Several readers have asked us what their debt fund strategy should be in the wake of the interest rate hike by RBI. In this edition of FAQ, we discuss what debt mutual fund investors should do. Our coverage of the rate hike also includes: Explained: Why did RBI increase the REPO rate? How will it…
Continue reading →In a move that surprised everyone, the RBI hiked the repo rate from 4% to 4.4%. This means newer short-term bonds will have a higher interest rate. The market will expect longer-term bonds also to be more rewarding. The demand for all existing bonds will fall and so will the price. Since an investor would…
Continue reading →With consumer inflation close to 7 %, the reserve bank increased the rate at which it lends to banks from 4% to 4.4%. Why was this done and what are the implications for us? A simple explanation. When inflation increases it typically means, the demand for goods is higher than the supply. For absolute newbies,…
Continue reading →In this article, we look at how LIC’s immediate annuity plan Jeevan Akshay’s annuity rates have over the last 20 years. This study was triggered while preparing a retirement planning illustration based on laddered annuities. Annuity rates tend to follow interest rates and inflation movements over the long term*. The first version of Jeevan Akshay…
Continue reading →Each month, we publish a list of stocks with low volatility and momentum. 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 →In this article, we list the annuity rates of LIC’s Jeevan Akshay VII (Plan No. 857, UIN : 512N337V02) launched in Feb 2022. While preparing a retirement planning illustration based on laddered annuities we wanted to find the latest Jeevan Akshay VII annuity rates. Unfortunately, neither the sales brochure nor the policy document mentions this!…
Continue reading →In this edition of “FAQ”, we shall discuss some common questions about Super Top-up Health Insurance policies. Previous editions in this series include: FAQ on index investing FAQ on Mutual Fund Systematic Withdrawal Plans (SWPs) FAQ: Target Maturity Debt Mutual Funds FAQ: How inflation affects our ability to manage money FAQ on gilt mutual funds:…
Continue reading →From this month onwards, I have started to invest in Parag Parikh Conservative Hybrid Fund. A look at some of the fund’s profile and the reasoning behind my decision. The fund is on the verge of completing one year (launched May 26th 2021) and after observing its portfolio for some months we included it in…
Continue reading →This is a list of the worst-performing equity mutual funds over every possible five, four, and three periods between 1st Jan 2013 (introduction date of direct plans) to April 8th 2022. Some caveats before we begin: (1) The definition of a “worst mutual fund” is as arbitrary as the definition of a “best mutual fund”….
Continue reading →Personal money management steps are simple to appreciate but hard to implement. These are some of our behavioural finance learnings on why investors struggle to invest and manage money prudently. 1 We often forget that personal finance is personal. Every move that we make ideally should be tailored to our needs. Right or wrong decisions…
Continue reading →A reader writes, “Sir, I started my first job a couple of months ago. I want to start investing in equity via mutual funds but I am worried about the market. The bull run from April 2020 to Oct 2021 was too early for me and now when I have money the market has started…
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. Before we begin, investors need to appreciate the context of these investments. I started direct equity investing only after achieving a comfortable level of financial independence and ensuring my son’s future…
Continue reading →A reader asks in response to our recent article – How to beat inflation after retirement along with guaranteed pension – “Is it wise to retire early in my 40s if my portfolio is sufficient?” There is more to retirement planning than determining if the corpus is large enough to handle inflation! Financial independence and therefore…
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 →Getting a guaranteed pension after retirement and beating inflation after retirement has traditionally been two extreme solutions in retirement planning. In this article, we explain how these solutions can be combined to build a robust and nearly fool-proof retirement plan. In the former, we talk about buying an annuity from life insurers for a guaranteed…
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