We discuss the different ways in which you can use the Freefincal Equity Mutual Fund Screener. The screener has two pages – a rolling returns sheet and a trailing returns sheet.  The Sep 2025 edition is the latest screener at the time of writing. At all times, the top link in this archive is the…

This ETF screener is based on tracking errors and differences (ETF return minus index return). It will help users evaluate how efficiently an ETF has tracked its underlying benchmark. The tracking error is the ETF’s standard deviation minus the index’s monthly return differences. The lower the tracking error, the more efficient the ETF is in…

Many investors display strong emotions whenever a mutual fund or MF asset management company gets into trouble (bond defaults, redemption pressure, front running, etc.). One group blames the AMC, the regulator, and finfluencers and goes into “I want my money back mode” Another group attacks those who are critical of the AMC under pressure and…

In this article, we discuss a reader’s question, “How should I benchmark my equity MF returns?”This is an important step for those investing in active mutual funds as it often reminds them that beating a benchmark index is not easy. See: Why are you recommending index funds when your portfolio has beaten the market? However, it…

Everyone associated with a mutual fund says, “the best way to build wealth is via SIP in an equity mutual fund over the long term”. However, where is the proof that a long-term equity mutual fund SIP would work? In this article, we analyse 40+ years of the Sensex and 110 years of the S&P…

Whenever I share my investment portfolio in annual audits or other articles, readers ask about my investment strategy. See, for example, “17 Years of Mutual Fund Investing: My Journey and Lessons Learned.” “How did you select the funds you hold?”, “How do you decide when to exit a fund?” and so on. Others are angry…

A reader asks, “I have a sum of Rs. 10 lakhs to invest for the long term. How should I invest this in equity mutual funds?” Please ask yourself these questions first. 1: Will this amount be associated with a single goal or multiple goals? If it is the latter, for each goal what is…

A SIP, SWP or STP is an investment mode, not an instrument. Many still ask, “Which SIP can I invest in?”. You do not invest in a SIP. You invest via a SIP. We explain why SIP, SWP or STPs are not necessary to invest in mutual funds. 1 A SIP is an automated way…

I was recently asked in an interview, “What is the most common mistake made by new mutual fund investors?” The short answer is not understanding the nature of the stock market. Even experienced mutual fund investors are also guilty of this. Many mutual fund investors expect excellent performance every year. So when they see a fund…

In this article, SEBI RIA Abhishek Kumar reviews SEBI’s Draft Circular on Revised MF Categorisation Rules. About the author: Abhishek is part of a freefincal’s curated list of fee-only financial advisors and a fee-only India member. He can be contacted via his website, sahajmoney.com. If 8 out of 10 stocks in your funds are the same, are you diversified or…

Last year, when we published the Unified Pension Scheme vs National Pension Scheme Calculator, many readers were surprised that we used a single formula to determine future NPS corpus by treating it as a step-up SIP. Since then, several users of that tool have asked us to explain the formula. So here are the details….

The mutual fund industry frequently discusses how a specific fund or fund category is an “alternative” to a fixed deposit. Is this true? Which mutual fund is a good alternative to a fixed deposit? The short and factually correct answer is none! No mutual fund or fund category is a substitute for a bank FD….

These are the mutual fund taxation rules for FY 2025-2026. These are derived from Manmohan Sethumadhavan’s fantastic Capital Gains Taxation Rules Ready Reckoner for FY 2025-2026. Surcharge and cess rates are to be added to the tax rates shown below. Equity-oriented MF (>= 65% Domestic Equity Shares) Investments redeemed on or after 23 July 2024…