A reader sent us a rather strongly worded email after reading the Handpicked List of Mutual Funds Oct-Dec 2023 (PlumbLine). He was unhappy that we are against investing in active mid cap and small cap fuds and wanted to know why. Our decision stems from our monthly equity mutual fund screeners. These use rolling returns…
Continue reading →A reader says, “I have an ongoing home loan. The EMI is about 25% of my take-home pay. I cannot be at peace because of this home loan and wish to pre-pay the loan as soon as possible. Am I right?” It turns out that that reader had sold all existing stocks and mutual fund…
Continue reading →We compare the rolling returns of Nifty 50, Nifty Next 50, Nifty Midcap 150 and Nifty Smallcap 250. Returns for a financial instrument that fluctuates can be calculated in two ways: Point-to-point returns: The effective annual compounded growth rate (CAGR) is calculated between two dates. You can calculate CAGR for your mutual fund and compare…
Continue reading →These are the freefincal handpicked list of mutual funds for Oct-Dec 2023. New and old investors can use it according to their specific needs. The list is called “PlumbLine” and has been published since Sep 2017 for beginners to accompany the freefincal robo advisory tool. Most important! Plumbline is a mix of my opinions +…
Continue reading →This article aimed at new mutual fund investors discusses three common myths about mutual funds. Experienced investors may find this information quite basic, but please consider sharing this post with someone who may benefit from it. The three myths are: “I want my money back!” Nope! A mutual fund is not a bank FD to…
Continue reading →This article is based on a real-life experience of my client, Rajesh. He had a 21-month-old health insurance policy from an Insurer for the Sum Insured of ₹ 10 lakhs with good comprehensive features. About the author: Shashi Singh is a fee-only SEBI-registered investment advisor. He can be contacted via his website finmyn.com. Shashi is part…
Continue reading →A reader says, “My income is quite low. Is there any hope for me? How do I go about creating a retirement corpus?” The rules of personal finance are the same regardless of income and net worth. Those earning less feel like they will never have the experiences or wealth of those who earn more….
Continue reading →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 →In this article, we explain how to track the progress of our financial goals. We use the freefincal robo advisory tool for this purpose as many readers and users are interested in knowing how. The robo tool, as many readers would know, is a financial planning tool. It automates the systematic risk management process and…
Continue reading →A reader asks, “I initially invested 1.5 lakh rupees in a Smallcap mutual fund category two years ago and haven’t added any more funds since. I’m contemplating whether to resume investing in my existing fund or consider a new smallcap fund”. “I’m interested in understanding the advantages and disadvantages of both options. It’s worth noting…
Continue reading →A reader recently asked — in response to the article, Why are you recommending index funds but not investing in them yourself? — “What is the equity exposure of your retirement portfolio?”. I said, “It is currently about 62%.” He said, “is that not too much equity at your age (48, well, almost 49)?” There…
Continue reading →This is a debt mutual fund screener for fund selection, fund portfolio 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 and PSU funds etc. The credit quality of the bonds in the portfolio and the bond maturity profile…
Continue reading →A reader says, “I have a question about modern-day challenges associated with mid-age immigration. For Example – An individual at around 37/38 years of age has been working in India for close to 15 years and has a good amount of money already earned with a decent portfolio but is looking for an opportunity in…
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