Not every race is worth running — in life or in money.
A childhood car ride taught Harsh a lesson he didn’t fully understand until much later in life.
In Harsh’ latest Truth Be Told column for Business Standard, he reflect on how the urge to compete — especially in financial matters — can quietly pull us off course.
This isn’t just about investing. It’s about resisting pressure, staying the course, and focusing on your own destination.
Read the above article in text format below: As I approach the evening of my life, one troubling image often keeps me awake. In August 2016, my father suffered a massive stroke. It left him
Allow advance power of attorney for mentally incapacitated Read More »
A friend recently found himself facing court summons for an EPF default that happened 15 years ago—long after the problem was resolved. Another, a high-earning professional, is stuck contributing to EPF even though he no longer wants to, losing out on better investment options.
Why? Because once you’re inside the EPF Chakravyuh, there’s no way out. Meanwhile, NPS offers flexibility, investment choice to employees and no criminal liabilities for employers —but employees and employers alike are denied a real choice.
Truth be told, the system needs urgent reform. But will it ever change?
📖 Read the full article (4 minute read) in Business Standard to see why the rigidity of the EPF system affects every employer and employee and the employment generating potential of India itself.
🔍 Give retirees a choice?
Prakash, a retiree is being forced into a “guaranteed” but low return annuity plan. After taking calculated risks by partly investing in equity and building a Rs. 1 crore retirement corpus in NPS, he is forced into a low-return “guaranteed” pension that cant beat inflation. What if he had a choice? Globally, retirees can pick variable pension payout products (PPPs). In India? No choice.
Why are we treating retirees like children who need financial babysitting? Mutual Fund investors have already understood that “Guaranteed” equals “Low returns” and have reaped the benefits from taking calculated risks through equity. It’s time retirees got the same choice.
📖 Harsh’s “Truth be told” column in Business Standard.
The big bang announcement on tax breaks overshadowed other important announcements like the launch of revamped CKYC 2.0 . That could be the UPI moment for the financial sector as financial inclusion and access to financial products will become easier. The move to activate the moribund annuities market is much needed as the absolute number of senior citizens are quite high in the country. The new tax bill to be introduced next week promises ” Nyaya” to the tax payers. Whether it actually delivers on the promise remains to be seen. Harsh’s take on Budget2025 published in the Business Standard.
India’s succession process is broken. Most of us have faced issues in dealing with transfer of assets of a deceased investor. Succession remains an obstacle course across all asset classes with real estate and agricultural land being the worst even in cases where there are no disputes. SEBI’s recent circular categorically stating that the MFs or Depositories can only ask for death certificate and KYC documents from the nominees apart from the standardised transmission form (and nothing else) should do much to ease the process of succession in the securities market. The government has a great opportunity to take the ease of living index up many notches by ensuring changes in laws and procedures that will make the succession process easier across the financial sector and possibly even the real estate sector. It requires no budgetary support just the will to act. Will we see action on this front soon?
“FD can give better returns over a 10 year period than stock markets”. That was the shocking statement that triggered this article in Business Standard more so because is true 5% of the time (95% of the time stock markets beat fixed deposits over 10 years). Clients often struggle to embrace rolling returns, which offer a clearer picture than misleading point-to-point comparisons. Mark Twain’s words on ‘lies, damned lies, and statistics’ resonate when cherry-picking exceptional periods like the rare 10 year period where FDs beat the stock market—ignoring that 95% of the time, stocks outperform FDs. Investors reading this please remember this when your advisor is asking you to exit a fund which has given good point to point returns but has poor rolling returns compared to its benchmark and peers.
Rely on rolling returns, not point to point data Read More »
The New Product (earlier called New Asset Class) approved by SEBI Board, is excellent for investors comfortable with high risk investments. It will also allow Long short strategies and is designed to wean investors away from unregulated products. Whilst the New Product will do that, the operational ease and tax benefits of the MF structure will most probably also result in the New Product eating into the existing Rs. 2 lakh crore PMS market. If the fund manager is offering a choice to the investor between the two , there is no doubt the investor will choose the New Product.
Sebi´s new product: MF´s efficiency, PMS´ control Read More »
Momentum funds have become the flavour of the season with their outsized “extra” returns over the already high returns provided by the market over the last one year. Harsh’s article in the Business Standard highlighting how they are not the absolute certainty they are made out to be. There is a need to take a conscious decision on the tradeoffs involved while evaluating investments in such factor funds.
Evaluate funds on rolling returns over long term Read More »
Is it a good idea for a financial plan to consider the inheritance that is likely to be received maybe decades later? Would parents be comfortable discussing these issues with their children? In this article Harsh write about Rekha who was able to follow her passion for starting a non-conventional business because she figured her goal for a retirement home could be taken care of from the inheritance from her parents. She had mixed feelings about the decision as family situations and circumstances are dynamic and complex. Did she take the correct decision? Your views are most welcome…
