In this article, Sarthak Parikh explains the importance of an emergency fund; how much is necessary; where to park it and how the pandemic has increased the need for a robust emergency fund. COVID-19 has hit us all hard in ways that we had never envisaged. The fear of losing a job if you are…
Continue reading →In this article, Pranav gives an account of his lesson from repaying credit card debt. Regular credit card users who excel in reward point accumulation or those who do not like debt, in general, might ridicule such accounts with a, “isn’t it obvious one must pay all dues in full, before the due date”. We…
Continue reading →In this article, we study historical Sensex data to determine if investors should stop or pause their mutual fund SIPs when the markets hit an all-time high. We also consider lump sum investments and systematic transfer of a lump sum (STP) during all-time market highs. Every time the market hits an all-time high, new investors…
Continue reading →I compare the returns of my stock portfolio as on 8th Jan 2021 with that of the Nifty. The portfolio is relatively young, and therefore the returns numbers you see would mellow down with age. The critical point of this is exercise is to see how my version of lazy investing fares against the Nifty….
Continue reading →I have been tracking the amount invested for my goals in the same Excel sheet for the last ten years (2011 to 2020). These are some lessons from the journey. This sheet is only for tracking the amount invested and not its current market value. Between 2010-11, my retirement planning cash flow projection was in…
Continue reading →In the fourth edition of personal finance audits by readers, Gowtham Subramanian discusses how he has started goal-based investing, focusing on asset allocation and how it has made him feel more in control over his finances. As regular readers may be aware, we publish a personal financial audit each December – this is the 2020…
Continue reading →Every time the RBI lowers interest rates, we see many investors complain. In this article, Harshini explains why a high-interest rate is not healthy for our finances by taking Turkey’s example, where interest rates were recently increased to 17%! Older readers may recall when EPF and PPF rates were as high as 12% in the…
Continue reading →This is a review of American Express Platinum Charge Card. This premium card offers a no “pre-set spending limit” providing greater flexibility as per the user’s need (but not unlimited spending). About the author: Arjun is a financial services professional, keen about personal finance and special enthusiasm about Credit Cards and the points and rewards…
Continue reading →Here is a list of stocks with momentum and low volatility for Jan 2021 from the Nifty 100. This month as many as 57 stocks quality after filtering Nifty 100 with (1) positive 1-year return, (2) positive six-month return, (3) price > 200-day moving average, (4) 50% of daily positive returns, (5) lowest volatility. What…
Continue reading →In this article, Ranjan discusses four money mistakes that young earners should avoid as they start their careers and money management journey. Four years after I got my first salary, I made my first investment; it was under Mr Vidya Sagar Arora( my uncle), who taught me the importance of investment. Till that time, most…
Continue reading →All of us are aware of the stability brought by a stable side income source in our financial lives. It reduces reliance on our day job and brings in additional income, which makes it easy to work towards our financial goals. In this post, we discuss 20 business ideas that would need no investment or…
Continue reading →One crore rupees is an emotional milestone for anyone with a much lower networth. This is why people buy term insurance policies for one crore without evaluating how much they need. Let us find out what is the value of Rs. one crore in 2021. You could buy some variant of Audi, Benz or BMW…
Continue reading →RBI Floating Rate Bonds were introduced in June 2020 as a replacement for RBI 7.75% bonds (2018) A floating-rate bond has a variable interest rate, unlike a fixed-rate bond. When interest rates increase, the interest payout increases and vice-versa. There is no cumulative option. The interest rate for these bonds would reset every six months….
Continue reading →In the third edition of personal finance audits by readers, a single mom of two kids shares her inspiring journey. Her money story also brings out the importance of working with a SEBI registered fee-only advisor. As regular readers may be aware, we publish a personal financial audit each December – this is the 2020…
Continue reading →These are the freefincal handpicked list of mutual funds for Jan-Mar 2021. New and old investors can use it according to their specific needs. Called “PlumbLine” started in Sep 2017 for beginners to accompany the freefincal robo advisory template. What is Plumbline, and how should I use it? A plumbline is an alignment device, used…
Continue reading →