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Sebi-registered investment advisor Abhishek Kumar offers a balanced, data-driven perspective on a social media post that claimed index funds are “guaranteed” to underperform the market. About the author: Abhishek is part of a freefincal’s curated list of fee-only financial advisors and a fee-only India member. He can be contacted via his website, sahajmoney.com. The “Guaranteed Underperformance” Myth The assertion that…
Continue reading →Two communities know the benefits of approaching a SEBI-registered fee-only financial planner who charges a flat rate (not a percentage of your assets): freefincal readers and members of the FB group Asan Ideas for Wealth. More than 1000 freefincal readers are working with the advisors on the site’s curated list. However, even in these communities,…
Continue reading →A social media post last week had a striking banner: “From 1 July 2025, IRDAI allows health-insurance claims for hospital stays as short as two hours.” SEBI RIA Abhishek Kumar explains what changed and what didn’t. About the author: Abhishek is part of a freefincal’s curated list of fee-only financial advisors and a fee-only India member. He can be…
Continue reading →This index fund screener is based on tracking error and returns difference wrt benchmarks (aka tracking difference). It will help users evaluate how efficiently an index fund has tracked its underlying benchmark. It will also help them understand how tracking a midcap index or the Nifty 100 or 500 differs from tracking the Sensex or…
Continue reading →In this edition of the reader story, “Two years ago, I made a decision that reshaped my relationship with money, risk, and peace of mind. Last year, I shared how after losing six months’ worth of income in futures and options (F&O) trading, I stepped away from the chaos and adopted systematic investing. It wasn’t…
Continue reading →A reader has pointed out an error in the Capital Gains Ready Reckoner regarding the indexation of listed and unlisted bonds/debentures. According to the 4th Proviso under Section 48, indexation is not available for debentures/bonds. Abdul says, “In your Freefincal capital gains tax ready reckoner, there is an error regarding the Indexation on the Listed…
Continue reading →This ETF screener is based on tracking errors and differences (ETF return minus index return). It will help users evaluate how efficiently an ETF has tracked its underlying benchmark. The tracking error is the ETF’s standard deviation minus index monthly return differences. The lower the tracking error, the more efficient the ETF is in following…
Continue reading →The cost inflation index for the financial year 2025-2026 is 376, representing a 3.58% increase. We compile 45 years of cost inflation index data to understand the devastating consequences of inflation and why our singular focus should be on beating inflation for our long term goals. The cost inflation index (CII) is not a measure…
Continue reading →The freefincal robo-advisor tool will now feature equity glide paths for retirement buckets, providing enhanced risk management. We also have an updated video user guide. The updated version has already been sent to all existing users. Those who did not receive the notification can contact us. Those unfamiliar with the tool’s features can refer to…
Continue reading →The latest freefincal Equity Mutual Fund Performance Screener is now available. Use it to screen for consistently performing equity mutual funds. You can screen based on fund category & benchmark and spot mutual funds with a higher return than a benchmark at a lower risk. Inside, you get discounted links to our robo advisory tool…
Continue reading →We recently received an interesting question on YouTube: “What would be your advice to a person who wants to lead a luxurious life? For example, if a person who is 40 years old makes 50 lakhs annually after taxes, would you advise such a person to invest aggressively and retire by 50 or lead a…
Continue reading →In this article, Abhishek Kumar, a SEBI-registered investment advisor, discusses whether one should invest in the retail offshore MF from GIFT City, specifically the DSP Global Equity Fund. About the author: Abhishek is part of a freefincal’s curated list of fee-only financial advisors and a fee-only India member. He can be contacted via his website, sahajmoney.com. I still remember being 11…
Continue reading →A reader says, “Thanks for your website. I have been following it for a while, and I thought you could help me with my retirement plan. I also thought my case would be useful to your readers.” “I am 52 years old, and my wife is 49. I’ve been in the IT industry since 2000…
Continue reading →This is a National Pension Scheme Fund Screener to shortlist consistently performing NPS schemes. You can also spot NPS schemes with a higher return than a benchmark at a lower risk. This is similar in design to the freefincal Equity Mutual Fund Performance Screener. Inside, you get discounted links to our robo advisory tool and…
Continue reading →A reader asks, “Would you please suggest how one can manage financially if one is not eligible for health insurance due to pre-existing diseases for younger folks? Medical expenses are an inevitability. How do we plan for that as best as we can?” Most private health insurers today are unlikely to accept the risk of…
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