M. Pattabiraman's Blog, page 92
July 16, 2023
Why is diversification the only free lunch in investing?
A reader has asked us to explain why diversification is the only free lunch in investing with some India-centric data. As the name suggests, free lunch refers to some benefits without a catch, fee, or cost. There is no free lunch in nature. Can there be one in investing? What does “Diversification is the only...
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July 15, 2023
Is it possible to get rid of income tax return filing?
A frustrated reader asks, “Sir, I finally managed to file my ITR this time after several attempts. Why do we have to go through this exercise each year? Is it possible to get rid of it?” It may be possible to eliminate many (certainly not all) return filing compliance requirements, but how many of us...
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July 14, 2023
I lost six months’ income in F&O and ditched it for systematic investing
In this edition of the reader story, we meet “RK”, who discusses how he lost six months’ income in F&O over a span of three months and then traded it for systematic investing. About this series: I am grateful to readers for sharing intimate details about their financial lives for the benefit of readers. Some of...
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July 13, 2023
Can I expect 15% return from a 15 year equity MF SIP?
A reader wants to know, “I have just started a SIP in an equity mutual fund. I plan to continue this for 15 years. Can I expect a 15% return?”. The honest answer is, “No idea. No one knows”. We have discussed this at length before. Do not expect returns from mutual fund SIPs! Do...
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July 12, 2023
LIC Kanyadaan Policy vs Sukanya Samruddhi Yojana: Which is a better investment for my girl child?
Most parents in India are worried about the financial security of their children, especially their daughters. They often ask if there is a specific investment instrument that they should use to save for their children. For instance, I was recently asked, “Shall I use ‘LIC Kanyadaan Policy’ or ‘Sukanya Samruddhi Yojana’ for accumulating a corpus...
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July 11, 2023
Fee Only India – a group of ethical advisors I could finally identify with!
Fee-only India (FOI) is a group of SEBI Registered Investment Advisors (RIA) and Financial Planners who only charge a flat fee (independent of the client’s assets, aka fixed fee). The group meets once or twice yearly to help build the advisory service. The last meeting was on June 24th and 25th, 2023. SEBI RIA Swapnil...
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July 10, 2023
Resolved: Long-standing XIRR bug in freefincal MF and Stock Portfolio Tracker
We are happy to announce a long-standing bug in the Freefincal Google Sheets Mutual Fund, and Stock Tracker has been resolved. This bug is not a formula or coding error on the sheet but due to an inherent deficiency in Google Sheets. The latest versions of the trackers have been updated with this resolution. Existing...
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July 9, 2023
Equity Mutual Fund Screener July 2023: Shortlist consistent performers
The latest freefincal Equity Mutual Fund Performance Screener is now available. Use it to screen for consistently performing equity mutual funds. You can screen based on fund category & benchmark and spot mutual funds with a higher return than a benchmark at a lower risk. Inside, you get discounted links to our robo advisory tool...
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July 8, 2023
How index investing killed my “passion” for investing
In this article, Atul explains why index investing killed his passion for investing. Atul has an MBA in finance and has worked in different financial and banking establishments over the last 15 years. Over the last 12-13 years, my approach to investing has been pretty much the same. I was intensely passionate about it. I...
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July 7, 2023
From Engineer to Librarian after Financial Independence and Early Retirement (FIRE)
In this edition of the reader story, we meet Sriram discussing his journey from working as an electronic engineer to running a non-profit library after early retirement. About this series: I am grateful to readers for sharing intimate details about their financial lives for the benefit of readers. Some of the previous editions are linked at...
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