This article compares my stock portfolio with an equivalent investment in a Nifty index fund and the Nifty 100 Low Volatility 30 TR index. We post this comparison each month. Before we begin, new readers need to appreciate the context of these investments. I started direct equity investing only after achieving a comfortable level of…
Continue reading →If diversification is about ‘not keeping all eggs in the same basket‘, rebalancing recognises that ‘what goes up, will come down‘. Let us revisit the topic of portfolio rebalancing and discuss what it is, why to do it, and simple ways to do it. What is portfolio rebalancing? Rebalancing is redeeming from one asset class…
Continue reading →We discuss a tactical entry and exit strategy for small cap mutual funds. This is the second such article. In the first part, we discussed a strategy based on the ratio of the small cap index to Nifty 50. This had a lower risk than a systematic investment in a small cap instrument and a…
Continue reading →This is a debt mutual fund screener for portfolio selection, tracking, and learning. It also includes hybrid funds that invest in bonds. It will satisfy investors who wish to invest in money market funds, banking PSU funds, etc. The credit quality of the bonds in the portfolio and the bond maturity profile can be tracked….
Continue reading →In this article, we discuss a simple tactical entry and exit strategy for small cap mutual funds based on how expensive they are compared to the Nifty 50. The aim is to reduce the risk of investing in a small cap mutual fund. Before we proceed, several warnings, disclaimers and caveats should be disclosed. Unless…
Continue reading →A reader says, “Dear Sir, you have convinced us with clear data that most active funds cannot beat the index and that index funds are the way to eliminate high fees and fund manager risk. However, does this mean index investing is risk-free? Are there any risks with index investing? Kindly elaborate with an article”….
Continue reading →A reader says, “Thank you for the fantastic new tax regime vs old tax regime calculator for FY 2023-2024 (AY 2024-2025). It is really easy and useful. Currently, the new regime is beneficial for me. Can I switch back to the old tax regime if I wish to buy a house in future?” The old tax…
Continue reading →This index fund screener is based on tracking error and returns difference wrt benchmarks (aka tracking difference). The screener will help users evaluate how efficiently an index fund has tracked its underlying benchmark. It will also help to understand how tracking a midcap index or the Nifty 100, 500 differs from tracking the Sensex or…
Continue reading →A 35-year-old reader asks: “I would like to get Rs. one lakh a month pension when I retire. How should I invest to achieve this?” A pension after retirement is a necessary component of a post-retirement investment portfolio. However, it is not sufficient. Nothing beats the comfort and security of a guaranteed pension payout each…
Continue reading →In this article, we explain in simple terms what a mutual fund stress test is and what investors need to appreciate while investing in mutual funds, especially small cap mutual funds. If you have not seen the movie Margin Call, I strongly suggest you do so after reading this article. You could appreciate the situation…
Continue reading →Ask in any personal finance forum, “Can I invest in XYZ NFO?” there would be an immediate refrain, “Never buy NFOs!”. Context is often the first casualty in such a forum, and this response is no different. All mutual funds carry a past performance disclaimer – past returns do not indicate future returns. Then why…
Continue reading →A reader asks, “At what percentage of networth can I stop contributing to Emergency Funds and include it in my debt allocation for goals? For example – I use a liquid fund and an arbitrage fund for emergency funds. And I use a gilt fund as debt allocation for my retirement goal. When can I…
Continue reading →This article explains how the co-payment (co-pay) clause works for health insurance policies. It originates from an email exchange with a reader about base policy co-pay limits and super top-up applicability. This article would not have been possible but for the expert guidance of Ajay Pruthi, a fee-only SEBI registered investment advisor. He can be…
Continue reading →This ETF screener is based on tracking errors and tracking differences (ETF return minus index return). The screener will help users evaluate how efficiently an ETF has tracked its underlying benchmark. Update: 76 ETFs are now covered. The tracking error is the ETF’s standard deviation minus index monthly return differences. The lower the tracking error,…
Continue reading →In this edition of the reader story, Sanjoy shares the financial lessons he learned during and after earning his PhD. About this series: I am grateful to readers for sharing intimate details about their financial lives for the benefit of readers. Some of the previous editions are linked at the bottom of this article. You can…
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