When I wrote the last article about how a minimalistic lifestyle can help you save money, people had some obvious questions and apprehensions. Some were sceptical that a lot of skimping may take the joy out of living and some others were worried about society and extravagant families waiting to judge them. About the author:…
Continue reading →In this episode of reader-story, Ramkumar Subramanian shares his investment journey. How he invested without a plan, made a bunch of mistakes but still managed to de-clutter his portfolio and started investing in a goal-based manner. As regular readers may be aware, we publish a personal financial audit each December – this is the 2020…
Continue reading →Over the last few months, I have posted monthly updates of my stock portfolio compared with an equivalent investment in a Nifty index fund. This is the March 2021 update. This is the archive of previous updates. Personal finance is primarily personal. So kindly do not ignore the following context in which I am managing…
Continue reading →This is a review of SBI International Access ‐ US Equity FoF (fund of fund) currently in its NFO period up to March 15th 2021. It will invest in mutual fund schemes/ETFs that invest in US markets and will be e benchmarked to S&P 500 Index, after converting it to Indian Rupee. It will invest…
Continue reading →Every mutual fund sales guy says, “the best way to build wealth is via SIP in an equity mutual fund over the long term”. However, where is the proof that a long-term equity mutual fund SIP would work? In this article, we analyse 40+ years of the Sensex and 106 years of the S&P 500…
Continue reading →Here is a list of stocks with low volatility and momentum for March 2021 from the Nifty 100. You can also get the historical data from March 2019 onwards. This month as many as 65 stocks qualify after filtering Nifty 100 with (1) positive 1-year return, (2) positive six-month return, (3) price > 200-day moving…
Continue reading →In this article, I explain why I did not invest the maximum amount eligible into PPF for ten years. The start of another month, and it is time to open my trusted investment tracker Excel. I have been using this for the last ten years to track my investments. This sheet is available here: How…
Continue reading →In this article, author Smriti Tuteja explains how a minimalist lifestyle will help you save money as well as time to do things that give you joy. About the author: Smriti is an author, freelance content writer and avid reader. She quit her six-year-long IT career to embrace her love for writing. Her previous article…
Continue reading →We discuss the main risk associated with guaranteed return products that buyers must factor in before deciding to buy. This may seem obvious to regular readers, but even in 2021, there are scores of people who cannot appreciate these products’ main pitfall. It is quite common for insurance agents to present product illustrations to potential…
Continue reading →Imagine this scenario: the stock market falls by about 50% – not suddenly over a few days but over months and months, say over three years. Since there is no sudden fall, there is no sudden recovery either. The market stays underwater (below the previous all-time high) for the next five years. Can you manage…
Continue reading →There are many popular “beliefs” surrounding mutual fund investments. One of them is that the best day for monthly investment is the last Thursday of the month when the Nifty futures and options contract expires. Several “experts” have also claimed that the best day for SIP is the last Thursday of the month. Since only…
Continue reading →If there is one word in personal finance that is mostly misunderstood, it has to be frugality. After the 2008 financial crisis, it became popular online when people with uncertain or no jobs had to relearn money management. A frugal person is often misunderstood to be a miserly person who deprives themselves of worldly pleasures…
Continue reading →This is a review of two Motilal Oswal Asset Allocation Passive Fund of Funds – Aggressive & Conservative currently in the NFO period (9th Feb to 5th Mar 2021). We explain why these offerings are not “passive asset allocation” funds. What are Motilal Oswal Asset Allocation Passive FoFs?They are two open-ended mutual funds investing in…
Continue reading →ELSS mutual funds are often sold with an incorrect pitch: Since they are eligible for tax-saving under Section 80C, each fund unit is locked for three years from the date of purchase. AMCs and sales guys state ELSS mutual funds can offer better returns or lower risk because of this lock-in. This article explains why…
Continue reading →This is a review of LIC LIC Bima Jyoti, a new plan that is available from 22-Feb-2021. Let us analyse its features, merits and demerits and see if it has any value to offer and worth it. We explain why the typical returns obtained would be poor. Such launches are common during the “tax-saving season”…
Continue reading →