BSI CEO Advises Youth: Don't Spend All Your Money on Consumption
The habit of managing money from a young age can determine a person’s long-term financial condition. Therefore, the younger generation needs not only to think about how to earn and spend money, but also to start converting a portion of their income into assets.
President Director of PT Bank Syariah Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (BSI) Anggoro Eko Cahyo conveyed this message during a sharing session for new student admissions at Padjadjaran University (Unpad) entitled “Own Your Future: Small Choices Today, Bigger Possibilities Tomorrow” before approximately 10,000 new Unpad students.
Anggoro said that everyone has the same capital in terms of time, which is 24 hours a day. According to him, the way one utilises that time will determine how far a person can build their future.
“Every human being has the same amount of time. What differentiates us is how we use that time to build the future. Don’t just be a user of the future, be an owner of the future. Your future starts now,” said Anggoro.
According to Anggoro, the younger generation needs to change their perspective on money. Financial management does not stop at how to earn and spend money, but also how to set aside a portion of income to build assets that can preserve wealth value in the long term.
“Young people should not only think about having money, but start thinking about having assets. Don’t wait until you are rich to start investing. Start now, from a small amount, but be consistent,” Anggoro stressed.
One of the instruments Anggoro cited as an example was gold. He provided an illustration of the change in gold’s value against the price of goods to depict how the asset can be used in long-term financial planning.
Anggoro gave an example that a car which once cost around Rp125 million was equivalent to approximately 230 grams of gold. Meanwhile, in 2025, a car priced at around Rp200 million is only equivalent to about 75 grams of gold.
This illustration, according to Anggoro, shows the difference in value change between currency and assets over a long period. However, he stressed the importance of understanding investment instruments before using them as part of financial planning.
As an effort to expand young people’s access to gold instruments, BSI has introduced a Gold Bank or Bullion Bank service. Through BYOND by BSI, customers can buy gold digitally starting from around Rp50,000, sell gold and transfer grammage in real-time 24/7, and have the option to print physical gold ownership starting from 2 grams.
Anggoro said that gold can be one of the choices in financial planning for various needs, ranging from education and emergency funds to preparations for the Hajj pilgrimage. For this reason, financial literacy needs to be introduced from university so that the younger generation is not only ready to enter the workforce, but also able to manage income and build assets healthily according to sharia principles.
“Small choices today, bigger possibilities tomorrow. Start by managing your time, managing your expenses, setting aside money, then turning it into assets. The future is not built later when we are already successful. The future is built from the small decisions we make today,” said Anggoro.