I received two interesting questions received on email. (1) As a new investor, how many mutual funds do I need to begin with? (2) Can I begin investing with a single multi-cap fund? Interestingly, the answer to the second question is “yes” and that is the also the answer to the first question – “one”. Yes, most investors,…

One of the most popular beliefs about a mutual fund SIP is that it reduces risk because the buying price is “averaged”. Many also believe a SIP helps achieve higher returns. We show that statements are not true and merely myths propagated by the mutual fund industry for profit. That a mutual fund SIP cannot…

Here are lessons from the best and worst performing mutual funds of 2018. None of the funds mentioned are to be considered for investment. Observing annual returns can make us understand risk better and sometimes introduce us to a new investment strategy adopted by mutual funds. In this 2018 return means return between Jan 1st…

This is a performance review of HDFC Balanced Advantage Fund, previously HDFC Prudence Fund. Does it still make sense to consider this fund or continue investing in it? Let us find out by comparing it with Nifty 50 and HDFC Hybrid Equity (Balanced) fund. This fund has had a colorful history  The fund was launched in…

Here are three simple steps to review the mutual funds we hold. When we select a fund, we look at past performance: last three years, five years etc. However, the moment we buy units of a particular mutual fund, all that matter is its performance from that point in time. For example, suppose we start a…

Jan 1st 2019 marks the sixth anniversary of introducing direct plan mutual funds (where no commissions are removed daily from invested value before publication of NAV). This is the returns and corpus lost to commissions by not switching from regular plans (where commissions are removed) to direct. Please show this to your friends who still…

ICICI Prudential Focused Bluechip was launched in May 2008 right in the middle of the 2008 meltdown Armed with a lean AUM and 20-twenty stock mandate, the management could navigate the crisis well and soon became the darling of both the sales and investment community. Here is why the going will be tough for this (and other…

Here is a strange but true fact about how mutual funds beat the index! It is also the reason why I keep stressing on downside protection. Mutual funds that beat the index consistently find it easier to beat the index when it falls than when it rises! Here are numbers from the Dec 2018 freefincal Equity mutual fund…

I have been posting one video a day for the last 40 days and YouTube has taught me about what mutual fund investors want during this time that Facebook (Asan Ideas for Wealth) did in years. Mutual funds investors do not want to listen to the truth about the risk associated with their investment in equity…

Here are seven ELSS mutual funds that have beat consistently outperformed Nifty large Midcap 250 Index over the last 3, 4 and 5 years. Again, only 7 out of 31 ELSS funds have qualified. If you are looking for an ELSS mutual fund in 2019, then this can be used as a shortlist. Before we…

Here are 5 large cap funds that have beat the Nifty 100 Total Returns Index. Rather, only 5 out of 36 large cap funds studied in the Dec 2018 freefincal equity fund screener have managed to beat Nifty 100 consistently over 3, 4, 5 years in terms of risk and reward. I am quite surprised more than half the…

The NFO of ICICI Prudential India opportunities fund (open-ended) is set to open on Dec 26th 2018 (to Jan 9th 2018). This fund is a thematic special situations fund with high risk than a diversified equity fund. Here is why you should avoid this fund or wait and watch for it to perform. ICICI Prudential India…

Here are 11 aggressive hybrid (balanced) mutual funds that have beat Nifty 100!! The point is to illustrate how easy it is to get such fund shortlists using the freefincal mutual fund consistency screener. The Dec 2018 was published a couple of days ago. As readers may be aware, I have been comparing the performance of aggressive…

There is no compounding in mutual funds! Do not get fooled by “power of compounding”, “miracle of SIPs” and “8th wonder of the world” illustrations!  The term “compounding” has no separate meaning than to represent compound interest. Since mutual funds offer no interest, the notion of compound interest or compounding does not apply to them. Here…