Blog
What the numbers said — fund returns and costs, foreign and domestic flows, index valuations, gold and silver — plus tax, retirement and personal-finance basics, written from the same data the rest of this site shows, with the date on every figure.
Rule of 114 and 144: how long to triple or quadruple money
01 Nov 2026
The rule of 72 doubles money. 114 gives tripling and 144 gives quadrupling. Checked against exact figures at 6%, 8%, 10% and 12%, with the limits of each.
Investing StrategyPersonal Finance
Volatility drag: why +20% then -20% leaves you 4% down
01 Nov 2026
An average return of 0% can still lose money. The arithmetic of volatility drag, why a smoother fund compounds better, and how to read it on a fund page.
Investing StrategyFund Returns
What a fixed ₹50,000 a month buys after 10, 20 and 30 years
01 Nov 2026
A fixed monthly income loses buying power every year. At 5% and 6% inflation, ₹50,000 buys what ₹30,696 or ₹27,920 does after ten years.
RetirementPersonal FinanceA 50% fall needs a 100% gain: the recovery arithmetic
31 Oct 2026
A 10% fall needs an 11.1% rise to recover; 30% needs 42.9%; 50% needs 100%. The table, and why deep falls take years to undo.
Investing StrategyFund Returns
A SIP in a fund that ends where it started
31 Oct 2026
A fund's NAV goes 10, 8, 5, 8, 10. A lump sum earns nothing; a ₹5,000 monthly SIP earns 30%. The worked example, and where it fails.
Investing Strategy
Alpha and beta explained with two funds that both made 13%
31 Oct 2026
Two funds return 13%. With beta 0.9 the first earns alpha of 1.55%; with beta 1.2 the second earns about zero. The formula, step by step.
Investing StrategyFund ReturnsCAGR vs absolute return: 100% in 5 years is 14.9% a year
31 Oct 2026
A fund that doubles in 5 years returned 100% in absolute terms but 14.9% a year. How to convert between the two, with worked examples.
Fund ReturnsHow-To Guides
Monthly, quarterly or yearly compounding: does it matter?
31 Oct 2026
At 8% a year, ₹1 lakh grows to ₹2.16 lakh with annual compounding and ₹2.22 lakh with monthly compounding over 10 years.
Personal FinanceInvesting Strategy
Credit card interest: what 3.5% a month really costs
31 Oct 2026
A 3.5% monthly rate is 42% a year before compounding and about 51% with it. Why paying only the minimum due barely reduces the balance.
Personal FinanceELSS lock-in: each SIP instalment has its own 3 years
31 Oct 2026
An ELSS lock-in runs three years from each purchase date, so a monthly SIP unlocks one instalment at a time. The schedule, and what it means for exits.
TaxInvesting Strategy
How many mutual funds should you own? Roles, not a number
31 Oct 2026
Three to five funds cover most investors: a core equity fund, an optional mid or small cap, a debt fund and gold. Why a 12-fund list adds overlap, not safety.
Investing StrategyHow-To Guides
Large, mid, small cap: the SEBI rank-100 and 250 rule
31 Oct 2026
SEBI defines large caps as the top 100 companies by market value, mid caps as 101-250 and small caps as 251 onward. How funds use the list.
Investing StrategyPortfolio Holdings
Match the fund to the goal date: three time buckets
31 Oct 2026
Money needed in under 3 years, 3 to 7 years and beyond 7 years suits different kinds of funds. A worked example with three goals.
Investing StrategyPersonal FinanceMutual fund stamp duty: 0.005% on purchases, in rupees
31 Oct 2026
Since July 2020, buying fund units costs 0.005% stamp duty: ₹0.50 on a ₹10,000 SIP, ₹50 on ₹10 lakh. Where it shows up, and how it compares with the TER.
Costs & FeesHow-To Guides
Percent, percentage points and basis points explained
31 Oct 2026
A return falling from 12% to 9% is a 3 percentage point drop but a 25% relative fall. Read rate-cut and expense-ratio headlines correctly.
How-To GuidesPersonal FinanceReal return: what 7% really earns after inflation and tax
31 Oct 2026
A 7% FD at 6% inflation earns 0.94% in real terms, and about -1% after 30% tax. The formula, a 10-year table, and what it means for equity.
Investing StrategyPersonal Finance
Retirement corpus at 3%, 4% and 5% withdrawal rates
31 Oct 2026
To fund ₹50,000 a month, a 3% withdrawal rate needs ₹2 crore, 4% needs ₹1.5 crore and 5% needs ₹1.2 crore. What the rate really means.
RetirementInvesting Strategy
Sequence of returns: same average, different outcome
31 Oct 2026
Two portfolios with identical yearly returns in a different order: ₹62.4 lakh left against ₹70.4 lakh once you withdraw ₹10 lakh a year.
RetirementInvesting Strategy
Investing at an all-time high: the cost of waiting for a dip
31 Oct 2026
Waiting two years in a 6% FD while equity earns 12% means the dip you want must be 10.4% deep just to break even. The arithmetic, and a safer way to enter.
Investing StrategySimple vs compound interest: ₹1 lakh over 30 years
31 Oct 2026
At 8% a year, ₹1 lakh becomes ₹3.40 lakh with simple interest and ₹10.06 lakh with compound interest over 30 years.
Investing StrategyPersonal Finance