A reader says, “In many personal finance forums, I see comments like I have accumulated 25X or 30X for retirement. Many claim that 30X is when one becomes financially independent and even ready for early retirement (FIRE). Can you please write an article explaining what this 30X refers to and how it signifies financial independence?” What is…
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 →If you are salaried and have capital gains to report, you must file ITR2. If you are a business person or a professional with capital gains, you must file ITR3. This article discusses uploading Equity MF/Share LTCG transactions in ITR2/ITR3 (Schedule 112A). If you have equity or equity MF transactions purchased after 31st Jan 2018,…
Continue reading →In this edition of the reader story, we meet Arun, who has most generously volunteered to share his investment journey with the DIY community. I say this because more people with his net worth are usually reticent and unwilling to open up. While sending the draft, he graciously said, ” I have nothing major to share…
Continue reading →Here are two examples of using mutual fund capital gains statements for LTCG and STCG entries in ITR. Please use this along with a step-by-step guide to enter MF and share capital gains in ITR2 (or ITR3) and How to Set off & Carry Forward Capital Losses in ITR2 and ITR3. Salaried taxpayers should use ITR2 if…
Continue reading →A reader asks after looking at the Sensex chart in the article – Do not stop or redeem your equity investments! Now is the best time to invest! (also shown below), “Why did you draw the Sensex chart in logarithmic scale? What is the benefit of doing so?” Let us start with what a logarithm is….
Continue reading →A reader says, “The next trance of Sovereign Gold Bonds is now available for purchase. Can I buy these for portfolio diversification?” The short answer is: Don’t! In principle, gold can be used for diversification (that it is not of much use is another matter, see below), but the product should be liquid. We should…
Continue reading →We recently published a Step-by-step guide to entering MF and share capital gains in ITR2 (or ITR3). Many readers wanted to know how to set off & carry forward capital losses in ITR2 and ITR3. So here is a quick guide. If you are new to entering capital gains and losses in the ITR utility, we…
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 →The following is an anonymous post in the Facebook group Asan Ideas for Wealth (AIFW) reproduced here after its admin, Ashal Jauhari’s suggestion. “A real-life example to prove that there are only two kinds of people – those who have faced emergencies and those who have not. In the example below, this old friend –…
Continue reading →This step-by-step guide discusses entering capital gains from mutual funds or shares in ITR2 or ITR3 for AY 2023-2024 (FY 2022-2023). Salaried taxpayers must use ITR2 if they have any capital gains to declare. Businessmen and professionals must ITR3 for the same purpose. The capital gains schedule and filing procedures are identical in ITR2 and…
Continue reading →SEBI has created a new class of intermediaries called execution-only platforms (EOPs) for direct plan mutual funds. This will differentiate between an EOP and an RIA and provide clients with a clear grievance redressal mechanism. Those offering direct mutual fund investment portals are currently registered as investment advisors (RIA). SEBI defines an EOP as “Any…
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 →Any individual with business or professional income should submit Form 10-IE to inform the IT dept if they wish to switch from the old tax regime to the new one on or before July 31st 2023, and only then file their income tax return. The date of submitting Form 10-IE and the acknowledgement number for…
Continue reading →If you have a property to rent out, here are some key considerations to ensure there are no legal issues with your tenant in future. The law provides several safeguards for both landlords and tenants. If the agreement between the two parties is not done right, legal hardships will result in loss of time and…
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