The Indian stock markets have lost momentum for the past year. One can easily speculate reasons for the fall and wonder if we should stop investments or pull out money (we have started receiving such emails!). However, developing a simple market-independent strategy via systematic risk reduction would be far more productive. Why? We have no…
Continue reading →With only three weeks left to go in 2022, we look at the biggest winners and losers in the NSE index universe. We look at the trailing one-year return as on 9th Dec 2022, as much of the performance falls in 2022. Disclaimer: No part of this article should be considered investment advice. One year…
Continue reading →In this edition of the reader story, we meet Suresh Murugan. In Dec 2019, Suresh shared his first financial audit with us: I met with an accident the day I got married and learned key money lessons. Since then, Suresh’s life has changed for the better significantly. He published an update in Oct 2021: I felt…
Continue reading →This is an ETF screener based on tracking errors and tracking differences (ETF return minus index return). The screener will help users evaluate how efficiently an ETF has tracked its underlying benchmark. The tracking error is the ETF’s standard deviation minus index monthly return differences. The lower the tracking error, the more efficient the ETF…
Continue reading →This edition of the fund performance report looks at the Mirae Asset Tax Saver Fund. Launched in Dec 2015, the fund has an AUM of more than 13,000 Crores. Disclaimer: Fund performance reports present return and risk analysis of a fund with representative benchmarks and not investment recommendations. It must be expressly understood that the data below…
Continue reading →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!…
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