On Friday (Nov 26th 2021), the Sensex fell by 2.87%. One can easily speculate reasons for the fall and start wondering if we should stop investments or pull out money (we have started receiving such emails!). However, it would be far more productive to develop a simple market-independent strategy. Here is how one can do…
Continue reading →In this edition of the reader audit, 29-year-old Mr Yo (name withheld on request) explains in detail how he has structured his money management in a systematic manner and how he tracks his financial goals without considering returns. About this series: I am grateful to readers for sharing intimate details about their financial lives for the…
Continue reading →A reader asks, “I am a 27-year-old NRI with a current mutual fund portfolio of Rs. 12 lakhs. We want to buy a home. My father wants me to take out a loan immediately. I want to build my MF portfolio to 40 Lakhs within the next three years. Then, take out a home loan…
Continue reading →Hirak writes, “I am a 17-year-old, and I want to learn and start investing. Help me out”. It is wonderful to see young people serious about investing and money management. We are honoured when they ask us about it. We do not know the cash flow situation of Hirak. Does he earn part-time or full-time?…
Continue reading →This article compares my monthly retirement 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…
Continue reading →Sudipta Roy asks, “I recently read the article – Why I gave up my life-long dream of buying a house. My dream is to buy a house too, and I don’t wish to give up on it. However, I do agree with the author’s view that all major financial decisions should be made holistically”. “Thanks…
Continue reading →Aditya Tejas writes, “Thank you for all your work; I appreciate the time and effort you put into creating relevant, insightful and thought-provoking content. I’ve already gone through your flagship course. It helped me (re)think about my asset allocation, and I’m grateful for your insights”. “Also, I’ve taken notes on your views about “index investing”…
Continue reading →Here is a look inside RBI Retail Direct. This facility allows retail investors to open gilt security account with the RBI and purchase government securities (gilt bonds or gilts) in the primary and secondary market without a fee. We have already discussed in detail who should use RBI Retail Direct and who should not. Please…
Continue reading →In Jan 2021, Gowtham Subramanian discussed how he had started goal-based investing, focusing on asset allocation and how it has made him feel more in control over his finances. In this follow-up audit, he explains why he had to make bold and tough choices, like increasing equity mutual fund investments by 275% and reducing PPF…
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 →Motilal Oswal MSCI EAFE Top 100 Select Index Fund is an open-ended scheme tracking the MSCI EAFE Top 100 Select Index. The fund is currently in its NFO period (15th to 25th Nov 2021). This review discusses if investing in this fund makes sense when one can derive international exposure from existing options. The MSCI…
Continue reading →The Nifty Total Market Index consists of 750 stocks covering large, mid, small and microcap segments with stock weights determined by free-float market capitalization. The NSE launched this index in Oct 2021 with a backtested history up to April 2005. This article compares the rolling returns of the Nifty Total Market Index and Nifty 50…
Continue reading →In this article, Vishal discusses why he decided against buying a house and how his mindset towards owning property changed over the years. Note: The following is a point of view and not a recommendation against buying property. It is worth sharing it with the freefincal community as it is a well-thought-out view suitable 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…
Continue reading →RBI Retail Direct – a facility that allows retail investors to open gilt security account with the RBI and purchase government securities (gilt bonds or gilts) in the primary and secondary market without a fee – was launched on Nov 12th 2021. In this article, we discuss who should use it and who should not….
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