A reader asks, “How to decide whether to persist with or exit an underperforming equity fund? By switching too frequently, one may catch the bad periods of the funds and end up doing worse than all the funds tried. Persisting too long will, of course, hurt if the fund keeps underperforming”. “It is understood that…
Continue reading →We review the performance consistency of Kotak Pension Fund Scheme E – NPS TIER I measured against Nifty 50 TRI and UTI Nifty 50 TRI. The scheme was launched in June 2009 and currently has an AUM of about Rs. 1,070 crores. In a previous article, we listed the investment policy of NPS equity schemes,…
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 →Your eligibility is the first aspect to consider when discussing higher EPS pension. It is not open to everyone who retired after Sep 2014 or are still in service. See: Are you really eligible for higher EPS pension? EPFO circular clarifies (also see below). Once you have convinced yourself that you are eligible (see conditions below),…
Continue reading →A reader tweeted, “I am working in one of the best PSU of India, current Basic+ DA is 125k with 8% increment/ yr. Natural retirement year is 2046. To choose EPS, i have to deposit 12 lakhs from my PF. Is it good to join EPS?” First, the good news. Subscribers now have up to…
Continue reading →This edition of the fund performance report looks at Tata Large & Mid Cap Fund. Although launched in March 1993 as Tata Equity Opportunities Fund, the fund currently only has an AUM of Rs. 3641 Crores. After the SEBI MF categorization rules kicked in, Tata AMC merged Tata Equity Opportunities Fund with Tata Dividend Yield…
Continue reading →The higher EPS pension proposed for those eligible is approximately 50% of the last drawn pay, as is the norm in government establishments. However is this enough? The short answer is, nope! Here is a set of retirement planning slides that I used at investor workshops. The aim is to convey the importance of retirement…
Continue reading →Many EPFO subscribers who retired after Sep 1st 2014, or are still in service have the incorrect impression that they will automatically be eligible for higher EPS pension. This is incorrect, as clarified by the EPFO circular issued on Feb 20th 2023. According to point no 5 of the circular: “5. Therefore, in compliance of…
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 →In this article, Vijay discusses guidelines on how to build a direct equity portfolio. This is the second part of the series. The first part is here: How to build a direct equity portfolio – Part 1. About the author: Vijay is an electronics engineer and management graduate (IIM Bangalore). He has worked as a…
Continue reading →A viewer on our YouTube channel asks, “I understand goal setting and rebalancing is the key. But how prudent is it to take money out of fixed income and buy equity to rebalance when markets are going down? Are we not increasing the risk of the entire portfolio by doing so? Can you please explain…
Continue reading →In the first of a two-part series, Vijay discusses how to build a direct equity portfolio. About the author: Vijay is an electronics engineer and management graduate (IIM Bangalore). He has worked as a technical expert in the automotive industry for the last 25 years. He has an active interest in subjects related to macro…
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 this article, we evaluate the performance of 207 actively managed mutual funds across eight categories to identify consistent performers. Regular readers may be aware that we have proclaimed the benefits of low-volatility investing for a few years. See Nifty Low Volatility 50: A Benchmark Index to watch out for (July 2016). We publish a low volatility…
Continue reading →The new tax regime is a game changer in Indian taxation. From 1s April 2023, we expect a large number of taxpayers, particularly young earners, high earners and those who have completed their home loan or have no need for one, to shift to the new regime. Even though section 80C is not valid in…
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