In this edition of the reader story, 37-year-old Siva shares his financial journey from scratch in 2014 to a net worth of 18 times annual expenses. About this series: I am grateful to readers for sharing intimate details about their financial lives for the benefit of readers. Some of the previous editions are linked at the bottom…
Continue reading →IIFL has launched a tax saver index fund (passive ELSS fund). We have received several messages from readers wanting to know if they can invest in this. We are disappointed to receive such emails (some from those claiming they are our long term readers). Getting enticed by shiny objects is a huge investment mistake. Whether…
Continue reading →The freefincal Equity Mutual Fund Performance Screener (December 2022) is now available. Use it to screen for consistently performing equity mutual funds. You can screen based on fund category & benchmark and spot mutual funds with a higher return than a benchmark at a lower risk. Inside, you get discounted links to our two courses:…
Continue reading →In this article, we see how a lower expense ratio does not necessarily mean more gains for the investor using the example of two index funds: the NAVI Nifty 50 Index fund (direct plan) and the UTI Nifty 50 Index fund (direct plan) and the last one year period. It must be understood that the…
Continue reading →This article discusses the most crucial steps in defining and planning for a financial goal. Only after the goal is defined should one consider products for investments. Sadly most investors have a product-first, plan-later approach. Some assume they do not have a financial goal and only want to create wealth. They need to find a…
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 →We study 40 ELSS funds to identify consistent performers when benchmarked with respect to the NIfty 200 Total Return Index (dividends included) using the freefincal equity mutual fund screener. Nifty 200 is a representative benchmark of the ELSS category in which funds are typically large cap oriented. Since it is market capitalization-weighted, the index returns…
Continue reading →In this article, Melvin Joseph, one of India’s first fee-only financial planners and SEBI-registered investment advisors, shares his experiences over a 12-year career. While I was trying to build a list of fee-only financial planners in 2013, it was by sheer chance that I encountered Melvin Joseph’s post on Facebook. Someone had asked him about mutual…
Continue reading →Many parents would like to know if they should include an international equity fund in their portfolio for their child’s education to account for currency depreciation against the US dollar. A discussion. The short answer to “Should I invest in an international fund for my child’s education?” is, that it is unnecessary. There is, however,…
Continue reading →The Nifty Next 50 is a strange index. Although theoretically part of the large cap universe, due to large impact costs (significant difference between buy and sell price), its volatility is comparable to that of a mid cap index, as repeatedly pointed out by us: Warning! Nifty Next 50 is NOT a large cap index!…
Continue reading →A reader asks, “I cannot decide between Nippon India Nifty 50 Bees ETF and UTI Nifty 50 Index Fund. The ETF has a total expense ratio of 0.05%, while the index fund’s TER is 0.2%. My friends tell me that ETF is bound to outperform the index fund over the long term and that choosing…
Continue reading →Dear reader, it is never too late to plan and organise your finances and plan for the future. Make use of these massive discounts to get started. Robo Advisory tool: 20% off! Goal-based portfolio management course: 25% off! How to get people to pay for your skills: A guide to winning their trust and building…
Continue reading →A reader asks, “Sir, I have read several of your articles and noticed that you always recommend 50-60% equity for long term goals. I am 31 and wish to retire by 60. However, I am extremely uncomfortable with stock market investing. So can you please let me know if I can manage with not more…
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, CA Karan Batra shares seven practical and successful ways to make money through a blog based on his extensive experience. If you want to get started in this direction, check out some resources at the end of the article. About the author: Karan Batra is a chartered accountant and is regularly featured…
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