From TV Inventory Tricks to Index Funds: My Investing Journey


On this version of the reader story, we now have a private monetary audit in three components. (1) A reader’s investing journey and the way his pondering advanced, (2) a factual audit of his present monetary place, and (3) how he’s approaching the street forward.

About this sequence: I’m grateful to readers for sharing intimate particulars about their monetary lives, which advantages us all. A number of the earlier editions are linked on the backside of this text. It’s also possible to entry the total reader story archive.

Opinions expressed in reader tales don’t essentially symbolize the views of freefincal or its editors. We should recognize a number of options to the cash administration puzzle and empathise with numerous views. Articles are usually not checked for grammar until it’s essential to convey the correct that means and protect the tone and feelings of the writers.

If you need to contribute to the DIY group on this method, ship your audits to freefincal AT Gmail dot com. You may publish them anonymously if you want.

My publicity to markets started by chance round 2010–11, after I was nonetheless in my ultimate 12 months of commencement. At the moment, my tv habits had been easy—cartoons and information. Someday, whereas browsing channels, I landed on a enterprise information channel airing a inventory market present.

There was an anchor, a visitor launched as a market knowledgeable, and callers searching for recommendation. The knowledgeable was confidently telling callers which shares to purchase, which to promote, and which to carry. He spoke with certainty and authority. I used to be in awe. I keep in mind pondering, persons are being advised precisely learn how to earn a living.

I began watching that present often. It turned my favorite program on tv. I genuinely believed that these specialists knew what they had been doing and that, sometime, I too may gain advantage from this “data”.

My household, particularly my mom, was uncomfortable with this. She would inform me to not watch this “satta bazaar”—a playing den, as she noticed it. In accordance with her, the inventory market was not meant for individuals like us. I brushed this off. I assumed she merely didn’t perceive trendy investing.

Then someday, one thing occurred that stayed with me.

A caller requested for recommendation on a inventory that was in loss. The knowledgeable calmly recommended promoting it. The caller responded angrily: “It was you who advised me to purchase this inventory on this very present. Now that it’s not performing, you’re telling me to promote?” The knowledgeable replied that the inventory may nonetheless do effectively if held for one or two years.

That alternate hit me onerous.

Till then, I had believed that specialists had readability, if not certainty. That second made me realise that recommendation may change, narratives may shift, and accountability was lacking. At that very second, I advised myself one thing fairly excessive: I’ll by no means purchase a inventory immediately. To today, I should not have a demat account.

Quickly after, I found related exhibits targeted on mutual funds. The format was similar—anchor, knowledgeable, callers—however mutual funds felt safer, extra respectable, and extra appropriate for somebody like me. These exhibits talked endlessly about returns, and that turned the one factor that caught with me. Mutual funds, I believed, had been a wiser, extra mature model of inventory investing.

I graduated in 2012 and began working in 2013. I needed to put money into mutual funds, however I had no thought how. In 2014, a buddy advised me to carry a clean cheque and copies of my PAN and Aadhaar. He took me to an individual who, he stated, would “do every little thing”.

I requested a fundamental query: Which mutual fund ought to I put money into?
The reply was easy: a small-cap fund and an infrastructure fund—as a result of they had been giving good returns.

That was sufficient for me.

Over the subsequent 5 years, I skilled my first actual investing feelings. The small-cap fund would rise sharply, then fall simply as sharply. When it went up, I felt good. When it went down, I felt anxious. The infrastructure fund barely moved and delivered low, single-digit returns. I didn’t perceive why. I didn’t know why one fund was unstable, and one other was stagnant. Nonetheless, I felt some satisfaction that I used to be a minimum of “investing”.

As my earnings elevated, I added extra funds—an ELSS fund and a mid-cap fund in 2018—once more based mostly on knowledgeable suggestions from tv and YouTube. Virtually instantly after beginning these SIPs, returns started to fall.

Watching NAVs go down day after day was deeply unsettling. I didn’t know what was flawed. I didn’t know whether or not this was regular. I saved telling myself to be affected person, however inside I used to be pissed off and confused.

What angered me probably the most was seeing the identical specialists who had really helpful these funds later advising others on tv to promote them. When callers confronted them—simply as that inventory investor had years earlier—the solutions had been imprecise: you’ll be able to promote, you’ll be able to maintain, you’ll be able to swap. None of it helped me resolve what I ought to do. In the meantime, bills had been being charged no matter efficiency.

That frustration pushed me to study by myself. I found TERs, the excellence between common and direct plans, and the function of mutual fund distributors. I realised that each one my investments had been in common plans and that I used to be paying larger prices with out receiving any actual steering. I felt cheated—extra by my very own ignorance than by anybody else.

