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Investing Insights

Essential Asset Allocation Strategies for a Balanced Investment Portfolio

In 2024 (as of June 2024), the Nifty 50 Index has given a return of 28.12%. During the same period, gold has gone up by 23.56% and fixed income has given a return of 7.27%. In the calendar year 2022, gold was the top-performing asset class, whereas in 2015, fixed income was the top-performing asset class. So, different asset classes take turns to outperform each other year after year. Hence when it comes to managing existing wealth, most investors follow asset allocation by building a diversified investment portfolio. In this article, we will understand what asset allocation is, asset allocation strategies, and how to use them to build a balanced investment portfolio.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Personal Financial Planning

Some individuals follow a return-centric approach to investing. They chase returns by selecting mutual funds based on the last one and three-year returns. However, that is not the right approach. The appropriate approach is to identify your financial goals and invest towards fulfilling them. It keeps you focused on your investments for the long term till the goals are achieved. The personal financial planning journey can help you map all your financial goals, invest towards them, and review them till they are achieved. In this article, we will understand what is personal financial planning and how to go about it.

How to Manage Investment Risk Efficiently

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk” is a famous quote by Mark Zuckerberg. The same applies to the investing world also. Some investors play safe and invest all their savings in low-risk options like bank fixed deposits, Government securities, etc. But, after factoring in taxation, the returns may not even be able to beat inflation. So, you run the risk of negative returns. Hence, it is recommended that you take risk by investing in equity mutual funds and mitigate/manage the risks using various risk management strategies. In this article, we will understand how to manage investment risk in mutual funds using various strategies.

How to Plan For Retirement in Your 30s, 40s, and 50s

Would you like to retire with a sufficient corpus to be financially independent in the golden years of your life. Retirement is that phase of life that most people look forward to. Most individuals would have taken care of their financial liabilities and responsibilities by then. But do you know that if planned properly, you could actually create a corpus that could generate retirement income for the rest of your life and be more fulfilled by having enough time to do things you would enjoy most like time with family and relatives, hobbies, travel, socialise etc. Ideally, you should start planning for your retirement corpus at the earliest stage of your working life. If you have not planned, you can still start now, whether in your 30s, 40s or 50s. In this article, we will understand how to plan for retirement at your age.

Investing with Purpose: Goal-based Investing for Women

At the start of July 2024, Axis Mutual Fund released the "Women Investment Behaviour Report 2024". It has interesting insights on how women invest. It talks about the rising participation of women in mutual funds, how they persist with their investments even during market corrections, their goals like building wealth and securing retirement top the chart, etc. All these insights highlight how women are taking control of their investments. Let us discuss how investing with a purpose or goal-based investing can make women resilient and focused investors and, thus, help them achieve their financial goals.

How to Invest in Mutual Funds: Tips for Building a Balanced Portfolio

Mutual funds are one of the most versatile financial products to help you achieve your financial goals. They can help you diversify across various asset classes, such as domestic and international equities, fixed income, gold, etc. Some of them, like hybrid and multi-asset funds can help to build a diversified portfolio by investing in multiple asset classes through a single scheme. They allow you to make lumpsum and regular investments through SIP. Thus, mutual funds can cater to different investors with different schemes based on their requirements. In this article, we will understand how to invest in mutual funds and how to build a balanced portfolio through them.

How to Use SIPs to Create Long-Term Wealth

The financial planning journey to create wealth, and fulfil financial goals is a marathon, not a sprint. In this marathon, investing regularly in a disciplined manner through the systematic investment plan (SIP) route is the key to creating long-term wealth. In this article, we will understand how a consistent and disciplined long-term SIP investment can provide you with the benefits of compounding and create wealth.

ETF vs Actively Managed Mutual Funds: Key Differences Every Investor Should Know

When investing in mutual funds, investors can choose from schemes that can give market returns (benchmark index) or have the potential to outperform the market. Passive schemes, including index funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), provide returns that mirror the benchmark. Active schemes have the potential to outperform the benchmark. Many investors wonder whether to choose ETF or mutual fund. In this article, we will understand what are mutual funds and ETFs, their differences, and which is better: ETF or mutual fund.

How are Mutual Fund Returns Calculated?

We invest in financial products to achieve our financial goals. Based on factors like how much we want to invest, for how long, and the target amount, it is the expected returns that help us understand whether we can achieve our goal. The returns can be measured using different ways like absolute returns, compounded annual growth rate (CAGR), etc. In this article, we will understand what is absolute return, CAGR, how they are calculated, and which one you should use.

Mutual Funds vs Stocks: Which Investment Is Right for You?

An individual can invest in equities through two primary modes: Direct equity and equity mutual funds. Both options have their pros and cons. Many investors often ask, mutual fund vs stock: Which is better? In this article, we will understand these investment options, the pros and cons of each, the difference between stocks and mutual funds, and which is better to invest in.

Understanding Debt and Equity Funds: Key Differences and Benefits

Investors can choose from different types of mutual funds depending on factors like investment time horizon, return expectation, lock-in period, taxation, risk involved, etc. You can look at equity funds for growth and debt funds for stability. In this article, we will understand what are equity funds and debt funds, the difference between equity and debt mutual funds, and things to consider before choosing these funds.

Step-By-Step Guide to Starting a SIP: Everything You Need to Know

Most of us earn a regular monthly income and hence prefer to invest a regular monthly amount towards our financial goals. Also, it will be great if the monthly investment process is automated after a onetime setup. A Systematic Investment Plan or SIP allows you to do that. In this article, we will understand what is an SIP, how to invest in SIP, and where to invest in SIP.