We explain why “guaranteed income plans” with “assured returns” are inefficient investment avenues for our money and are best avoided. Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1748 that Time is Money in a note titled “Advice to a Young Tradesman“. Insurers use this idea to their benefit in all traditional insurance policies, including guaranteed income plans. Consider a typical…
Continue reading →In this article, reader Sampath explains why he had to postpone his plans for early retirement. His story is a lesson that we must be ready to adapt to the ups and downs of life. Dear freefincal readers, my name is Sampath. I will be 47 in Jan 2023. I have always been fascinated by…
Continue reading →In this article, we discuss how to audit a financial freedom or retirement portfolio. All long-term financial goals require periodic review to ensure that they are on track and in line with expectations and assumptions made while planning for the goal. Retirement is a unique financial goal because a corpus does not get spent within a…
Continue reading →A reader says, “I have a query about investment for my child’s future. We have been blessed with a baby boy this month, and I would like to start investing for his future and marriage”. “I plan to open a bank account (for the child) with my wife as the parent until my child becomes…
Continue reading →A reader asks,” Sir, almost my investment decisions are due to FOMO (fear of missing out). This has led to multiple stocks, mutual funds, fixed deposits, bonds and chit funds. I am ashamed to disclose the number. After reading your articles, I have understood that my approach is wrong. Can you please write an article…
Continue reading →A new weekly podcast on money management, Let’s get rich with Pattu, produced by Ofspin is launching on May 29th 2023. Each episode will cover one aspect of money management – insurance, emergency funds, planning for retirement, financial independence and early retirement, buying vs renting and more. Readers who want their questions featured on the…
Continue reading →Further extension of the deadline to opt for a higher pension under the Employee Pension Scheme (EPS) has been extended to June 26, 2023. So, the subscriber of EPFO has a month to decide whether to opt for a higher pension scheme from EPS. The objective of this article is to help you determine the…
Continue reading →A reader says, “I am a regular reader of freefincal. I am wondering whether I will be able to be financially independent in the next 20 years. My Background: I am 34 years old and working for an MNC. My wife is a homemaker; she is 31 years old. We have a three-year-old daughter”. Expense…
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 →This article discusses two questions readers often ask about health insurance. (1) After buying a health insurance policy, should I inform the insurer if I am diagnosed with a new health condition? There is no need to inform the insurer immediately. At the time of renewal, if you don’t wish to increase your coverage and…
Continue reading →A reader says, ” I am a long-time admirer and follower of your blog. I started investing in 2010 after getting a job and am continuing. I am 37 years old, and my portfolio allocation is 72% equity (80% direct equity and 20% MF) and 28% fixed income”. “I wanted to invest for my newborn…
Continue reading →UTI S&P BSE Housing Index Fund is an open-ended scheme tracking S&P BSE Housing TR. The NFO period ends June 5th 2023. Does it make sense to invest in it? The S&P BSE Housing index chooses stocks from the S&P BSE 250 LargeMidCap Index classified in housing-related industries. Constituents are weighted by float-adjusted market capitalization,…
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 →In Oct 2022, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), the NPS regulator, released a draft proposal on implementing Systematic Lump sum Withdrawal (SLW) in the national pension scheme and sought public feedback. We had earlier discussed the withdrawal rules, the proposed change and our feedback on the same: NPS Systematic Lump Sum Withdrawal…
Continue reading →In this article, SEBI registered fee-only advisor Akshay Nayak – the newest member of fee-only India* – explains why simple portfolios make sense and how to build them. About the author: Akshay holds an MBA in Finance from Great Eastern Management School, Bangalore. His website is akshaynayakria.com. His articles on personal finance and investing can…
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