Mutual fund star ratings are supposed to rate funds on a risk adjusted basis. That is, more the number of stars, better the risk-adjusted performance. If you look at some of the metrics they use to award star ratings, you might agree with me that this is not as easy as it sounds and that the…

Here is a set of instructions for regular mutual fund investors to switch to direct mutual fund plans, and for first time investors to buy direct mutual fund plans. If you have already done this, please check if I have missed out anything and if you think this is useful, forward it to others who might…

I find that my mutual funds star rating has dropped. It is time for me to switch? When should I change funds? These are questions  I am sure every mutual fund investor must have asked these and related questions at some point or the other. The following post is about performance review of equity mutual…

Here is a list of unsubstantiated opinions about mutual fund investing. This is a follow up to the Do’s, Don’ts and Myths of mf investing. 1) Date of SIP matters No it  does not! You can find articles that it does in moneycontrol! Check for yourself. Go to the sip calculator at thefundoo.com and try out…

The dividend distribution tax associated with debt mutual funds (dividend payout and dividend reinvestment options) has been hiked again in this budget. Last year, the government changed the way in which the DDT was calculated. (read more here). The DDT hike by a huge extent: from 22.073% to 28.325%. This year, they have increased the…

Use this tool to compare the risk-adjusted year-on-year performance of two mutual funds over the last 8 years. This is an alternative to the previously published, fund A vs. fund B mutual fund analyzer, in which the  comparison could be made for investment durations ranging from 1-8 years. This year-on-year analyzer allows you to compare funds…

Thanks to Narendra Bhongale, there is now clarity on when investors can invest online in MF Utility after getting the common account number (CAN) . He was kind enough to attach the response from the MFU team in his comment to yesterday’s post. It is reproduced as is, below. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Sir, We thank you for…

Here is  a set of illustrations that highlight the benefit of investing in direct mutual funds for your long-term goals. First some good news: MF Utility a portal in which investors can consolidate their holdings in different AMCs and invest in them with a common account number (CAN) will start operating from March.  You can…

MF Utility is a web-based transaction portal through which investors can invest in direct mutual funds offered by 25 (as of now) fund houses. Mr.  V Ramesh, Managing Director and CEO of MF Utility, answers some common questions investors ask about the facility. This is the website of MF Utility: www.mfuindia.com Extract from investor page:…

Use this rolling standard deviation calculator to evaluate  the volatility in returns of  a mutual fund.   This is an idea that struck me during the Chennai investor meet in response to a question. The sheet calculates the rolling return and rolling standard deviation for a specified interval. For equity funds, the rolling standard deviation of…

Use this rolling returns calculator to compare the consistency in performance of one mutual fund with another. When you have shortlisted two funds and are not sure which one to choose, this tool along with the Fund A vs. Fund B Risk and Return Analyzer can be used to choose one fund. For those who…

In this post, let us compare two large cap funds from the  same fund house. One a consistent performer with a terrific track record and the other a young superstar. The results will hopefully show how herd instincts among investors (and perhaps amcs  and therefore(?) intermediaries too?) can obscure good funds from the same fund house….

In the first part on why you should ignore mutual fund star ratings, I had stressed on the importance of focusing on our portfolio health and performance of the fund with its benchmarks. In this post I would like to add a couple more reasons to strengthen the argument. Let us assume that an investor named Tom has chosen…