In this article, author Smriti Tuteja discusses how to choose the right school for our children. One aspect of raising children that worries most parents is education. We are always striving to give them the best and ensure that they have a secure future. It begins right after they take birth. I know people who…

Here is how a frugal lifestyle can simplify and enrich our lives. The Merriam-Webster defines “frugal” as – characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of resources while some of the synonyms include economical, thrifty, provident a stark contrast from the word “Cheap” which is also used to describe people with similar attributes but has a very…

One of the most valuable life lessons we learn is the irreversibility of time. The arrow of time moves only in one direction, and every hour that has passed has passed on forever. Here are seven investing mistakes that can cost us money and, worse, time after we start taking personal finance seriously. 1 Trying…

Sunder asks, “dear Pattu Sir, I just finished the re-assemble (basics of money management series). You had discussed the importance of an emergency fund. May I know how much I should allocate for an emergency fund?” To answer this, we must first understand both the purpose and limitation of an emergency fund. The answer to this…

Many of us struggle with money management decisions because we are judging “right vs wrong”, “good vs bad” with incorrect benchmarks. Our definition of what is simple and what is complex in personal finance is also incorrect. If personal finance is more personal than finance, then simplicity in personal finance is also personal. When we…

We had pointed out on April 7th that since the market has lost momentum, now is a good time to rebalance our portfolios if there is a need for it. I have just rebalanced my retirement equity portfolio for the first time in nearly 13 years (video below). In response to this, a viewer on…

This is an updated demo of the freefincal robo advisory template. I walk you through the template’s capabilities and how you can create a complete start to finish financial plan with it. As of 29th June 2021, 567 investors and financial advisors are using the template. The template was recently featured in the Economic Times:…

When it comes to managing our money, there are several questions to ask. (1) Should I do it myself? Can I do it myself? Or outsource it to a professional? (2) If I wish to outsource, who should I contact, what should I expect, what questions should I ask them? For the last six-plus years,…

It is now a little over a month since the release of my new book for kids “Chinchu gets a superpower!“. Here is what parents have to say about it 🙂 What do readers say? I loved the way you carried the discussion forward. I just have two words – Structured and Free Flowing. Great…

If I have multiple goals likes retirement, holiday, 1st child’s college fee, 2nd child’s college fee etc., can I use the same mutual fund for all of them, or should I invest in separate mutual funds? A discussion. We have to pull out the “it depends” card for this one. Also, which approach is “simpler”…

Let us consider the possibilities for an interesting question from Akash received a while ago. “It will take me 10 years to reach my asset allocation goal of 50% equity and 50% fixed income. Can I reduce this time by withdrawing whatever I can from PPF and invest in equity mutual funds? I shall also…

In this article aimed at new investors, we compare managing an investment portfolio with the task of staying married. If you spend some time in an investment forum, you will notice a distinct pattern: members want the best mutual fund to invest in for the next 10 years or 15 years; they want to know…

In this article, Ahirjoy Biswas explains the importance of Personal Cyber Security Insurance; why it is important; what to look for in such policies and where to get one in India. About the Author: Ahirjoy Biswas is a Computer Science Engineer and has over 18 years of experience in the IT and BFSI industry. The…

If there is one word in personal finance that is mostly misunderstood, it has to be frugality. After the 2008 financial crisis, it became popular online when people with uncertain or no jobs had to relearn money management. A frugal person is often misunderstood to be a miserly person who deprives themselves of worldly pleasures…

Here are some financial lessons from our childhood stories! This is a guest article by Srivatsan, who would only like to be referred to as a “long-time reader” of freefincal! He has written several articles here before and is responsible for adding the Earnings power box feature to our stock analyser. His previous articles are…