Tips and tricks for easy money management

For e.g., in Mar ’20 when markets corrected sharply, there were so many investors who exited equities just because of the prevailing negative sentiment, ignoring the fact that valuations were in fact becoming more attractive, thereby actually warranting increasing allocation.

Stick to your asset allocation – If there is one principle of investing which is least appreciated, it is this! In the example discussed above, if one would have maintained the pre-decided asset allocation, the weight to equities would have automatically been enhanced – which, as we would realise now, would have been a very appropriate portfolio decision. Similarly, not exercising profit-booking is again an error, which leaves us with a sour taste, when we do not see notional-profit not becoming real-profit and those getting eroded when market direction reverses.

Do not try timing the market – The joy of entering at bottom and exiting at peak of market has no parallels for an investor. However, if there is one word which can describe that – its mirage. Let’s again ask – how many investors put money at the bottom of market in March? Or even in vicinity of a week? Typically, courage evaporates when opportunity arises. So, it is a completely futile exercise trying doing that.

Focus on variables which you can control –A very hot topic of discussion these days is - will FII inflows continue? What will RBI do in next monetary policy? Will the next budget be good for markets? However hard we may try to answer all these questions, unfortunately it will be nothing beyond crystal ball gazing. And still, we spend lot of time and effort doing that – sigh! Our investment decisions should be based purely on what we can control viz. sticking to asset allocation and choosing the right products per our risk appetite.

Do not become a fund manager yourself – There are many people who at the slightest illness rush to take professional advice of a doctor. However, when it comes to the world of investments, they seem to believe that they know-it-all! For e.g.,given the recent rally, we think we know - which stock will be the next multi-bagger or which sector will lead the next leg of rally. Stephen Hawking said – “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge”. Do not forget it is your hard-earned money. Seek professional advice and make more informed and well-researched decisions – an important ingredient for a good recipe.