A reader asks,” Sir, I started investing in Tata Digital India fund in Sep 2021. The NAV has been continuously falling since then. What should I do? Exit or continue to hold? Please advise”. We asked the reader, “Why did you choose this fund?”. Response: “I thought it would be a good idea to diversify…

A reader writes, “I read with interest your series on market timing. You mentioned that sequences of risk are common to both systematic investing and market timing. Can you please give a simple example of this?”. To those who have not read the series, the article mentioned above is this: A risk in market timing…

A reader asks, “I wonder if you can write a blog post on the Risk of fund house concentration in one’s investment portfolio. I am a follower of Freefincal Finance university and use Robo Advisory to manage my investments. Hence you can assume that I follow asset allocation as prescribed by the tool, and invest…

We discuss how to avoid a common mistake made by investors while computing mutual fund SIP returns. On 20th May 2021, the Sensex (price) index was 49,564.81. About 5 months later on 18th Oct 2021, it rose to 61,765.59. Many mutual fund AMC investment dashboards or investment portals would report the annualized return during this…

A reader writes, ” I am in a dilemma and need your advice. I am 3 years away from one of my financial goals. On analyzing my MF portfolio the peak value was in October 2021 and the markets have corrected since February 2022. If I systematically transfer the money now from the equity fund…

In this article, we explain how you can quickly and easily benchmark your equity mutual fund portfolio consisting of several mutual funds against an index fund (or ETF). Once you follow the steps below, you can check the performance of your portfolio against the index at any time. We shall be using the Freefincal MF…

At this point in time, what we know for sure in the Axis mutual front running case is minuscule compared to what we do not know. Social media is abuzz with all kinds of speculations/allegations about the suspended fund managers – what they did and how much wealth they amassed. Let us try to gather…

From this month onwards, I have started to invest in Parag Parikh Conservative Hybrid Fund. A look at some of the fund’s profile and the reasoning behind my decision. The fund is on the verge of completing one year (launched May 26th 2021) and after observing its portfolio for some months we included it in…

This is a list of the worst-performing equity mutual funds over every possible five, four, and three periods between 1st Jan 2013 (introduction date of direct plans) to April 8th 2022. Some caveats before we begin:  (1) The definition of a “worst mutual fund” is as arbitrary as the definition of a “best mutual fund”….

A reader writes, “Sir, I started my first job a couple of months ago. I want to start investing in equity via mutual funds but I am worried about the market. The bull run from April 2020 to Oct 2021 was too early for me and now when I have money the market has started…

In this report, we look at how dynamic bond funds have altered their portfolio over the last few months in anticipation of an interest rate hike. Bond market sentiment is monitored via the bond yield which is inversely proportional to bond price. If yield fall, it implies existing bonds have become more valuable (higher price)….

The freefincal mutual fund portfolio overlap tool (first published July 2017 and updated May 2019) is now fully updated to work blazing fast on Google Sheets. The features of the tool are listed below. Updated Aug 2024 with SEBI classification of stock sectors! It allows you to compare the portfolio of five mutual funds. These…

In an update to our earlier reports, we compare the performance of actively managed small cap mutual funds with four benchmarks and discuss why it does not make sense to invest in small cap mutual funds. We shall compare every possible 3-year, 4-year and 5-year return of small cap funds between 1st Jan 2013 and…

We are happy to announce a new Google sheet-based mutual fund and stock investment tracker. The sheet’s features are presented below. Key features of the freefincal mutual fund and stock tracker: Last updated with minor improvements: 13th May 2025. Update Feb 2024: A Sov Gold Bond Tracker on Google Sheets is free for those purchasing the…

A reader asks, “I notice that many large cap mutual funds have five-star ratings now. This was not the situation before the March 2020 crash. Can you please do a study on this?” Results of active large cap funds vs benchmark study will depend on the duration of the returns considered and when the return…