M. Pattabiraman's Blog, page 9

My Stock Portfolio Analysis: June 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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Can I use a simple equity + debt portfolio instead of multiple retirement buckets?

A reader asks, “Can I use a simple equity + debt portfolio instead of multiple retirement buckets? Won’t this be easier to manage?” When I was younger, I would have agreed with the reader. Age and experience change perspective. See: I thought a pension was unnecessary, but age taught me a lesson on retirement planning!...

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My farmer parents’ sacrifice and my socialist dilemma on equity investing

We recently received an interesting email, which is reproduced below with the author’s permission. “I have come across your work in the field of saving/investing for financial independence very recently. I come from a family of marginal farmers. Both my parents toil in the fields. For more than 30 years, they used to borrow money...

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Debt and hybrid mutual fund screener (June 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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How do I declutter my mutual fund portfolio?

Readers often send us their mutual fund portfolios and ask for help in decluttering them. That is reduced unnecessary funds. Since we do not offer investment advice, we can do the next best thing – offer some generic steps to DIY this decluttering process. The first step is to recognise clutter. I hold 8 funds....

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How do I plan for a financial goal 5-10 years away?

We discuss how to plan for financial goals 5-10 years away. They are neither long-term to include equity nor short-term to avoid equity completely. Financial goal planning is all about setting the right priorities. If my need is within five years, it would be prudent to avoid all equity. Equity returns are volatile regardless of...

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How to plan for regular holidays abroad

Often, readers ask us, “How do we plan for holidays abroad once in 2-3 years? Our robo-advisor tool has a recurring financial goal calculator module, which you can use to plan for all such goals. This can be used to plan big-ticket annual expenses like school fees(!). Suppose we wish to go on a holiday...

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Index fund tracking error screener June 2025

This index fund screener is based on tracking error and returns difference wrt benchmarks (aka 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 the Nifty 100 or 500 differs from tracking the Sensex or...

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ITR Efiling: How the order of LTCG set-off can cost you more than you think

Do you remember the interesting rule while setting off losses from previous years? While setting off long-term capital loss brought forward from previous years against capital gains from equity under Section 112A, the loss is first set off against the gains, and only then is the exemption of ₹1 lakh (₹1.25 lakhs from FY 2024–25...

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15 Years, 15X Corpus: a CAs Debt-Free Journey

In this edition of the reader story, “If I were to describe my financial journey in one line, I’d say: It’s been a life of ordinary beginnings, supported by extraordinary people, and driven by quiet persistence.” About this series: I am grateful to readers for sharing intimate details about their financial lives for the benefit of...

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