As we head to the third phase (out of 7) of Lok Sabha Elections 2019, it should be reasonably clear that it would be a lot tighter race than in 2014. No “single coalition”(!) could get an absolute majority of their own and smaller parties can decide who comes to power. If you are worried…
Continue reading →You can now watch the talk I give to corporates – A common sense approach to managing money. The audience is a typical mix of 20+ to 50+ in age. This particular presentation was given to World Bank employees in Feb 2019. If you wish to start organising your money, this seminar may be of…
Continue reading →The one big difference between a mutual fund and other conventional investment products is their so-called market-linked nature. We take this for granted when it comes to equity mutual funds but must be reminded with respect to debt mutual funds. With the ongoing FMP crisis, it appears as if the AMCs need to be reminded…
Continue reading →Stock investors would be well aware of a small difference between the buy-price and sell-price of a share, known as the bid-ask spread. This “cost” or “loss” (applicable for an immediate buy and sell) is inevitable and quite different from brokerage costs. The price difference is a measure of liquidity in the market. The bid-ask…
Continue reading →So many people have asked me or told me in the last few days that, “if the BJP loses, the stock market will crash; what should we do”. From those above 50 to college students, many seem convinced that the market will hold only if the BJP stay in power. There are several problems that…
Continue reading →Come September 2019, Franklin India Equity Fund (previously called Franklin Prima Plus) would complete 25 years – the 3rd such fund from the AMC (along Bluechip, Prima). In this performance review, we take a look at how Franklin India Equity Fund (FIEF) has fared against its benchmarks. Product Positioning: From June 2018, the fund was…
Continue reading →Are you worried if you can afford that new phone or bike or car? Feeling guilty and tempted at the same time? Here is a simple way to find out affordability & organises finances so that you can responsibly buy stuff you love! Every time I got to a corporate money management session, I always…
Continue reading →Most of us would take an instant liking to those who ask intelligent, logical questions. If they are (much) younger than you, it is also both exhilarating and inspiring at the same time. Sandeep Bondili is one such young earner from the Facebook group, Asan Ideas for Wealth. Impressed by his approach to money management, I…
Continue reading →PlumbLine is my list of handpicked mutual funds. This was started in Sep 2017 for beginners to accompany the freefincal robo advisory template. This is the April 2019 edition. If you are seeing this for the first time, please take a couple of minutes to understand what this list is, how it has been compiled…
Continue reading →The Income Tax Department has published ITR forms for A.Y. 2020-21. You can use this article to quickly determine which form is right for you. As on date, only the PDF version of the forms are available. Once the Excel and Java utilities are available, you can download the ITR forms from here. You can…
Continue reading →MNC mutual funds invest a major portion of their portfolio in multinational corporations (MNCs). Since MNCs typically run efficient businesses, they are good picks in an individuals stock portfolio. However, does it make sense to invest in a mutual fund that predominantly in MNC stocks? Let us find out. There are three mutual funds with…
Continue reading →When people say, “over the long term equity will provide good returns”, they often forget or do not want to consider (if they are sales guy) how monthly or annual return sequences combine to result in the final annualized return (CAGR). Sometimes the sequence of returns can be good, sometimes bad. In this article, via…
Continue reading →In this guest post, SEBI registered investment advisor Avinash Luthria who is part of my list of advisors and fee-only India discusses six simple and elegant approaches to managing money. Avinash previously was a Private Equity & Venture Capital investor. His articles have appeared at Business Standard, Mint and The Ken. I respect Avinash’s realistic views on investment risk and reward. His…
Continue reading →This is a review of HDFC Small Cap Fund. Currently rated 5 stars by Value Research (hence the interest among readers to know more), the fund fell the least since Jan 2018 when the small cap index went south. However, there is more to the fund than that meets the eye. I write this article…
Continue reading →Many mutual fund SIP buyers and sellers incorrectly believe that SIP is a disciplined form of investing that reduces market risk because it averages the cost of purchase. In part 2 of “this is how a real market crash “feels” like“, let us travel with a SIP started ten years apart and see for ourselves…
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