Here is a video description of how to select an equity mutual fund in under 30 minutes using the freefincal mutual fund screener and if necessary with a rolling returns calculator. Before heading to the video, it is important to recognise that this is a simple, (some might call) crude way to shortlist funds and…
Continue reading →SEBI’s Mutual Fund Scheme Categorization requires fund houses to use a term known as Macaulay Duration to differentiate among debt mutual funds. Here is a simple explanation of what is Macaulay Duration and the more important modified duration and why you need to understand their significance if your mutual fund invests in bonds (debt mutual…
Continue reading →The 10% tax on all equity mutual fund dividends is a blow to all those who sold and bought funds that offered monthly dividends. This is a blessing as it would reduce mis-selling and hopefully mis-buying, but begs the question: is it possible to generate tax-free regular income from mutual funds? The answer is yes – but…
Continue reading →It is common knowledge that Gautami and Kamal Hassan split in Oct. 2016 after a 13-year live-in relationship. Yesterday (Feb 24, 2018) she published an eloquently worded article on her blog distancing herself from Kamal. Eloquent because there is much to read between the lines, but that research aside, I would like to focus on the financial…
Continue reading →Although many equity investors like to think that they are saner than crypto-investors, the truth is that there is not much difference in their investment “strategies” (if we can call it that). I am referring to “Hodl to the moon” which for equity investors roughly translates as “don’t sell in fear, equity will be profitable over…
Continue reading →SEBI registered investment advisor Sukhvinder Sidhu shares his journey: from bank branch manager to following his passion and his struggle in establishing himself as a fee-only financial planner. Sukhvinder is a man of unwavering principles who strongly believe in unbiased, affordable and commission-free financial planning advice to families. In spite of his early difficulties and in…
Continue reading →If you have invested in mutual funds, the annualized returns that you see in portfolio trackers are from an XIRR calculation. It is important to understand that XIRR is an “adjustment” and not get carried away with the large numbers that you see. A simple explanation of what is XIRR. XIRR or extended internal rate…
Continue reading →Yesterday, we considered How to start investing in equity Today, let us discuss what should be the first mutual fund for a young earner or for new mutual fund investors. The financial services industry makes a big deal out of risk profiling. You cannot take theoretical answers about market volatility and provide investment advice on that! The…
Continue reading →This weekend, in a two-part re-assemble series posts, let us consider: (1) How to start investing in equity and (2) what should be my first mutual fund?. The transition from the comfort of fixed income to volatile equity can be quite dramatic. I discuss simple getting-started ways for investors new to equity. Investors make two…
Continue reading →Melvin Joseph one of India’s first SEBI registered Investment advisor with no direct or indirect ties with product commissions shares his journey: from struggling to find clients to becoming one of the most enterprising, successful, yet ethical and affordable fee-only financial planners in India and dare I say, the world. While I was trying to…
Continue reading →The re-introduction of equity LTCG tax offers not only a chance to clean up our portfolios, but also recognise an important fact: returns from equity may gradually decrease in the next decade or so. No, I am not talking about tax eating away our returns. There are two reasons for this, – one positive and…
Continue reading →We are aware that debt mutual funds are subject to a dividend distribution tax (DDT). From April 1st 2018, equity mutual funds will also be subject to DDT. Here some examples as to how DDT affects mutual fund dividends and lowers returns. This post is in response to Ankit Jain’s comment in Equity Mutual Fund Dividends are…
Continue reading →On Feb 2nd the day after the budget, the Sensex fell by about 2%. If you this is a “big fall” or if you are worried, you only have two choices: get used to it and be ready for more or leave and head to fixed income. The following charts were published on Mar 11,…
Continue reading →Budget 2018 has proposed that equity-oriented mutual funds be subject to a 10% dividend distribution tax (DDT) to ensure parity with the 10% LTCG tax on growth equity mutual funds. If you include the surcharge and cess, the rate of dividend tax is 11.648% and if you add the effect of “grossing up”, the full tax…
Continue reading →I am surprised at how many people assume that the 10% Equity LTCG tax introduced in Budget 2018 also applies to mutual funds. That is, they think that the Equity LTCG tax is a form of double taxation -the fund houses pay tax once and we tax again when we redeem. This is NOT true!…
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