M. Pattabiraman's Blog, page 56

My Stock Portfolio Analysis: April 2024

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. I started direct equity investing only after achieving a comfortable level of...

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How to optimize NPS withdrawals after retirement

In this article, we list the different options available for withdrawing from NPS after retirement and discuss which is suitable for whom. Note: The NPS is a mutual fund. Therefore, like any mutual fund, only the NAV on the exit date will apply to existing units to calculate the corpus. So, in the case of...

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How should I start investing for my one-month old daughter?

A reader asks, “Our daughter is one month old. How should we start investing for her future?” Starting on a clean slate is always the best way to start. Let’s dive straight into the goal-planning steps. The goal-planning steps We need a target corpus after 17/18 years, depending on when she was born. That is...

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Can senior citizens now buy health insurance without age restrictions?

Recently, some media reports have claimed that the age limit on health insurance purchases has been removed. Is this true? If yes, will this benefit a large segment of the population? The IRDAI circular dated 20th March 2024, F. No. IRDAI/Reg/8/202/2024 (thanks to Kamlesh Rao for sharing it on the Facebook group Asan Ideas for...

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What MFs should I choose if I can invest Rs 1 Lakh a month?

A 30-year-old reader asks, “What MFs should I choose if I can invest Rs 1 Lakh a month?” Here are some model mutual fund portfolios for long-term goals (> 10 years away) independent of the amount to be invested. They are arranged in descending order of preference. We shall also mention relevant fixed-income options. Asset...

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Debt and hybrid mutual fund screener (April 2024) 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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Can the average person attain financial independence?

A reader sent us the following message: “This article – Can I Achieve Financial Independence and Retire Early by 45? – it was, as always, a good read, like most of your articles. I have been a reader of freefincal for quite some time. My rant/question may be long, so please bear with me. I would...

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What is annuity laddering in retirement planning?

In this article, we discuss the idea of annuity laddering (also known as income laddering) and how it is helpful in retirement planning. Annuity/Income laddering generally means a series of cash flows that become available at different points in the future. Typically, bonds or fixed deposits are used for income laddering. A series of FDs...

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Index fund tracking error screener April 2024

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 Nifty 100, 500 differs from tracking the Sensex or...

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How life insurance companies manage to settle large death claims

Have you ever pondered over how life insurance companies manage to settle substantial death claims? Let’s begin by delving into the fundamental concept of insurance and then transition to reinsurance. While reinsurance is a vast subject, I’ll provide an overview of its basic principles. About the author: Ajay Pruthi is a fee-only SEBI registered investment advisor....

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