Let us be honest about something. You can build the most careful spreadsheet, run every projection, and still fall short in your retirement corpus. Life gets in the way. Sometimes through choices you made. Sometimes through things you never saw coming. A medical emergency. A job that ended before you were ready. Sibling’s education. A…
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 understand the context of these investments. Note: The stock portfolio has underperformed indices significantly over the last couple of…
Continue reading →A common response to the investment journeys shared by our readers is, Is financial independence impossible on a low salary? We can’t sugarcoat the truth: Yes, a high-paying job, a sought-after skillset, and an impressive CV make a big difference to the wealth we can build over time. To be precise, If Income minus expenses minus…
Continue reading →“Where should I park money for 1–2 years if not in a Fixed Deposit?” The post-tax return on FDs simply isn’t attractive enough for many investors — especially those in the highest tax brackets, who end up losing a large chunk of interest to tax. What’s often missed in this conversation is that FD returns…
Continue reading →Even in 2026, one of the most popular investment options for millions of Indians remains the traditional bank fixed deposit (FD). It’s easy to see why. An FD offers predictable returns, capital stability and simplicity. With interest rates around 6% in many cases, investors often feel that an FD is a better option than equity,…
Continue reading →This debt mutual fund screener supports portfolio selection, tracking, and learning. It also includes hybrid funds that invest in bonds. It suits investors looking to invest in money market funds, banking PSU funds, and similar instruments. The sheet tracks the credit quality of the portfolio’s bonds and the bond maturity profile. Instead of using average…
Continue reading →With each passing day, Indians consume more than previous generations. Their aspirations, dreams, and wants are often higher than their salaries. Whenever I am invited to speak to a group of employees on the basics of investing, I hear stories of excessive debt. There is a growing mismatch between income and aspirations. People buy cars,…
Continue reading →Readers often ask us if there is any ideal or optimal equity exposure after retirement. This question is tricky to answer as it depends on the individual, but some general guidelines or thumb rules are possible. Asking this question on the verge of retirement without prior market experience can be harmful. It is essential to…
Continue reading →In this article, we discuss if the oft-used safe withdrawal rate is practically helpful in retirement planning. What is a safe withdrawal rate? The safe withdrawal rate (SWR) is the annual withdrawal amount in the first year of retirement divided by the available retirement corpus. Backtests are usually used to determine an acceptable rate. We…
Continue reading →I recently watched a video where someone was explaining a retirement plan. The example was a 60-year-old with a comfortable corpus. The advice was to start an SWP of ₹1.4 lakh a month from an equity fund. Since he does not need that much for his expenses, the remaining amount goes into a SIP in…
Continue reading →This index fund screener is based on tracking error and return differences wrt benchmarks (also known as tracking differences). It will help users evaluate how efficiently an index fund has tracked its underlying benchmark. It will also help them understand how tracking a midcap index, such as the Nifty 100 or 500, differs from tracking…
Continue reading →NaviPlan is a privacy-first, local-only portfolio tracker and goal planner developed by Naviran Technologies in association with freefincal. We have covered its multi-asset tracking and goal-based investing features before. The tool has now released version 1.6.0 “Seamount”, and the headline addition is a significant one: a dedicated Tax Center. This is a major update for…
Continue reading →A reader says, “Sir, several times you have emphasized the need to gradually decrease equity allocation step-wise, well before the retirement date. I have seen some illustrations with the freefincal robo advisor tool, and all start with an asset allocation of 60% equity.” “What if a person has a debt-heavy portfolio and wants to increase…
Continue reading →Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) are increasingly becoming an important component in corporate compensation packages. Most young corporate professionals today receive RSUs as a reward during performance appraisals. Middle- and/or top-level management executives typically receive 30-60% of their compensation in the form of RSUs. Optimising RSU benefits therefore becomes an important part of these individuals’ financial…
Continue reading →When we buy a property, it is natural to assume that the registered sale deed establishes that the seller is the owner and that we have now become the owner. But that is not quite how the Indian system works. India largely follows what is described as a presumptive title system through registration. More simply,…
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