overseas and want to use a Roshan Digital Account (RDA), but my company’s payroll setup is tricky.

Instead of wiring funds directly from abroad, my employer transfers bulk funds to a local third-party payroll agent inside Pakistan, who then distributes the PKR to my bank locally.

Because SBP rules strictly require "direct foreign inward remittance" for RDAs, I’m worried this local transfer will get auto-blocked.

• Has anyone successfully routed funds to an RDA when the sender on paper is a local third-party agent?
• Will the bank auto-reject the transfer, or can compliance manually clear it if I provide my employment contract?
• Are there any workarounds, or should I just stick to a standard resident account?

REF: https://www.reddit.com/r/FIREPakistan/comments/1telk75/become_a_multimillionaire_a_proven_formula_for/

Sorry, bear with me for another long post.

Some people have encouraged me to keep sharing my thoughts. My previous three posts focused on only one side of the picture, while I believe there is another side that is equally important.

Although these points may seem obvious or minor to many, I still feel they are worth sharing, as they may offer value or perspective that helps us all.

FIRE Journey: Beyond Financial Literacy

In the FIRE journey, many people have the financial literacy, yet they still struggle to achieve significant success in life. I believe there are several other equally important factors that shape outcomes.

1. Observation

The first and foremost skill is strong observation.

Do you observe your daily life deeply? Do you reflect on your routines? Do you notice fine details such as cleanliness, dressing, behaviour, and patterns around you?

Strong observers identify problems, inefficiencies, and gaps in existing systems. This ability to notice what others ignore is a key driver of success in life and entrepreneurship.

2. Travelling

Travel, travel, and travel.

In Western countries, I have observed that people travel abroad once or twice a year it’s their habit, often with their families. Travel broadens perspective and accelerates learning.

Even local travel can be valuable. When I visited the UK in 2009–2010, I observed TV commercials, advertisements, and business models that I am now seeing in Pakistan in 2025–2026 (such as Daraz, Priceoye, Mawazna, insurance platforms, etc.).

Developed countries are often one or two decades ahead in business trends. If you observe carefully, you can learn, adapt, and replicate (copying/pasting) ideas—sometimes that alone can create millionaire opportunities.

Parents who expose their children early to travel and different environments give them a strong advantage and motivation to earn and think bigger.

3. Language, Skills, and Passport

Learning additional languages such as German or Mandarin gives you a competitive edge.

Having more than one passport significantly increases global mobility and opportunities. If you have 2 passport your chances of building wealth multiplied by 10.

Equally important are practical, hands-on skills such as plumbing, carpentry, painting, or other vocational abilities. These skills can sustain you during difficult phases.

I have seen students in Germany & other parts of Europe who could not afford the job search period after graduation and had to return home. If they had practical skills, they could have survived that transition period and eventually secured better opportunities.

4. Right Partner and Role of Parents

Choosing the right life partner is extremely important. The family is the basic unit of society.

If your partner and/or parents are low-achieving/low-IQ or constantly focused on trivial issues, they may distract you from bigger goals with unnecessary conflict & keep occupying with unnecessary conflicts and distractions—for example, arguments over small household issues rather than meaningful priorities.

Strong families focus on ideas, growth, and progress—not petty matters.

I have observed that high-achieving and wealthy families tend to avoid petty discussions. Instead, their conversations revolve around ideas, innovation, and long-term thinking during family gatherings. In many such settings, a significant portion of communication is in English. I once attended a gathering where the family owned a 2-kanal house in F-7, Islamabad, valued at around half a billion rupees. Their son also owned a luxury property in Los Angeles. I noticed that in their drawing room, they had long-standing subscriptions to publications such as The Economist and Time Magazine spanning it for over three decades. They generally do not engage with local tabloids or sensational news sources like Jang, Geo, instead preferring global, analytical perspectives on world affairs.

For boys, instead of focusing primarily on superficial traits such as fair complexion, height, modern dressing, model-like appearance, or family wealth, it is more important to look for deeper qualities such as intelligence, financial understanding, mindset, and the overall upbringing and values of the family.

For girls, beyond other factors, the most important qualities include a genuine spark in boys to achieve big in life, ambition, the ability to handle complex situations, and sincerity toward family values.

Unfortunately, many people take marriage lightly, even though it is one of the most important pillars of society. If children were already fully formed and raised when they arrive in the world, there would be no need for a family structure. This is why the family unit plays such a critical role in shaping individuals & strong punishments for infidelity. A strong family environment plays a major role in shaping future generations.

5. Big Picture Thinking

Always keep the big picture in mind.

Those who are on a larger journey do not get stuck in small disputes.

If there is a disagreement involving small or medium financial matters, it is often better to move on and focus on generating more value rather than wasting years in conflict.

6. Stress on Important Matters

Everyone experiences stress—but it depends on what you choose to stress about.

Some people get deeply disturbed over minor issues like appearance or trivial inconveniences, while ignoring major life concerns.

A better approach is to focus emotional energy on meaningful issues such as life purpose, morality, and long-term goals, rather than small, temporary problems.

7. Constant Learning

One of the key traits of successful individuals and billionaires is continuous learning.

Even after achieving financial success, they keep learning and adapting.

For example, Bill Gates studies quantum computing, and Elon Musk continuously explores rocket science and advanced technologies.

Unfortunately, many people stop learning after small achievements, which limits their growth. Continuous learning should be a habit for both parents and children.

8. Choice of Car and Home

Major lifestyle decisions, such as buying a car or home, can significantly impact financial stability.

Many people make poor vehicle choices—buying either overly old cars that require constant repairs or luxury cars that are expensive to maintain. This creates financial stress & wasting their precious time in repair.

Similarly, choosing the right home and real estate investment requires careful evaluation of long-term value, location, and financial sustainability.

9. Outsourcing Time-Wasting Tasks

Highly successful individuals often delegate minor tasks.

I have observed that highly successful individuals, such as lieutenant generals, admirals, businessmen often operate with dedicated support teams to handle minor and routine issues. Even tasks like managing phone calls are delegated to assistants whose role is to filter information and forward only what is truly important.

They deliberately avoid letting their minds get occupied with trivial matters. Instead, they preserve their mental energy for strategic thinking, major challenges, and high-impact decisions.

Their focus remains consistently on big-picture objectives rather than day-to-day noise.

In order to delegate task, you need money. Chicken and egg problem.

10. Operating Environment

Ultimately, environment plays a critical role in success.

In progressive countries like the US, Japan, and China families provide environments that support growth for future generations.

Similarly, a student who performs well academically often benefits not only from personal effort but also from a supportive home environment that provides peace, stability, and focus.

The ability to outsource household stress and create a productive environment significantly improves learning and performance. Many successful entrepreneurs and professionals succeed because their environment allows them to focus on growth rather than survival.

It is difficult to lead life in Pakistan with a purely strategic, long-term mindset, as the environment often demands constant firefighting due to its volatility. Since its inception, the country has faced periods of instability, and inflation has historically remained high—around 12% on average.

Conclusion

In conclusion, financial independence is not shaped by money management alone, but by a broader set of life skills, environments, and mindset choices. Observation, exposure, relationships, continuous learning, and disciplined decision-making collectively determine long-term outcomes.