In this article, we tabulate index funds with the largest deviation in 1Y return (trailing as of 8th July 2022) from their corresponding indices. Regular readers may be aware that the most practical way to evaluate how efficiently an index fund is tracking its index is not the tracking error” but the return difference. For…
Continue reading →A reader writes, “I read with interest your series on market timing. You mentioned that sequences of risk are common to both systematic investing and market timing. Can you please give a simple example of this?”. To those who have not read the series, the article mentioned above is this: A risk in market timing…
Continue reading →In the previous article, we discussed the basics and important considerations while planning for a five-year girl’s future. In this article, we will do the calculations with some inputs and assumptions. We shall also include the retirement planning calculation for the parents in brief. We shall use the robo advisory tool for this illustration. We…
Continue reading →A reader writes, “Congratulations on freefincal’s 10th anniversary. Looking at the body of work the site has published over the years, I wonder if there is any new ground left for you to cover in personal finance or will you only rehash old content for new audiences?” Although a touch insinuating, it is an interesting…
Continue reading →In this article, Anand Vaidya shares his experience of using the RBI Retail Direct portal to buy govt. bonds (gilts) and create an income source. About the author: Anand studied E&C Engg, worked at Wipro and then left for a job in Singapore. He started his own IT consultancy in Singapore. After 15 years, he…
Continue reading →In this edition of the reader story, we meet a young couple who prefers anonymity. They share their money management journey and how they wish to achieve a retirement corpus 50 times annual expenses. About this series: I am grateful to readers for sharing intimate details about their financial lives for the benefit of readers….
Continue reading →Last year in our reader story series, we met 30-year old Rohit, whose early struggles led him, to start investing early in a goal-based manner. He has been kind enough to share an update on his finances – how he handled short term goals last year and why he feels confident about his retirement planning. About…
Continue reading →In this article, a client shares how a SEBI registered investment advisor and fee-only financial planner (Swapnil Kendhe) helped him set his finances in order. Those wondering what to expect from a fee-only financial planner will benefit from this. The client prefers the pen name ‘safed pigeon’. About the advisor: Swapnil is a SEBI Registered Investment…
Continue reading →A reader writes, “I am a 37-year-old investment professional. I have worked for large global financial institutions throughout my career. Most of my professional network unsurprisingly consists of other investment professionals. This might be counterintuitive to many, but I have known some exceptional professional money managers who are rather average at managing their personal investments….
Continue reading →In this edition of the reader audit, 29-year-old Mr Yo (name withheld on request) explains in detail how he has structured his money management in a systematic manner and how he tracks his financial goals without considering returns. About this series: I am grateful to readers for sharing intimate details about their financial lives for the…
Continue reading →In this edition of the reader story, we meet Mr H (name withheld on request), who explains that it is better later than never to get your finances back on track and start goal-based investing. About this series: I am grateful to readers for sharing intimate details about their financial lives for the benefit of readers. …
Continue reading →In this edition of the reader story, we meet Vamshi and learn how he created his own financial plan with a conservative mindset. I am grateful to readers for sharing intimate details about their financial lives for the benefit of readers. This is the 19th such reader audit. Previous editions are linked at the bottom…
Continue reading →Anand has an interesting question, “Dear Pattu Sir, I was looking to invest in a mutual fund offering regular dividends* but I can only see the returns of the growth option listed everywhere. Can you please explain why dividend option returns are not published?” * SEBI has mandated that mutual fund dividends be called “Income…
Continue reading →In the previous article, Anil explained how he achieved financial independence without mutual funds or stocks by building a 70X portfolio in fixed income ((where X is the annual expense that will persist in retirement). In this sequel, he discusses how he wishes to invest in the future, lessons he learnt about financial independence and…
Continue reading →In the second part of the FAQ on gilt mutual funds, we consider the correlation between equity and gilt movements. An analyst would calculate this using a correlation coefficient and create a matrix. This is not intuitive to the average investor. So we shall seek the answer to a simple, direct question: If equity MF…
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