The latest unicorn to hit the IPO circuit is Zomato and much has been written about how the company is not garnering profits and has accumulated losses. Is there merit in relooking at the strategy that Zomato must be following? Are we losing out on a good opportunity or is it just the euphoria in the market?
Sometime in August, the finance minister allowed time up to September 15, 2021 for removing all the glitches and errors from the new income tax website. As the due date approaches, there will be a significant increase in the website traffic with more and more users logging to file their returns. How will the website cope with heavy number of users and what exactly are we hoping to get from the new website?
Right now there is an unprecedented bull run on the market and investors are scared that there will be a major fallout triggering a market crash. Everyone is looking for a safe haven but don’t want to lose out on a potential increase in the investment base if market defies crash predictions. What should you do?
On August 6th, 2021, as widely anticipated, the RBI Monetary Policy Committee decided to keep all key benchmark rates unchanged. Out of the 6 members who voted, 5 members voted for keeping the repo rate as is and not to make any changes and to retain the “accommodative” stance. One member (Prof. Jayanth Varma) voted against it. Let’s delve a little deeper and understand what are the important points to learn from this event.
The primary aim of investing is to grow our money and make it work harder for us. That means firstly focusing on avoiding negative returns, keeping funds safe and only then planning for gain and alpha returns. Diversification is what helps to grow money with a lower risk of losing. A portfolio that is well-constructed not only ensures participation during market rallies, but also helps in downside protection. A key step to building such a portfolio is to diversify across asset classes. It doesn’t just mean holding on to too many schemes. The article looks at how we can go about diversifying our investments meaningfully.
All the news around us is now focused on a 3rd Wave of Covid 19 coming and soon. Last year, when the pandemic struck and we were shut indoors, there was a heavy economic toll. Lost jobs and pay cuts tore many financial plans and broke investor confidence. This article details key learnings from that, so we are better prepared for the 3 rd wave.
A lot of people are still clueless about what they are buying into with life insurance, be it ULIPs or term insurance or money back/endowment plans. When buying life insurance, people hardly think more than the sum assured, premium and tenure of the policy.
Equity should only be a part of our investment in a holistic financial plan. During a shock, look at the plan and investments holistically. The entire focus cannot be on the negative return on equity only. It is in fact the right period to start evaluating buys when everyone is selling. Value investing is highly underrated. But with a financial plan and advisor showing you the way, you can remain calm and reap diligent rewards.
A good Financial Plan looks at the investor’s current Financial Situation, Profiles him for the risk that he can tolerate and the Time Horizon of the proposed goals. Most good certified planners would prepare a sound long term holistic financial plan for you based on your risk profile, help you to define your financial goals and then do an asset allocation (with contingency plans built in) with you.