I finished investing via distributors and began SIPs immediately in two large-cap funds and one multi-cap fund. I felt relieved—lastly, I used to be “doing it myself”.

However this solely added to the confusion. I now have seven funds throughout classes: small-cap, infrastructure, ELSS, mid-cap, large-cap, and multi-cap. Regardless of investing for years, my feelings had been nonetheless tied to short-term returns. A couple of months of unfavorable efficiency would trouble me disproportionately. I nonetheless had no actual understanding of asset allocation or long-term threat.

Index funds had been talked about sometimes, however nearly at all times dismissed as inferior—one thing for inexperienced persons or individuals keen to accept decrease returns. I absorbed that messaging and stayed away from them.

Every part got here to a head in 2020.

In the course of the COVID crash, my complete portfolio turned purple. On the similar time, I began listening to about diversification formulation like 60–30–10 (flexi/massive–mid–small). For the primary time, diversification felt like a rule reasonably than a hope. This construction gave me consolation. I satisfied myself that if I simply chosen the best-performing lively funds in every class and maintained this ratio, I’d be secure.

I even determined that, beginning in 2021, I’d clear up my portfolio and implement this plan. I genuinely felt I had lastly figured issues out.

Round this time, I heard Subra say one thing that made me uncomfortable. He remarked that when he seems on tv, individuals ask what to do about fairness investments which have given unfavorable returns during the last six months. His response was blunt: equities are meant for many years, not months.

I realised with some embarrassment that I used to be precisely that individual.

I used to be calling myself a long-term investor, however emotionally reacting to each fall. That contradiction compelled me to cease and replicate. For the primary time, I began pondering significantly about retirement and long-term targets, reasonably than simply returns and recoveries.

Quickly after, I learn a private finance audit by Avadhoot Joshi on Freefincal, which led me to the Asan Concepts for Wealth (AIFW) group.

This modified every little thing.

The conversations there weren’t about beating the index or discovering the subsequent high fund. They had been about targets, asset allocation, threat, and—most significantly—behaviour. I realised that the majority of my stress through the years had come not from low returns, however from not having a framework I may emotionally stay with.

Index funds, which I had as soon as dismissed, now made sense. Not as a result of they promised larger returns, however as a result of they lowered decision-making, remorse, and self-doubt. They allowed me to remain invested with out always questioning myself.

My selection to stay with index funds will not be ideological. It’s private. I do know myself effectively sufficient to confess that I can’t persistently decide successful lively funds or keep on with them via lengthy intervals of underperformance. I’ve lived that cycle already.

My objective is straightforward: attain an outlined monetary goal in a given time-frame with as little emotional turmoil as potential. Index funds assist me try this. Others might select lively funds, and that’s completely advantageous.

This journey taught me one uncomfortable however liberating lesson: I alone am answerable for my monetary outcomes. Index funds are the instrument I’ve chosen, totally conscious of their limitations. I’ve chosen this path intentionally, and I don’t intend to return to lively funds.

PART 2: The Precise Private Finance Audit

Are the Fundamentals Coated?

One of many first questions repeatedly requested within the Asan Concepts for Wealth (AIFW) group by Ashal Jauhari is:

“Are the fundamentals lined?”

Earlier than discussing asset allocation, mutual funds, or returns, this query forces a verify on monetary survivability. Over time, I’ve realised that with out these fundamentals in place, any dialogue about investing stays fragile. Utilizing this framework, I’m itemizing my present monetary place under, with out trying to optimise or defend any selections.

  1. Time period Insurance coverage
  • Present cowl: ₹2 crore time period insurance coverage from Max Life
    (Initially ₹1 crore; elevated by a further ₹1 crore as earnings grew)
  • Revenue a number of lined: Roughly consistent with the generally recommended fundamental vary of 15–20× annual earnings
  • Considerations/gaps:
    Whereas the duvet broadly meets the fundamental guideline, it could nonetheless want reassessment over time, contemplating inflation, remaining working years, and future tasks.
  1. Well being Insurance coverage
  • Private medical insurance:
    • ₹10 lakh base coverage + ₹90 lakh tremendous top-up with Tata AIG
    • Coverage taken via Neeraj Okay (AIFW reference)
  • Employer medical insurance: ₹6 lakh
  • Recognized exclusions or worries: None recognized as of now

This setup supplies excessive protection unbiased of employment and doesn’t rely solely on the employer coverage.

