Stay away from stocks, mutual funds. Invest in FD, gold: Investor Shankar Sharma tells family

Investor Shankar Sharma said that luck played a huge role in him making it big in the stock market. (Image credit: @1shankarsharma/X, Unsplash)

Ace investor Shankar Sharma has shared some investment advice on social media that has been grabbing eyeballs due to its unconventional nature, especially amid a time when the stock market has been in the red. Sharma said that he had offered the same suggestion to his sister and brother-in-law when they had sought his advice, and they have been living a financially secure and stress-free life for 35 years.

"My sister and brother-in-law live in a small town. Have pestered me for 35 years: 'Tell us where/ how to invest in stocks/ MFs'. My standard reply, "Stay away. This isn't for folks like y'all. Put 40 percent in good FDs, 30 percent in gold, 30 percent in raw land 25 km out of town'," Sharma wrote on X. "Today, they are stress-free, liquid, and wealthy beyond dreams. Without knowing what's RBI, who's Guv, what the US Fed, what's debt/GDP, what's trade wars, what's bourbon."

My sis & bro in law live in a small town. Have pestered me for 35 years " Tell us where/ how to invest in stocks/ MFs". My Std reply: " Stay away. This isn't for folks like y'all. Put 40% in good FDs, 30% in Gold. 30% in raw land 25 kms out of town".Today, they are stress-free,
Shankar Sharma (@1shankarsharma) March 12, 2025

When an X user pointed out that it is also possible for people to make a fortune out of trading, Shankar said that luck played an important role in it. "We are just a handful of people who made serious money in markets (less than, say, 50-70 people in 35 years). As a percentage of total investing pop, it's minuscule. We were lucky, that's all," he said.

In a separate post, he added, "Let nobody tell you otherwise. It's very very difficult to bat for decades, on different pitches, and survive. And it requires a big bull market tailwind too."