ARE YOU BUYING AN ASSET—OR JUST AN EXPENSIVE THING
ARE YOU BUYING AN ASSET—OR JUST AN EXPENSIVE
THING? The Difference Between Owning Something Costly and
Owning Something That Can Preserve Wealth Across Generations
If the logo disappeared tomorrow, what would your expensive possession
still be worth? A conversation about an expensive watch led Dr.
Abhishek Gilara to a much bigger question: What do we really mean
when we call something an asset? A luxury watch can cost a fortune.
A handbag can become a status symbol. A car can announce success
before its owner even steps out. But does an expensive price automatically
create enduring value?
And what happens if the brand disappears, fashions change, collectors move elsewhere, or the next generation
simply stops desiring what today’s generation considers prestigious? Coming from a multigenerational
jewellery family, Dr. Abhishek Gilara examines the question from inside the world of luxury—
not against it. He separates the different layers we often mistakenly combine: material value, utility,
craftsmanship, scarcity, brand, status, emotion and investment value. Then the book goes further. If gold,
property, businesses and other assets are ultimately going to pass into somebody else’s hands, what is the
greatest inheritance we can leave our children? Money? Property? Jewellery? A business? Or the capability
to create all of them again? Across five deeply personal chapters, one question about material ownership
gradually becomes a question about life itself. Remove the logo from your possessions. What
remains? Then remove your wealth. Your designation. Your business. Your status. Your achievements.
Your applause. What remains of you? This is not a book against wealth. It is a book about understanding
wealth. Build assets. Enjoy luxury. Create prosperity. Protect your family. Leave something meaningful
for generations yet unborn. But remember: A high price does not automatically make something an
asset. An inheritance can finish. The ability to create an inheritance can reproduce itself. And while
building what you can leave behind, never stop building what you are becoming within.
