How a young couple is trying to balance travelling and investing

In this edition of the reader audit, Arka and Rupali share how they are trying to balance their personal aspirations like travelling and exploring new opportunities with their quest for financial independence. About this series: I am grateful to readers for sharing intimate details about their financial lives for the benefit of readers. Some of the…

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What investors want and why they will never get it!

The freefincal journey has taught us several lessons about human behaviour. Formoremost among them is what most investors want without stopping to recognise that it is impossible! We can restrict ourselves to investors and not savers.  That is, we only discuss those invested in the capital markets directly (stocks, bonds) or indirectly (mutual funds). So…

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When you hear the name ‘Elon Musk’, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

I recently asked a group of young people, “What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the name ‘Elon Musk’?” Here are some of the responses: Brilliant Genius Visionary Passionate Mad genius Crazy Thinker Leader Saviour impulsive entrepreneur risk-taker hero idol god rich billionaire I then asked, Why is Elon Musk successful?…

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Why complicate life with multiple retirement buckets? Why not use a single equity + debt portfolio?

A reader wants to know why a retiree needs to complicate life with multiple retirement buckets when all he needs is a single portfolio with equity and debt after retirement which is much easier to manage. About 10 years ago, I would have probably thought the same. Age and experience change perspective. See: I thought a…

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