  1. Emergency Fund
  • Common month-to-month bills: Equal of ~3 months
  • Emergency corpus obtainable: Sure
  • Months of bills lined: ~3 months
  • Parking of funds:
    • SBI MOD account
    • Arbitrage fund
    • A small SIP in a liquid fund began a couple of years in the past to partially handle the lack of buying energy

The present emergency fund supplies short-term consolation however doesn’t but meet the extra conservative 12-months-of-expenses guideline.

  1. Targets Recognized
  • Retirement:
    • Goal age: 60
    • Years away: ~25 years
  • Different main targets: None recognized at this stage

At current, retirement is the one clearly outlined long-term monetary objective.

Property, Asset Allocation, and Present Place

(December 2025 snapshot)

For consistency and long-term monitoring, the retirement corpus is outlined upfront as X, and progress is measured relative to this goal.

  • Present progress: ~5.3% of the focused retirement corpus (X)

Absolute numbers are deliberately averted to maintain the deal with construction and progress reasonably than scale.

Progress towards the focused retirement corpus (X)

Reader's Progress toward the targeted retirement corpus (X)
Reader’s Progress towards the focused retirement corpus (X)

This chart tracks progress relative to the outlined retirement objective and is used solely as a directional indicator, not as a measure of short-term efficiency.

General Asset Allocation (%)

  • Fairness: 60.48%
  • Debt / Stability: 39.52%
Reader's Asset allocation over time (Equity vs Debt)
Reader’s Asset allocation over time (Fairness vs Debt)

Fairness Allocation (% of Fairness)

  • Nifty 50 Index Fund: 88.84%
  • Different Fairness Mutual Funds: 4.70%
  • NPS (Fairness element): 6.46%

The fairness portion is deliberately concentrated round a broad-market index.
The allocation to different fairness mutual funds represents legacy investments from an earlier part of my investing journey. Most of this publicity has already been withdrawn over time, with proceeds both reinvested or redeployed elsewhere. Going ahead, this allocation is predicted to cut back to zero, as no recent investments are deliberate in lively fairness funds.

Debt / Stability Allocation (% of Debt)

  • EPF: 50.39%
  • PPF: 11.79%
  • NPS (Debt element): 37.18%
  • Gold (SGB): 0.63%

Debt allocation is dominated by long-term, retirement-oriented devices, leading to comparatively low liquidity however excessive predictability.

Context on EPF, PPF, and NPS Contributions

The presence of EPF, PPF, and NPS within the portfolio is basically the results of earlier tax-driven selections, made earlier than I used to be launched to AIFW-style goal-based planning.

  • PPF and NPS had been initially began primarily for tax financial savings underneath the outdated tax regime.
  • With the transition to the brand new tax regime, I used to be successfully locked into these devices.
  • Subsequently, my particular person NPS was transformed into a company NPS, and all superannuation advantages had been transferred to this account.
  • Consequently, my employer now contributes to each EPF and NPS on an ongoing foundation.
  • PPF contributions are at the moment saved at a minimal stage, primarily to maintain the account lively reasonably than as a core accumulation car.

This explains why a good portion of the debt allocation is concentrated in EPF and NPS, regardless that recent voluntary contributions are restricted.

Portfolio Allocation (% of Whole Portfolio)

  • Nifty 50 Index Fund: 53.73%
  • Different Fairness Mutual Funds: 2.84%
  • EPF: 19.91%
  • PPF: 4.66%
  • NPS (Fairness + Debt mixed): 18.60%
  • Gold (SGB): 0.25%

NPS is primarily used as a structural instrument to appropriate asset allocation at any time when the meant fairness–debt stability (60:40) will get disturbed. This strategy is predicated on an thought I got here throughout in a tweet by Swapnil Kendhe, the place NPS contributions are used flexibly to tilt the portfolio again towards the specified allocation reasonably than as a return-maximising instrument.

Liabilities

  • Residence mortgage: No
  • Different loans: No

There are at the moment no excellent liabilities.

Adjustments In the course of the Final Yr

Over the past 12 months, there was no main structural change within the portfolio.

Fairness publicity has elevated progressively and organically, primarily via ongoing investments reasonably than deliberate rebalancing or tactical selections. The general asset allocation framework and funding decisions have remained unchanged.

This stability displays a aware resolution to prioritise consistency over frequent changes.

Closing Observe

This audit captures my monetary place as of December 2025. The portfolio is deliberately easy, largely index-driven on the fairness aspect, and anchored by long-term retirement devices on the debt aspect. Whereas sure gaps stay—most notably the scale of the emergency fund—they’re recognized and acknowledged.

At this stage, the main focus is on behaviour, consistency, and survivability, not optimisation.

PART 3: The Highway Forward

How I Suppose Concerning the Subsequent Part

This ultimate part will not be about predictions or ensures. It displays how my pondering continues to evolve, based mostly on what I’ve already skilled and what I’m snug dwelling with over the long run.

