A reader on our Youtube Q & A session asked, “Sir, my question is as follows: My age is 25 years. I have started sips in MFs since Oct 2021. I don’t have time to analyse stocks ( i have a 13-14 hrs job). I am now sitting on a significant loss. My corpus goal: 2 Cr after tax. Time period to achieve: 20 years”.
“My portfolio:
1. Parag Parikh Flexi Cap fund: Rs. 2500
2. Axis Mid cap Fund: Rs. 2500
3. Canara robeco tax saver : Rs. 5000
4. Mirae Asset tax saver Fund: Rs. 5000
Am I on the right path. Please give some suggestions if I am not”.
Almost everybody who started equity investing in Oct 2021 would be facing losses now. So you are not alone. There are three phases of equity investing. (1) The joy of a bull market; (2) The despair or at least the uncertainty of a market crash and (3) the frustration of a directionless market.
All three phases are good times to start investing in equity and continue investing. No phase lasts forever, and no one knows which phase will be the next unless we use the benefit of hindsight. Many young earners started their mutual fund investment journey encouraged by the bull run after the March 2020 crash and assumed it would never end. It has ended, and the consequences are there to see in our portfolios.
This is a necessary and unavoidable pain that everyone (no matter how experienced they are in the capital markets) must undergo until a bull run treats that pain. There is no other practical choice! That is why we keep saying everyone is timing the market – waiting for that good time.
The more you invest during a painful phase, the more wealth you create when the tide turns. This is the simple secret behind equity investing.
As long as your needs are far, far away (20Y is just that), you can afford to wait and must wait. Such bad times remind us of the importance of asset allocation. We recommend using a 50% equity and 50% fixed income (EPF, PPF etc.) portfolio so that the bad times in equity are reasonable to bear. Always look at the overall portfolio first and then drill down to asset classes (equity; fixed income) and individual funds or stocks.
As regards your funds, please continue investing in them. There is no need to add or remove any funds at this stage.
There are three aspects to creating wealth from the stock markets: Investment, time and returns. Among these, only the first two are in your hands. You have already scored big on the time aspect by starting early. Now focus on increasing your income and, therefore, your investments as much as possible.
There is no evidence that being patient and investing systematically will reap rewards, but the only other choice is guaranteed failure to beat inflation with fixed income. There is no need to despair, though. Systematic risk management constantly keeping our future needs in mind gives us more than a reasonable chance of success. See: Why should I invest in equity mutual funds when there is no guarantee of returns?
Continue investing in a 50:50 asset allocation (you can also choose 60% equity if you are up to it) for the next few years. Learn more about portfolio rebalancing and how to manage your goals in a goal-based way. This webinar may help you get started: Basics of portfolio construction: A guide for beginners.
The above holds true only for long term goals. If your needs are 3Y away or 5Y away, we recommend exiting from all or most of your equity holdings regardless of current market conditions.
Do share if you found this useful
Explore the site! Search among our 2000+ articles for information and insight!
About The Author
Dr M. Pattabiraman(PhD) is the founder, managing editor and primary author of freefincal. He is an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He has over nine years of experience publishing news analysis, research and financial product development. Connect with him via Twitter or Linkedin or YouTube. Pattabiraman has co-authored three print books: (1) You can be rich too with goal-based investing (CNBC TV18) for DIY investors. (2) Gamechanger for young earners. (3) Chinchu Gets a Superpower! for kids. He has also written seven other free e-books on various money management topics. He is a patron and co-founder of “Fee-only India,” an organisation for promoting unbiased, commission-free investment advice.
Use our Robo-advisory Excel Template for a start-to-finish financial plan! Now with a new demo video! ⇐ More than 1000 investors and advisors use this!
Our flagship course! Learn to manage your portfolio like a pro to achieve your goals regardless of market conditions! ⇐ More than 2800 investors and advisors are part of our exclusive community! Get clarity on how to plan for your goals and achieve the necessary corpus no matter what the market condition is!! Watch the first lecture for free! One-time payment! No recurring fees! Life-long access to videos! Reduce fear, uncertainty and doubt while investing! Learn how to plan for your goals before and after retirement with confidence.
Our new course! Increase your income by getting people to pay for your skills! ⇐ More than 675 salaried employees, entrepreneurs and financial advisors are part of our exclusive community! Learn how to get people to pay for your skills! Whether you are a professional or small business owner who wants more clients via online visibility or a salaried person wanting a side income or passive income, we will show you how to achieve this by showcasing your skills and building a community that trusts you and pays you! (watch 1st lecture for free). One-time payment! No recurring fees! Life-long access to videos!
My new book for kids: “Chinchu gets a superpower!” is now available!
Most investor problems can be traced to a lack of informed decision making. We have all made bad decisions and money mistakes when we started earning and spent years undoing these mistakes. Why should our children go through the same pain? What is this book about? As parents, if we had to groom one ability in our children that is key not only to money management and investing but for any aspect of life, what would it be? My answer: Sound Decision Making. So in this book, we meet Chinchu, who is about to turn 10. What he wants for his birthday and how his parent’s plan for it and teach him several key ideas of decision making and money management is the narrative. What readers say!
Must-read book even for adults! This is something that every parent should teach their kids right from their young age. The importance of money management and decision making based on their wants and needs. Very nicely written in simple terms. – Arun.
Buy the book: Chinchu gets a superpower for your child!
How to profit from content writing: Our new ebook for those interested in getting side income via content writing. It is available at a 50% discount for Rs. 500 only!
Want to check if the market is overvalued or undervalued? Use our market valuation tool (will work with any index!), or you buy the new Tactical Buy/Sell timing tool!
We publish mutual fund screeners and momentum, low volatility stock screeners .every month.
About freefincal & its content policy Freefincal is a News Media Organization dedicated to providing original analysis, reports, reviews and insights on developments in mutual funds, stocks, investing, retirement and personal finance. We do so without conflict of interest and bias. Follow us on Google News. Freefincal serves more than three million readers a year (5 million page views) with articles based only on factual information and detailed analysis by its authors. All statements made will be verified from credible and knowledgeable sources before publication. Freefincal does not publish any paid articles, promotions, PR, satire or opinions without data. All opinions presented will only be inferences backed by verifiable, reproducible evidence/data. Contact information: letters {at} freefincal {dot} com (sponsored posts or paid collaborations will not be entertained)
Connect with us on social media
Our publications
You Can Be Rich Too with Goal-Based Investing
Published by CNBC TV18, this book is meant to help you ask the right questions, seek the correct answers, and since it comes with nine online calculators, you can also create custom solutions for your lifestyle! Get it now. It is also available in Kindle format.
Gamechanger: Forget Startups, Join Corporate & Still Live the Rich Life You Want
This book is meant for young earners to get their basics right from day one! It will also help you travel to exotic places at a low cost! Get it or gift it to a young earner.
Your Ultimate Guide to Travel
This is an in-depth dive analysis into vacation planning, finding cheap flights, budget accommodation, what to do when travelling, how travelling slowly is better financially and psychologically with links to the web pages and hand-holding at every step. Get the pdf for Rs 199 (instant download)
Free android apps
