I have invested in the National Pension Scheme (NPS) since 8th March 2010. This is a performance report of how the NPS invested has fared over the last 13+ years. We also compare the returns with EPF. Note: Kindly do not assume that I am recommending NPS instruments. My situation is quite different from most….
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 reader says, “You mention in multiple articles such as – How much equity should I hold after retirement? – An equity allocation of not more than 30% for typical retirements is recommended.” “Can you write/update an article explaining if/how this 30% number would change based on someone’s current corpus (as a multiple of annual…
Continue reading →A reader asks, “I have been reading a bit on Target Maturity Funds and wanted to know if these can be used like a recurring deposit. Example: Let’s say I wish to buy a house in 2031. I want to create a substantial amount for the down payment”. “I intend to build the corpus through…
Continue reading →A reader asks, “If I pick any so-called large or mid cap schemes and if I check returns more than ten years, they have at least 12% CAGR and above. If my time horizon is above ten years and I’m happy with a 12% CAGR, can I stick to only one good fund and do…
Continue reading →If you are an avid non-fiction reader, you may have come across the phrase ‘keystone’ habit. Keystone habits are powerful and transformative habits that have the potential to trigger positive changes in other areas of our lives. Popularized by the book “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, keystone habits are defined as small, positive changes…
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 →Hi, this is Sahil. This is the way 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. About this series: I am grateful to readers for sharing intimate details about their financial lives for the benefit of readers. Some…
Continue reading →A reader wants to know if he can expect “10% per annum” if the investment period is a “minimum of five years”. Again, regular readers of freefincal might dismiss this as a newbie mistake, but it is a common mistake and deserves some attention. The first point to appreciate is unless we are investing in…
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 asks, “In your experience, what is the biggest mistake mutual fund investors make? Can you write an article about this?” This can be answered in three words! Shiny Object syndrome – most mutual fund investors, suffer from this, which is their biggest mistake. The trailing one-year return is often the only factor an investor…
Continue reading →We often get emails from readers wanting to know if they are on the right financial path. Here is a simple check to find out. The answer to all questions below is a simple yes or no. The aim here is to maximise the number of yeses. Even if you can’t answer yes to a question…
Continue reading →It is not even May, and already 2023 is the year of AI and as Bill Gates recently proclaimed, the age of AI has begun. We recently discussed how ChatGPT could be a game-changer in personal finance. We also demonstrated Retirement Planning with AutoGPT and pointed out that the future of Investment advisory is informal….
Continue reading →This index fund screener is based on tracking error and returns difference wrt benchmarks (aka tracking difference). The screener will help users evaluate how efficiently an index fund has tracked its underlying benchmark. It will also help a understand how tracking a midcap index or the Nifty 100, 500 differs from tracking the Sensex or…
Continue reading →A reader says, ” Thank you for the Robo Advisory Tool. It has given me insight into my retirement plans. A query: As we can recall, monthly expenses during the year 2002 were approximately Rs.10,000/- p.m. In 2022, our expenses escalated to Rs.1,00,000/- p.m. (in 20 years)”. “The Retirement Corpus calculated in the year 2002…
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