Investing Insights

...
The Pros & Cons of Robo Advisors

Over the years, the definition of FinTech or “Financial Technology” has expanded from covering companies that supply back-end software systems to Financial Institutions to encompassing a multitude of ventures that leverage technology to disrupt existing ways of executing financial transactions or managing money.

...
Portfolio Rebalancing: What Is It and How to Do It

As of August 2024, the stock markets are trading near all-time high levels. In the last one year (as of 31st July 2024), the Nifty 50 Index has risen 26.31%. The Nifty Midcap 150 Index, with 54.60% returns, and the Nifty Smallcap 250 Index, with 58.06% returns, have done even better. During the same period, fixed income has been steady, with most debt instruments giving 7-9% returns. As a result, an investor's asset allocation would get skewed in favour of equities. Hence, the investor needs to do portfolio rebalancing. In this article, we will understand what portfolio rebalancing is, why, when, and how you should do it.

...
Sectoral/Thematic Funds Have Seen Inflows of Rs. 55,000 Crores in the Last 6 Months: Should You Invest?

As of July 2024, sectoral and thematic mutual funds have seen more than Rs. 55,000 crore inflows in the last six months. The AMCs are on a NFO launching spree and mutual fund investors are lapping these funds. So, what are these sectoral/thematic funds, why are investors pouring so much money into these, and should you invest? Let us discuss.

...
9 Personal Finance Mistakes to Avoid

You must have heard the famous phrase: "Knowing is half the battle". It signifies the importance of being informed. The other half is the application of knowledge. Unknowingly, people do make mistakes and learn from them. However, learning from personal finance mistakes can come at a cost and derail or push you back in your financial planning journey. Hence, it is best to be aware of these money mistakes and avoid them so your financial planning journey can be smooth. In this article, we will discuss some common financial mistakes to avoid.

...
Active and Passive Funds, How They Can Complement Your Portfolio

In the last few years, passive funds have become quite popular among investors. Some reasons for this include the number of passive funds launched by AMCs, wider awareness about them, their performance and benefits, etc.

...
How Understanding Risk Is Critical While Investing and Ways to Mitigate Risk in Investing

When it comes to investing, the risk involved and the potential reward go hand in hand. The higher the risk involved, the higher the reward expectation. However, can the risk be reduced or mitigated while keeping the reward potential still high? The answer is yes. In this article, we will understand what risk is, why understanding it is critical, and ways of mitigating it.

...
Steps to Construct a Great Investment Portfolio – A Guide for Smart Investors

Living in today’s information age has its pros and cons. You have your broker, family members, friends, colleagues, and others giving you friendly investment tips. You also have TV channels, newspapers, magazines, social media and other internet channels bombarding you with investment recommendations/tips.

...
What It Takes to Build a Resilient Portfolio

The Indian stock market has been on an upward trend for nearly three years. The sharp market correction of 30% plus seen during March 2020 seems to be an event in the distinct past. However, such sharp volatility is a part and parcel of equity investing. Hence, from an investor perspective what one needs is a resilient portfolio which can weather any market disruption.

...
Emergency Fund: What Is It, Why and How Much of It Should You Have?

In 2023-24, many IT companies and start-ups laid off many employees. The IT companies had to lay off people as the demand or discretionary spending pickup in their major market, i.e. the US, was not as strong as expected. The start-ups had to lay off people as they were not able to raise subsequent round(s) of funding due to the funding winter. In both scenarios, people who lost jobs were left in the lurch. As the IT and start-up sectors were going through a soft patch, it was difficult for these people to either get new jobs or at the same/better pay package.

...
Succession Planning: What Is a Will, Terms Related to It, and How to Make It?

As per Indian succession laws, on the death of an individual, their assets are distributed among the legal heirs. The legal heirs are categorised into various classes and are listed in the sequence in which they can claim the assets. However, what if you want to distribute your assets to other people along with your legal heirs?

...
NASDAQ Mutual Funds Was One of the Best-Performing Indices in 2023 With 55% Returns. Should You Invest?

In 2023, the NASDAQ 100 Index gave stellar returns of 55%, making it one of the best-performing indices amongst major global indices. Looking at the 55% eye-popping returns in 2023, many Indian investors are looking at ways of investing in the NASDAQ out of sheer FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). They expect the outperformance to continue in 2024 and beyond.

...
Budget 2024: What to Expect – Tax Exemptions, Deductions, Change in Slabs or Status Quo?

With the new Government in place and the continuation of Nirmala Sitharaman as the Finance Minister, the Union Budget is expected to be presented in July 2024. The expectations from the Finance Minister are running high from all sections of taxpayers. In this article, we will look at what can a common man expect from the budget.