M. Pattabiraman's Blog, page 2

Explained: The role of income laddering in retirement planning

We discuss the role of income laddering (annuity laddering) in retirement planning and how to implement it. There are two extreme options in retirement planning: one where the corpus is managed in a diversified portfolio, and an increasing income is withdrawn from it as required. This is known as the bucket strategy.  We had earlier...

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Is it safe to have all my net worth as digital assets?

A reader says, “Is having all my net worth in digital assets (equity MF/Demat or debt PF/PPF, etc.) safe?  What may happen if some hacker hacks my digital life or, worst case, hacks into the government or AMC database and deletes our holdings? What will happen if our CDSL accounts are hacked or erased, or...

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How to avoid buying a mutual fund NFO!

Many investors cannot stop themselves from buying mutual fund NFOs and clutter up their portfolios. This guide may help you think rationally and focus on the right priorities. 9.99 out of 10 mutual fund NFOs are not necessary. Hundreds of existing mutual fund options can be used to build a good MF portfolio. Investors often...

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Index fund tracking error screener Nov 2025

Last Updated on November 17, 2025 at 7:58 am This index fund screener is based on tracking error and returns difference wrt benchmarks (also known as tracking difference). It will help users evaluate how efficiently an index fund has tracked its underlying benchmark. It will also help them understand how tracking a midcap index or...

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Parag Parikh Large Cap Fund – a curious choice

Last Updated on November 16, 2025 at 12:36 pm Parag Parikh Financial Advisory Services has filed an NFO document for Parag Parikh Large Cap Fund with SEBI. I was initially reluctant to opine on it, but since we received several requests, I thought I would throw in my two cents. Note: this is only at...

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How do you factor EPF, NPS or UPS into your retirement plan?

We discuss how retirement products like the employee provident fund (EPF), the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) can be incorporated into a retirement plan. Over the years, many readers have doubts about how to go about this, hence this article. At the time of writing, the UPS is not yet...

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ETF tracking error screener Nov 2025

This ETF screener is based on tracking errors and differences (ETF return minus index return). It will help users evaluate how efficiently an ETF has tracked its underlying benchmark. The tracking error is the ETF’s standard deviation minus the index’s monthly return differences. The lower the tracking error, the more efficiently the ETF tracks the...

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Use this auditing tool to review your goal-based investment portfolio

Use this simple spreadsheet to review and audit your goal-based investment portfolios. Over the years, we recognised the need for a tool beyond financial planning and portfolio value/return tracking. A financial planning calculator tells you the target corpus for a goal and the investment amount required.  A portfolio tracker only tells you the current corpus...

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How should I invest for the first 15 years of retirement?

A reader says, “I am 50 years old and have been planning to retire at this age since quite a few years back. By god’s grace and my regular investments, I have managed to have a decent corpus, which I have validated using your robo-advisory tool. Thanks a lot for making this tool and helping...

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Where should I invest if I need money in ten years?

Many readers ask, “I need money in 10 years (or 7 or 12, etc.). Where should I invest? Here is a generic template. I am afraid this is the wrong question to ask, and until you ask the wrong questions, you will never get the correct answers. The right question is, “I need money in...

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