  1. Emergency Fund: Consolation as a Lump Sum, Not a Method

I don’t take into consideration my emergency fund by way of “months of wage” or “months of bills”. As an alternative, I’m extra snug defining it as a lump-sum buffer that gives each sensible and psychological consolation.

Reasonably than chasing a formula-driven goal, my strategy is to construct a standalone emergency corpus that feels ample for surprising conditions. To assist this, I’ve began a SIP in a liquid fund earmarked particularly for this goal and to mitigate the lack of buying energy, as mentioned earlier.

This permits the emergency buffer to construct progressively and independently, with out forcing abrupt modifications or drawing from long-term investments.

  1. Index Funds: A Acutely aware and Ultimate Selection

My choice for index funds is a deliberate and settled selection, formed by expertise reasonably than comparability. I don’t intend to return to actively managed mutual funds.

Index funds enable me to stay invested with out fixed analysis, fund switching, or second-guessing. Going ahead, my fairness investments will more and more transfer towards broader market indices, comparable to:

  • Nifty 100
  • Nifty 500
  • or a Nifty Whole Market index

The intent is to personal the market extra broadly reasonably than concentrating solely on the most important shares. As my portfolio reaches a sure measurement (X), I plan to cease incremental investments within the Nifty 50 and direct new fairness contributions towards a broader illustration of the Indian fairness market.

This transition will probably be gradual and pushed by portfolio scale, not market circumstances.

  1. Worldwide Fairness

At current, worldwide mutual fund investments are constrained resulting from regulatory limits. As soon as these limits are lifted, I want to discover allocating a portion of my fairness publicity to worldwide markets.

I’ve intentionally not fastened a share for this allocation. The choice will probably be taken when the choice turns into virtually obtainable, based mostly on simplicity of execution and general portfolio context at the moment.

  1. Asset Allocation and Rebalancing: Flexibility in Instruments

Presently, asset allocation corrections are largely dealt with via NPS contributions, and this works for me in the present day.

Nonetheless, I recognise that this feature might not at all times stay obtainable or versatile. If that occurs, I’m snug utilizing arbitrage funds as a substitute instrument for rebalancing between fairness and debt, reasonably than disturbing long-term holdings or reacting to short-term actions.

Whereas the instruments used for rebalancing might change, the intent stays the identical:
Keep the chosen asset allocation with minimal complexity and intervention.

  1. On Uneven Contributions and Life Occasions

Till a couple of years in the past, my contributions had been largely common. Throughout a part of serious private change, nevertheless, contributions turned uneven and, at occasions, paused altogether.

Reasonably than viewing this as a failure of self-discipline, I now see it as an vital lesson: long-term investing has to coexist with life occasions, not compete with them. Throughout this era, the main focus shifted from maximising contributions to easily preserving the present construction and avoiding reactive selections.

This expertise strengthened my perception {that a} sustainable monetary system is one that may take in interruptions with out breaking.

Closing Ideas

Over time, my focus has shifted away from chasing returns or monitoring XIRR. I truthfully don’t keep in mind after I final checked them.

What issues to me now could be regular progress towards a clearly outlined goal (X). So long as I’m transferring in that route, I’m snug letting the method play out with out fixed measurement or comparability.

This audit displays the place I stand in the present day, with the understanding that future selections will probably be guided by readability, simplicity, and consistency reasonably than efficiency noise.

Reader tales revealed earlier:

As common readers might know, we publish a private monetary audit every December – that is the 2024 version: Portfolio Audit 2024: The Annual Evaluation of My Aim-Primarily based Investments. We requested common readers to share how they overview their investments and monitor monetary targets.

These revealed audits have had a compounding impact on readers. If you need to contribute to the DIY group on this method, ship your audits to freefincal AT Gmail. It’s also possible to publish them anonymously.

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Pattabiraman editor freefincalDr M. Pattabiraman (PhD) is the founder, managing editor and first writer of freefincal. He’s an affiliate professor on the Indian Institute of Know-how, Madras. He has over 13 years of expertise publishing information evaluation, analysis and monetary product growth. Join with him by way of Twitter(X), LinkedIn, or YouTube. Pattabiraman has co-authored three print books: (1) You might be wealthy too with goal-based investing (CNBC TV18) for DIY buyers. (2) Gamechanger for younger earners. (3) Chinchu Will get a Superpower! for teenagers. He has additionally written seven different free e-books on numerous cash administration subjects. He’s a patron and co-founder of “Price-only India,” an organisation selling unbiased, commission-free, AUM-independent funding recommendation.


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