In response to our article – Parag Parikh Dynamic Asset Allocation Fund: Who should invest? – many readers are not clear about the taxation status of the fund. Some even claim that it will be taxed as per slab. In this article, we explain the fund’s taxation status. Note: Tax rules change often. The rules mentioned…

A reader has multiple questions on goal-based investing, and we address them inline below. “I am 32 years old and have been investing in MF for the past three years, PPF for the past 9 yrs, and SSY for the past 5 yrs. I have two doubts about goal-based investments”. “1) I have mapped my…

In response to Portfolio Audit 2023: The annual review of my goal-based investments, a reader asks, “Why are you recommending index funds when your portfolio has beat the market?” If you take a casual look at the growth of my retirement portfolio*, it may seem like my portfolio has comfortably beat the market.  *compared with…

In social media forums, many investors ask if they could stop their SIPs because the markets have hit an all-time high. We show that this is a needless and pointless thing to do, The market hitting an all-time high is a fairly common event. This is not some “signal” for the market to “correct”. The…

A subscriber to our YouTube channel asks, “How many equity funds are required for adequate diversification?” At first glance, the answer seems easy, but it is not. Diversification can refer to diversification across asset classes like equity, fixed income, gold, and real estate or diversification within an asset class. We believe the subscriber refers to…

We recently conducted a poll on X (formerly Twitter) – “Why are you invested in Sovereign Gold Bonds?”. We asked a similar question on the Facebook group Asan Ideas for Wealth. The results were similar and suggest that most investors buy Sovereign Gold Bonds for the wrong reasons. The X poll had 1154 participants. The…

A reader asks, “I read your posts and blogs a lot. I try and declutter my portfolio and follow the kiss principle. If an actively managed mid-cap fund has a lower expense ratio almost equal to an index fund, provides better downside protection, and beats the benchmark index, should we still consider switching to the…

“I have a long-term investment goal and a moderate risk appetite. Which mutual funds should I select?” This is a query often seen on personal finance forums. We delve into what actions should be taken by investors in such scenarios. However, when asked the seemingly simple follow-up question, “What does a moderate risk appetite entail?”…

This is a list of the worst-performing equity mutual funds over every possible five, four, and three periods—study period: From inception of direct plans (Jan 2013) to Dec 8th 2023. Some caveats before we begin:  (1) The definition of a “worst mutual fund” is as arbitrary as the definition of a “best mutual fund”. We…

A global recession is on our doorstep at the time of writing. There are doomsday predictions everywhere. Equity mutual fund investors are worried about the lack of returns over the last several months. We discuss using “emotional logic” to fight fear and stay invested in equity mutual funds. Emotional logic It is only an idea,…

A balanced hybrid fund is an open-ended fund that invests in equity (40-60%) and debt (40-60%) instruments. No Arbitrage would be permitted in this scheme. A reader wants to know if we can invest in balanced hybrid funds and, if yes, when. If you are wondering why you have not heard of this type of…

Often many investors write to us saying they have a lump sum to invest in equity mutual funds and want to know how to plan and go about this —a discussion. Ask yourself the following questions 1: Have you done a goal planning exercise to determine the right equity: fixed income mix for your goals?…

There has been a lot of hype around getting loans using equity or debt mutual fund units as collateral. Many readers have asked if this is a good idea. In this article, we discuss whether loans against MF units are necessary. The basic idea is quite simple. You pledge your MF units (to the extent…

Asking us, “How much equity should I hold after retirement?” is a common concern for many nearing retirement. However, it is challenging to provide a definitive answer as it varies from person to person. Nevertheless, it is crucial to address this question well before retirement, considering the potential risks and planning accordingly, rather than waiting…