When investors compare mutual funds, they usually look at trailing returns—1-year, 3-year or 5-year returns displayed on fund factsheets and research portals. While these figures are easy to understand, they represent returns over just one investment period and can be significantly influenced by the choice of start and end dates. This is why experienced investors…

I still remember the silence at the dinner table. I had just told my parents that I was going to keep renting for a few more years instead of buying a flat. I wanted to build my emergency fund first, let my investments compound, and stay flexible while my career was still finding its shape….

In India, parenting is often treated less like a responsibility and more like a long-term investment scheme. We pour everything we have—our savings, our gold, and our youth—into our children’s education and marriages. We tell ourselves it is out of love. But deep down, for many Indian parents, there is an unspoken contract: I sacrificed…

Every parent wants the best for their children. We work hard to give them a good education, a comfortable life, and opportunities that we may never have had ourselves. We worry about their health, safety, career, and future. But let me ask you a simple question: Are you preparing your children to manage money? Most…

Have you ever been convinced that you too could become a millionaire? I have been in your shoes. In today’s world, we are heavily influenced by social media, where a person is chilling on a vacation with their laptop and their trading setup on. We also think we can quit our jobs, do this, and…

Not every financial decision deserves the same amount of analysis. Choosing between Mutual Fund A and Mutual Fund B feels important. In reality, it isn’t. If six months later you find a better fund or your investment philosophy changes, you can simply switch. The decision is reversible. The cost of changing your mind is relatively…

There’s a moment in the movie “Life in a … Metro” where one character asks a simple question: “If you sat in your car and waited for every single traffic signal on your route to turn green before you left home, would you ever actually go anywhere?” You wouldn’t. Because that’s not how a journey…

“Don’t burn your house to smoke out a rat.” It is an old proverb, but its relevance has never faded. Literally, it means destroying something valuable in an attempt to solve a relatively small problem. In practice, it describes situations in which the solution causes far more damage than the original issue. Recently, I was…

Every strong house needs a foundation before you decorate the rooms. In money, that foundation is just two things: term insurance and health insurance. They quietly hold up everything else. But here is the strange part. Nearly half of Indians still do not have term insurance, and most who have health cover have too little….

A friend recently asked me to review her father’s finances. He’s 75, with a liquid net worth of ₹3.5 crore, but every rupee is quietly held for the generation that comes after him. Meeting him reminded me of a story. About the author: Abhishek Kumar is part of a freefincal’s curated list of fee-only financial advisors and a fee-only…

I once watched a client stare at his portfolio for three full minutes, certain his screen had frozen. His net worth hadn’t moved in six months. “What’s happening here?” he finally asked. It wasn’t broken. It was working exactly as designed. He had just hit the cruellest stretch of the entire wealth-building journey, which is…

Humans are mimetic creatures. Whether it’s career paths or lifestyle choices, we subconsciously mirror the people we admire. In the world of investing, this usually means looking at the titans — the Warren Buffetts, the legendary fund managers, or the “FinTwit” star who retired at 35. Those who understand that these are exceptional, unrepeatable characters…

Let me tell you about two neighbours. Sharma ji started a few mutual funds 15 years ago, then got busy with life and basically forgot about them. Never checked, never sold. The SIP just ran every month like a quiet tap filling a bucket. Verma ji was the active one. He read, he watched videos,…

If you open YouTube/Instagram in India today, the algorithm feeds you a very specific dream. A young guy in a polo t-shirt sits in front of a laptop. He draws a few lines on a chart (Technical Analysis), presses a button, and 10 minutes later, shows a screenshot: Profit: ₹5,200. The Pitch: Why work 9-to-5…

Have you ever tried to sell something on OLX—maybe an old phone or a piece of furniture? You list it for ₹15,000. You think it is a fair price. It has served you well. Then, the messages start coming in: Bhaiya, ₹5,000 cash? or Last price ₹6,000. You get angry. You feel insulted. You think…