M. Pattabiraman's Blog, page 25

My Stock Portfolio Analysis: Jan 2025

This article compares my stock portfolio with an equivalent investment in a Nifty index fund and the Nifty 100 Low Volatility 30 TR index. We post this comparison each month. Before we begin, new readers need to appreciate the context of these investments. Update: We recently added a new tool to the freefincal investor circle...

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Why does index investing work?

Ever wonder why index investing or passive investing should work? In this article, SEBI registered fee-only advisor Swapnil Kendhe explains the basics of indexing and why it is effective. About the author: Swapnil is a SEBI Registered Investment Advisor and part of my fee-only financial planners’ list. You can learn more about him and his service...

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How to interpret rolling return charts?

Rolling return charts have become prominent over the last few years, especially for mutual fund analysis. However, few investors understand how rolling return charts are computed and their benefits and limitations. A discussion. Rolling lump sum, rolling SIP, and many other mutual fund and time series analysis and financial planning tools are available in the...

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Why a cash flow projection is essential for financial planning

This article explains how a simple cash flow projection can significantly impact our goal-based financial planning. When I started creating Excel sheets in 2010-11, I slowly realised that all goal-planning must culminate into a cash flow projection. The freefincal robo advisor tool automatically creates a cash flow projection with goal-planning results. If the user chooses...

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Debt and hybrid mutual fund screener (Jan 2025) for selection, tracking, learning

This is a debt mutual fund screener for portfolio selection, 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 PSU funds, etc. The credit quality of the bonds in the portfolio and the bond maturity profile can be tracked....

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Narayanan’s investment journey to a Rs. 3 Crore corpus

I am Narayanan. I am from Chennai, and I am 39 years old. I was late to investing, starting my career around 2008, and started investing peanuts in MF around 2015, increasing it substantially from 2018. About this series: I am grateful to readers for sharing intimate details about their financial lives for the benefit of...

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Are mutual funds safe? Addressing a reader’s concerns

We address a reader’s concerns about mutual fund investing. He writes, “As I continue my journey to financial independence, a few concerns have occupied my thoughts recently”. 1. Safety of Direct Investing on Mutual Fund AMC Websites “I have often contemplated investing directly through mutual fund AMC websites to minimize hassle. However, I am apprehensive...

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What return should I use if I wish to retire by 55?

Many people make two mistakes while planning their finances. The first common mistake is presuming that equity mutual funds provide a 12%  (or more!) return and utilizing that figure to calculate the necessary investment amount. Regrettably, this approach entirely disregards asset allocation and the reality that investing 100% in equity is not feasible. Even those...

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Index fund tracking error screener Jan 2025

Last Updated on January 17, 2025 at 8:45 am This index fund screener is based on tracking error and returns difference wrt benchmarks (aka tracking difference). The screener will help users evaluate how efficiently an index fund has tracked its underlying benchmark. It will also help to understand how tracking a midcap index or the...

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At age 21, how much should I invest in equity mutual funds?

A reader says, “I am 21 and about to start my first job. How do I figure out how much to invest in equity mutual funds and how much to invest in fixed income? My friends tell me to invest 80% to 100% in equity. Is this correct? There is no right or wrong answer...

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