Remember buying a phone, bike, or car. How much time did you spend analysing the product—checking features, prices, taking feedback from friends, or reading online reviews? And how much time do you spend reviewing a financial product? You would probably say this is not an apple-to-apple comparison, or it’s an apple-to-orange comparison. No, I am…

Financial Independence, Retire Early has revolutionised the way a generation approaches work and finances. But as more parents achieve financial freedom in their 30s and 40s, a troubling question emerges: What happens to our children when they grow up watching us live without traditional financial stress? This isn’t about leaving kids financially unprepared. It’s about…

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…

Understanding risk is essential to effective investing and money management. The way investment risk is perceived and handled has a pervasive impact on investment performance. Hence, it would be beneficial to develop a holistic understanding of how investment risk works. Let us now look at answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about…

In India, not everyone can offer investment advice. They must first be registered as an investment adviser (RIA) with SEBI. Once registered, they must act as a fiduciary – meaning they must always put the client first. In other words, prescribe only commission-free products (those that come under SEBI) if the adviser charges fixed fees…

Let’s take the example of 2 Senior Citizen friends who have the same amount of corpus in their retirement kitty. The retirement corpus is around 1.4 Crores. Let us name them Mr. Ram and Mr. Sham for better understanding. Both friends are 60 years old and have retired from their respective professions. Since Mr. Ram…

Many people have insurance policies from nationalised companies or other private companies purchased 5 to 10 years ago or earlier. At that time, insurance policies were very standardised, and the major choice that had to be made was about the insurance coverage amount. Over the past few years, private insurers have developed policies with innovative…

Growing up, earning ₹1.5 lakh a month in a metro city in India would have been the ultimate dream—a ticket to financial freedom and a glamorous lifestyle for many. But fast-forward to today, and for many young professionals living in metros like Bengaluru, this “dream salary” feels more like a cruel joke. These are my…

Why did various Fixed-Fee RIAs choose to give up a more lucrative career path to pick a less lucrative career path? SEBI RIA Avinash Luthria asks this question to three Fixed Fee RIAs.  About the author: Avinash is a part of freefincal’s curated list of fee-only financial advisors and a Fee-only India member. He was…

Many Freefincal readers have shown interest in becoming a SEBI Registered Investment Advisor to offer unbiased advice to clients and earn a decent income from this. Investment Advisory can be a second career for many DIY investors passionate about helping others manage their finances. As per old SEBI regulations, a postgraduate qualification in finance and…

Before getting started, let us try to understand the meaning of the term ‘retirement corpus’. Then, we will move on to discuss the four things that can make a dent in your retirement corpus. About the author: Ajay Pruthi is a fee-only SEBI registered investment advisor. He can be contacted via his website plnr.in. Ajay is part…

We all remember Rajesh Khanna belting out ‘Zindagi Ke Safar Mein Guzar jaate jo mukam, woh phir nahi aatein’ and he was right! Our life is a mixture of the good and the bad decisions we make. But there is one thing that keeps us on our toes. There is one thing that keeps us…

Indian parents. Or what you call that species of human beings for whom you will always be a baby in your diapers, no matter how old you get and what great things you achieve in life. Or the ones who will always be there to help you navigate through life and at the same time…

In a Consultation Paper on Review of Regulatory Framework for Investment Advisers and Research Analysts dated Aug 6th 2024, SEBI has proposed the concept of a part-time investment advisor and research analyst. The comments on this paper closed on Aug 26th 2024. It is quite likely that it shall come to pass. A recent news…