At some point, after you started investing in mutual funds or stocks, you might have heard the words “annualized returns” or “CAGR” or “XIRR”. If you are interested to know what these mean, how they are calculated and how to interpret them, read on. But first, do check out My Handpicked Mutual Funds September 2018 (PlumbLine)….

Each time the markets move up for a few sessions, it makes many investors uncomfortable. Is it a bubble? Is it euphoria? They wonder and if the movement results in an all-time time, the worry machines are turning in full swing. In this post, I discuss some reasons for this investor behaviour and how one…

“I started investing Late, Can I Catch Up?” I am often asked this question. The catching up here refers to being able to create an adequate retirement corpus. The answer depends on the age of the person. For someone in the 30s (even late 30s), I think it is quite possible if they put their head down…

One of my favourite quotes about goals is by Harvey Mackay: “A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline.” That just about sums it up!! In this post, let us look at how to define a financial goal with the Audi as a dream car. It…

Diversification is a word that many investors use rather loosely. Whenever they seem something “offer good returns” I have seen many investors want a piece of that action and say “I have added it for diversification”. Again that classic mistake. Choosing a product/security/asset class by looking at its (recent) returns and not its risk. People who…

In about nine months, India will be voting to choose its 15th prime minister in the Lok Sabha Elections 2019. It is well known that in the build-up to every general election and immediately afterwards, the market is filled with excessive fear and hope resulting in swings that can unsettle the nerves. So is there…

Portfolio rebalancing refers to resetting your asset allocation (equity: fixed income ratio) from time to time – typically once a year – to lower risk in your portfolio. In this post, I show backtesting results and discuss exactly how much is the risk reduction and in spite of tax and exit loads, it is totally…

A few days ago, I gave a talk at a CFA Society meeting. One of the modules is covered in this post: How much equity should I hold in my portfolio? We know that equity has the potential offer better returns than fixed income (emphasis on potential) but how much equity – either as direct equity…

We all invest with the hope of having enough money for our future needs. This is true for even those who claim they do not have a goal – they just don’t know it yet. A good amount of equity exposure is important to beat inflation for long-term (10Y+) goals. However, many people make the…

In a major boost to senior citizens, the union cabinet approved the doubling of the investment limit in the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandan Yojana (PMVVY) annuity scheme. Earlier it was Rs. 7.5 Lakh per family and now it is Rs. 15 lakh per senior citizen. A discussion on the pros and cons of this scheme and…

When it comes to money management, success can be measured in many ways. If it is personal finance, then it makes sense that the milestones be personal. Here are a few personal finance milestones that can help you gauge “where you stand today” on the road to wealth. Before we begin did you get a…

Let us discuss what is a living will, why it is important, how to make one and how it can help our loved ones. On March 9th, 2018, the Supreme court of India allowed passive euthanasia and recognised a directive of a terminally ill patient to withdraw life support. The court also put into place…