Most of us invest in equity (mutual funds or stocks) only for one reason – to beat inflation over the long term. Unfortunately, just because equity beats inflation does not mean we will be able to beat inflation! Let us start from “Is there evidence that equity investments beat inflation over the long term?”. Yes,…

Here are four qualities needed to become a successful investor. Thankfully we can develop these qualities in time. We neither need to be smart nor intelligent to succeed in money management. 1. Individuality:  We need to be clear about why we are investing. Otherwise, the smallest perturbation – a market up move or down move,…

Apurva asks, “You often talk about the importance of discipline in investing. How do I become more disciplined?” Hard work and discipline are often not recognised as talents anyone can develop (at least in principle). Here are two steps to becoming more disciplined in everything that we do. Organisation Routine 1. Organisation: Now that we…

Jan 1st is just another day, but we tend to think of it as a time for new beginnings. If you are looking to do a better job managing money, here are 17 personal financial resolutions and resources to consider for the new year. In his 2013 Ted Talk, former Google search quality chief Matt…

A young reader asks, “The investment journeys published at freefincal have inspired me to get started with my investments. However, I am confused about where and how to begin. Can you please write about this?” The end of the year is perhaps the perfect time to get started on money management, especially if you have…

A reader writes, “I am a 37-year-old investment professional. I have worked for large global financial institutions throughout my career. Most of my professional network unsurprisingly consists of other investment professionals. This might be counterintuitive to many, but I have known some exceptional professional money managers who are rather average at managing their personal investments….

I evaluate my retirement portfolio’s performance and my son’s future portfolio in a personal finance audit each year. This is the ninth edition. Published since 2013, these audits provide a sense of accountability and ensure I do not fall prey to fear of missing out, preventing bad investment decisions. I am proud and delighted that…

A reader asks, “I am a 27-year-old NRI with a current mutual fund portfolio of Rs. 12 lakhs. We want to buy a home. My father wants me to take out a loan immediately. I want to build my MF portfolio to 40 Lakhs within the next three years. Then, take out a home loan…

Aditya Tejas writes, “Thank you for all your work; I appreciate the time and effort you put into creating relevant, insightful and thought-provoking content. I’ve already gone through your flagship course. It helped me (re)think about my asset allocation, and I’m grateful for your insights”. “Also, I’ve taken notes on your views about “index investing”…

Suresh asks, “I would like to consult with one of the SEBI registered fee-only financial advisors on your list. However, I am not able to decide how much fee is reasonable. Can you please write an article on this?”. For those who are new to our community, close to a thousand readers have been working…

Avijit asks, ” I am in my early forties now (completed 42 this July) and have some ad-hoc investments in MF and stocks so far. I took your goal-based planning course last year. However, since then, I have been only reading one article after the other without making up my mind. I call this analysis…

Let us discuss an interesting question received on our YouTube channel. “How can we build wealth that lasts generations?”. This is a topic close to my heart not because I desire to do so but because I have seen wealth erode in my family from one generation to another and I would like to do…

Get the freefincal robo advisor tool to plan from start to finish for retirement (early, normal, before and after), non-recurring financial goals (child education) and recurring financial goals (holidays, appliances etc.). The tool would help anyone from ages 18 to 80 to plan for their retirement, six other non-recurring financial goals and four other recurring…