The average retail investor fears debt mutual funds much more than equity funds. Debt mutual funds are harder to choose and the risks are harder to understand (especially when no effort is put in). To tackle these issues, the MF industry has come up with a class of products called Target Maturity Debt Funds. In…
Continue reading →A member of the Facebook group Asan Ideas for Wealth suggested we write a quick start guide for new earners/investors. We already have a detailed step by step free ebook on how to buy term insurance, health insurance, set up an emergency fund, start investing etc. You can download this at the end of the…
Continue reading →A reader wants to know, “I have just started a SIP in an equity mutual fund. I plan to continue this for 10 years. What return can I expect?”. The reader later clarified that he has no other investment planned for this goal. The honest answer to “What return can I expect from a 10-year…
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 →After the publication of our review of UTI S&P BSE Low Volatility Index Fund, we have received several requests from readers to compare low volatility indices with aggressive hybrid funds/indices. Such a comparison may seem wrong at first glance. After all, how can we compare a 100% equity portfolio with a 65%-80% equity portfolio? However, a…
Continue reading →United India has intimated policyholders of a major revision in their Super Top Policy with effect from 1st March 2022. This includes a significant increase in the maximum sum insured of Rs. 15 lakhs to Rs. 95 lakhs. The revised policy terms and conditions will apply to all policies due for renewal after this date….
Continue reading →Marriage is just a union of two souls. Isn’t it? Why bring money into the picture and spoil the sanctity of the union? Right? While these thoughts are awesome in your late teens and early twenties, they could wreak havoc in both your financial and married life. ‘Money cannot buy happiness, ‘money is the root…
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 →If there is one action that most investors who appreciate asset allocation are hesitant to do, it is probably portfolio rebalancing. On the one side, there is fear of taxes and on the other, uncertainty on how to rebalance and which to sell. In this article, we shall consider some examples of portfolio rebalancing. Many…
Continue reading →It is common knowledge that the Japanese stock market (often represented by the Nikkei 225) has been underwater since December 1989. That is, it kept falling (excluding minor recoveries) for about 23 years until later 2012. Since then it has seen a recovery. Many investors have asked us, “can this happen to the Indian stock…
Continue reading →Is money the root of all evil or social media is giving it tough competition? While social media has unlocked a world of possibilities, made information more accessible than ever, and is bread and butter for a lot of us, it has also made impulsive shopping popular. The convenience comes at a premium and the…
Continue reading →A reader asks on Twitter, “Can we use Sovereign gold bonds for retirement planning?” For those who hate tax, the Sov. gold bond is an enticing investment. Buy and hold it for eight years and the returns (if positive!) are tax-free. So why not do this over a 20-25 year period when a typical investor…
Continue reading →In this article, M T Raghunath (MTR) explains how he turned his discussions on investing and money with his two sons into a book. MTR is one of the smartest DIY investors I have interacted with and his book does not disappoint. He sought my opinion on his book, Primer on Money and Investing: Fundamental…
Continue reading →UTI S&P BSE Low Volatility Index Fund is an open-ended scheme tracking the S&P BSE Low Volatility TRI. In this review, we evaluate the pros and cons of investing in this fund currently in its new fund offer period. Regular readers may be aware that we have proclaimed the benefits of low volatility investing for…
Continue reading →This is a passive fund screener based on tracking error and return difference wrt benchmarks. The screener will help a user 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 is quite different from tracking the Sensex…
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