On 19th June 2008, I started investing in mutual funds. These ten years have changed the way I look at risk and even day to day money management. This is my story and the lessons I have learned. The broad trajectory should be well known to regular/old readers. This is an account of how I…
Continue reading →For a while now, I have been wanting to do a full back-test of multiple market timing or tactical asset allocation strategies. I used a speaking invitation as an excuse to create a spreadsheet where multiple models can be quickly tested with 1000s of time periods. While at it, I asked myself, do we need to…
Continue reading →Let us consider the basic differences between Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and mutual funds and when should one use either product. A couple of announcements first: (A) I will be speaking on “index investing and market timing” this Sunday, 17th June in the Tamilnadu Investors’ Association monthly meeting (see invite below). Do join if possible. (B) If you are…
Continue reading →As I started preparing for a talk on Index investing, I needed to know how many indices are passively tracked and so here is a list of index mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in India sorted by their benchmark. I also indicate which ones to choose and which ones to avoid. Surprised to find as…
Continue reading →If you had to choose between making more money and spending less, what would you choose? “Wait a minute, why should I choose?”, you ask? Good question! Let us find out if you have to make that choice (or do both) ! Now, I hate thumb rules because most of the popular ones are flawed…
Continue reading →Resolve is a series of steps on investing and portfolio management. In the first step, we considered how to quickly select equity mutual funds and build a diversified (equity) portfolio. As a second step, we will consider how to quickly decide if I should stay invested in a mutual fund or exit it. To be frank, the…
Continue reading →After the SEBI mutual fund categorization rules came into force, fund houses were forced to merge many schemes. In this post, I discuss common investor questions and problems regarding the merger – should I pay tax? how do I track? how do I calculate returns and capital gains on exit? – and so on with…
Continue reading →As readers may be aware Re-assemble is series on the basic of money management aimed at beginners and young earners. Since it now pretty much complete with a compiled free e-book released, I think it is time to move on to the next step. Introducing. Resolve: a series of steps on investing and portfolio management. In…
Continue reading →With the SEBI mutual fund classification complete, here is an updated list of all mutual fund benchmarks. Thanks to Gaurav for suggesting this on Twitter. I had compiled this list for equity funds in Jan 2017. This list is compiled from Value Research. Benchmarks are an important indicator of fund strategy and it is insightful…
Continue reading →From June 2018, I have started testing five stock portfolios based on NSE indices. Three of them are based on smart beta (active + passive) indices and two on a passive index. The main aim is to find out (after the lapse of a few years) how effective a lazy investing stock picking strategy is….
Continue reading →Are mutual funds safe? Can mutual fund run away with our money or become bankrupt? This should not be dismissed as a newbie question. It is one of the first and most important considerations before investing in a mutual fund. We certainly have instances in the past where fund managers could invest where they want,…
Continue reading →As oil prices rise once again, let us discuss what we can learn from historical petrol, diesel prices in India and the associated inflation. Petrol or Diesel prices in India is a touchy subject. While citizens (most users will be part of great, wide Indian middle class) feel angry about the huge taxes that they…
Continue reading →I have updated the two guest posts written by CK Aparna that explain how to e-file income tax returns using ITR1, ITR2, ITR3, ITR5 for AY 2018-2019. Do consider sharing it with assessees who are filing tax return for the first time or filing tax returns with capital gains for the first time. First Know which…
Continue reading →Impulse buying refers to the sudden purchase of goods and services without planning or without evaluating if it would be useful. It is the same as the sudden urge to pick up a packet of namkeen or sweets just because we have seen it! If you are worried about how you or someone you care about…
Continue reading →Freefincal was started on May end 2012. So this is its 6th birthday and to mark the occasion I have compiled the post in the Re-assemble series into a pdf e-book. Re-assemble is a series of basic money management steps for beginners and young earners that was started in Nov 2017. Do share it with…
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