AI, particularly AI with deep research options (e.g., Perplexity, Gemini, Grok, etc.), can handle the most complex questions and provide amazing answers. Perplexity Pro (free for iitm users) even has an option to search from only academic sources, which I use if I ask it health-related questions. Please note: I fully understand that AI can…
Continue reading →Often, clients and advisors have conflicting views that result in friction and typically a break in the relationship. This can easily be avoided if both parties clearly explain their viewpoint and meet on common ground. Take, for example, a situation we encountered recently. The client has more than Rs. one crore in regular plan funds….
Continue reading →In India, not everyone can offer investment advice. They must first be registered as an investment adviser (RIA) with SEBI. Once registered, they must act as a fiduciary – meaning they must always put the client first. In other words, prescribe only commission-free products (those that come under SEBI) if the adviser charges fixed fees…
Continue reading →The growth of AI-based tools is astounding and alarming. I was recently sent a CT report of a hospitalised relative with multiple findings that seemed to require medical attention. I was curious to learn more. It is inadvisable to do this, but some of us have a curious itch to scratch (and suffer the consequences)….
Continue reading →We publish a list of stocks with low volatility and momentum each month. We provide data for BSE 500 and BSE 100 stocks. There are now three different screener files available. (1) Stocks with low volatility and momentum from the BSE 100 large cap universe are available as a separate file (2) Stocks with low…
Continue reading →A 32-year-old reader asks, “Should I redeem investments and reduce my home loan burden as much as possible?” This is the comparison he sent us. “Cost of land: Rs. 70 Lakhs (including registration). Cash in hand: Rs. 50 lakhs. If I get a home loan for Rs. 50 Lakhs, I would be left with Rs….
Continue reading →Investors get jittery and unsure what to do when the stock market is overheated or when the stock market goes nowhere. Here is a simple market-independent strategy via systematic risk reduction that would be far more productive. Why? We have no control over market returns. Yes, asset allocation with regular rebalancing and diversification within each…
Continue reading →I have invested in the National Pension Scheme (NPS) since 8 March 2010. This is a performance report showing how the NPS has fared over the last 15+ years. We also compare the returns with the EPF. Note 1 For government employees: We have extensively written about the Unified Pension Scheme vs the National Pension…
Continue reading →This is the third in the series of my finance audits. Focus is again on how I track my personal finance related metrics. This should be helpful for DIY investors and should help them to focus on what and how to measure. I am using the same format and adding a FY25 v/s FY24 section….
Continue reading →Let’s take the example of 2 Senior Citizen friends who have the same amount of corpus in their retirement kitty. The retirement corpus is around 1.4 Crores. Let us name them Mr. Ram and Mr. Sham for better understanding. Both friends are 60 years old and have retired from their respective professions. Since Mr. Ram…
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. Update: We recently added a new tool to the freefincal investor circle…
Continue reading →First, I would like to thank you for sharing your views and guidance with all those who want to achieve a peaceful retirement and financial goals. I have been reading your articles since 2018, especially when you gave an alert on Franklin Templeton Ultra short-duration fund, where you highlighted the risks involved and its NAV…
Continue reading →Many people have insurance policies from nationalised companies or other private companies purchased 5 to 10 years ago or earlier. At that time, insurance policies were very standardised, and the major choice that had to be made was about the insurance coverage amount. Over the past few years, private insurers have developed policies with innovative…
Continue reading →As you may be aware, Nippon Life India Asset Management Ltd. was the victim of a cyber attack on April 9th, 2025. At the time of this writing, the restoration is still ongoing. Thankfully, investors can still access their funds via the fund houses registrar and transfer agent (RTA) K-Fintech, MFCentral, MFU or other third-party…
Continue reading →We are back again with our fourth yearly audit of our financial health (the first three parts are linked below). A huge thanks to the numerous yearly audits posted on freefincal – we were also motivated to document ours, at least once a year. Thankfully, we are doing this for the fourth year in a…
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