BUSINESS
The dangers of lifestyle inflation: How to avoid financial pitfalls
Financial woes often stem from lifestyle inflation, peer pressure and poor money management rather than income. Prioritising goals and prudent borrowing can help mitigate financial stress.
BUSINESS
The paradox of choice: Why too many investment options can hurt your wealth
Clarity doesn’t come from having every option available. It comes from knowing which ones you can ignore
BUSINESS
Strategy over noise: How to build resilient portfolios in volatile markets
Doing what the crowd does need not always be correct. In fact, many times it is completely wrong. You need to evaluate the context of your own investment and then act.
BUSINESS
Handle With Care: Credit cards can hurt more than they help
Credit card pros and cons: Be mindful and rack up your spends only as much as you can comfortably afford to clear each month. Anything more can mean trouble.
BUSINESS
Financial planning is about architecture, not products
There is a clear need for a plan, whether it is a monument, a home, a marriage, a family function or even a vacation.
BUSINESS
Rent vs Buy: A guide to making the right choice at the right time
Living on rent is a better idea in the initial years of your career. Buying a house makes sense only after you have some clarity regarding your place of work.
BUSINESS
Why mutual funds continue to gain traction among investors
While some view MFs with disdain as products meant for the masses, they have clearly proven themselves across the board as a diversified, well-managed offering.
BUSINESS
Subtle threads tying quantity to quality
Quantity itself can be a major mechanism for leverage, in almost all spheres of life, including with our finances. Abundance need not always result in lower value; used well, abundance offers tremendous benefits
BUSINESS
Regulatory frameworks need to resemble a scaffolding, not an edifice
A regulator is expected to be an enabling force for the growth of an industry. Instead, we have created a regulatory framework which is often out of sync with reality and an obstacle to the progress of firms
BUSINESS
Banned or shunned, the two outcomes for finfluencers
SEBI’s January 29 circular to crack down on dubious finfluencers shields investors. The provisions prevent finfluencers from exploiting any potential loophole by imposing stiff compliance requirements on legitimate registered entities.
BUSINESS
A decade on, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana emerges as a clear winner
SSY has the EEE tax benefit available to PPF, which provides attractive post-tax returns in the backdrop of negligible risk. It offers parents a good option to provide a solid investment for their daughter. In its category, SSY is a highly attractive investment product.
BUSINESS
How abrupt new goals can wreck long-term financial plans
Shifting financial goals without warning is like rerouting a ship mid-sea - the journey changes as the route, the time taken to reach destination and everything else changes.
BUSINESS
With a few tweaks, SEBI's draft IA regulations can boost the advisory profession
SEBI recently came out with a consultation paper that addresses many of the problem areas investment advisors had highlighted. But some work remains to be done.
BUSINESS
Is now the time to add crypto to your portfolio?
Many currencies are staring at devaluation due to a rise in inflation and excessive infusion of fiat currency. In this light, cryptos could merit some attention
BUSINESS
In 2024, interest rates will fall. Here’s how to position debt mutual funds
Debt funds offer great return possibilities at this point. This would be a wonderful window of opportunity for those who want better-than-average returns from fixed income investments.
BUSINESS
Why REIT is a good way to invest in commercial property
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) sit between equity and debt instruments. This is a new offering for Indian investors. It could be considered for portfolio diversification purposes and potentially get better returns compared to debt products.
BUSINESS
SEBI’s tightening of investment adviser guidelines hasn’t helped anyone
The burden of compliance, rigid guidelines, and repeated certification is keeping potential advisers from entering the profession, and existing investment advisers from scaling.
BUSINESS
Should you choose a Direct or Regular plan in an MF?
In case of distributors, product costs will be higher with Regular Plans. In case of Advisors who invest through Direct Plans, product cost is lower but there is a fee to be paid to the advisor for a comprehensive plan and advice s/he delivers.
BUSINESS
Are you an investor, a saver or gambler? How you allocate money decides your category
Savings and investments are talked about as though they are similar terms. Speculation and gambling are interchangeably used.
BUSINESS
Active investing will stage a comeback once index funds and ETFs become expensive
When many invest in index funds, the allocation to the underlying stocks increases and the prices can rise in a way that is disproportionate to their intrinsic worth
BUSINESS
Can a fee-only adviser give unbiased investment recommendations?
Fee-only advisers give advice for a fee, have no conflicts of interest and are client-centric
BUSINESS
SEBI’s investment adviser regulations: The hits and the misses
There are good points out there, some that non-controversial and acceptable, and others that are problematic
BUSINESS
Low-risk debt investment options during the COVID-19 crisis
As a general rule, debt instruments that are issued by the government or their extended arms will carry very low risk
BUSINESS
A true fiduciary acts in the best interest of the client
Such advisors should not deal in any product that offers commissions or other indirect compensation and compromise their independence
