Every metric on this site, explained simply
47 terms — what each number means, how to read it, and what it doesn’t tell you. For the formula behind any of them, see Methodology.
Returns
What the fund made, and over what stretch of time.
- Absolute return
Plain point-to-point growth over a period under a year, not annualized.
Used for the 1M, 3M, 6M and YTD figures. A +9% six-month return is +9% for six months — stretching it to an annual rate would imply the next six months repeat it, which nothing here claims.
- CAGRalso: Compound Annual Growth Rate
The steady yearly rate that would have taken the start NAV to the end NAV.
Used for every period of a year or more (1Y, 3Y, 5Y, 10Y, since inception). It smooths the path away: two funds with the same 5Y CAGR can have had wildly different rides, which is what the risk figures are for.
How do mutual funds actually make money? →
The magic of compounding: why starting early beats starting big →
Absolute, CAGR, XIRR: which return are you looking at? →
Rolling returns, and the start date that flatters a fund →
- YTDalso: Year to date
Return from 1 January of the current calendar year to the latest NAV.
A moving window — in January it covers days, in December almost a year — so comparing YTD across funds is fair, but comparing it to a 1Y figure is not.
- Rolling returns
The same holding period measured from every possible start date, not just today's.
A 3Y rolling series answers "what did a three-year holding usually earn?" instead of "what did the one three-year window ending today earn?". The average, best, worst and share of positive periods are the useful part: a fund whose worst 5Y window is still positive behaved very differently from one whose worst was −20%.
- Since inception
Annualized return over the fund's whole available NAV history.
For Direct plans this starts 1 January 2013, when Direct plans were introduced — not the scheme's original launch, which may be far older. The fund page shows the first date we hold NAV for.
- XIRR
The annualized return of a series of cash flows on different dates.
The right measure for a SIP or a real portfolio, where money went in at many prices. CAGR assumes one lump sum invested once; XIRR weights each instalment by how long it was actually invested.
Absolute, CAGR, XIRR: which return are you looking at? →
Recency bias: why investors keep buying at the top →
- Benchmark
The market index a fund's mandate says it is trying to beat.
Every benchmark-relative statistic on this site is computed against the closest matching price index for the fund's category. Debt, arbitrage and cash-like funds get no equity benchmark ratios — measuring them against an equity index would be noise, so those tiles are left off rather than filled.
Active vs passive: can a human beat the market? →
How to read a mutual fund factsheet like a pro →
Index funds and ETFs: low-cost passive investing explained →
Handling underperformance: when to stay and when to exit →
Decoding alpha and beta: manager skill versus market risk →
Rolling returns, and the start date that flatters a fund →
Tracking error and standard deviation in passive funds →
Contra funds: betting against the crowd, and what being early costs →
Risk
How rough the ride was — the half of the story a return number hides.
- Standard deviationalso: Volatility
How much daily returns scatter around their average, annualized. Trailing 3 years.
Higher means bigger swings in both directions. It is a decent proxy for how uncomfortable a fund is to hold, and a poor one for how much you can lose — for that, read max drawdown.
Can you lose money in mutual funds? Understanding market risk →
How to read a mutual fund factsheet like a pro →
Demystifying the riskometer: how to read SEBI’s risk levels →
Sharpe and Sortino: measuring risk-adjusted returns →
Tracking error and standard deviation in passive funds →
Debt and gold as shock absorbers: hedging an equity portfolio →
Loss aversion: why a fall hurts twice as much as a rise helps →
Elections and politics: what markets actually do →
Wars, Fed rates and oil: how global macro reaches your fund →
- Maximum drawdownalso: Max DD
The largest peak-to-trough fall the fund has ever had, over its full history.
The worst it got, measured from a high-water mark to the low that followed. Unlike the other risk figures this one is all-time, not trailing 3Y — a fund launched after 2020 has never met a real crash, and its shallow drawdown says more about its age than its safety.
Active vs passive: can a human beat the market? →
Can you lose money in mutual funds? Understanding market risk →
Demystifying the riskometer: how to read SEBI’s risk levels →
Flexi cap vs multi cap: which strategy offers better flexibility? →
Hybrid and balanced advantage funds: the ultimate stress-free ride? →
Index funds and ETFs: low-cost passive investing explained →
Sectoral and thematic funds: high risk, high reward — or just hype? →
The art of asset allocation: it decides more than fund selection ever will →
Goal-based investing: mapping dreams to specific buckets →
Handling underperformance: when to stay and when to exit →
Decoding alpha and beta: manager skill versus market risk →
Sharpe and Sortino: measuring risk-adjusted returns →
Factor investing and smart beta: beyond market-cap weighting →
The psychology of a market crash: behavioural finance that survives contact →
Micro-cap funds: the riskiest edge of Indian equity →
Infrastructure and PSU funds: riding the government capex cycle →
Banking and financial services funds: doubling a bet you already hold →
Debt and gold as shock absorbers: hedging an equity portfolio →
Sequence-of-returns risk: why the order of returns decides retirement →
Loss aversion: why a fall hurts twice as much as a rise helps →
- Sortino ratio
Like Sharpe, but only downside moves count as risk.
Sharpe penalizes a fund for jumping upwards; Sortino doesn't. When Sortino is much higher than Sharpe, the fund's volatility is mostly good volatility.
Sharpe and Sortino: measuring risk-adjusted returns →
Treynor and information ratio: advanced tools for comparing funds →
- Riskometer
A six-step risk label from Low to Very High, in SEBI's format.
SEBI requires every scheme to publish one. The badge here is our own estimate from the fund's category and measured volatility, not a scrape of the AMC's label, so treat it as a comparable ranking rather than the official disclosure — that lives in the scheme's own factsheet.
Can you lose money in mutual funds? Understanding market risk →
Demystifying the riskometer: how to read SEBI’s risk levels →
Debt funds explained: duration risk and credit risk are not the same thing →
Sharpe and Sortino: measuring risk-adjusted returns →
Credit risk and yield-to-maturity in debt funds →
Micro-cap funds: the riskiest edge of Indian equity →
Dynamic bond funds: letting a manager call the interest-rate cycle →
The emergency fund: where liquid funds fit, and where they don't →
Benchmark-relative
How the fund behaved against its index. All computed from 36 monthly returns, so a fund needs about three years of history to show any of them.
- Alphaalso: Jensen's alpha
Annualized return above what the fund's market exposure alone would predict.
Positive alpha is the manager adding something the index didn't hand them. It is a residual, so it is only as meaningful as the benchmark fit — check R² before believing an alpha figure.
- Beta
How hard the fund moves when the index moves. 1 = in step.
Beta 1.2 means it tends to amplify the index by a fifth in both directions; 0.8 means it dampens it. It says nothing about direction of returns, only sensitivity.
How to read a mutual fund factsheet like a pro →
Decoding alpha and beta: manager skill versus market risk →
Treynor and information ratio: advanced tools for comparing funds →
- R²
How much of the fund's movement the benchmark explains, 0–100%.
Near 100% means the fund is essentially tracking the index (expected for an index fund). Below about 70%, the fund is doing its own thing and alpha, beta and Treynor computed against that index are unreliable.
Active vs passive: can a human beat the market? →
Index funds and ETFs: low-cost passive investing explained →
Decoding alpha and beta: manager skill versus market risk →
Treynor and information ratio: advanced tools for comparing funds →
Tracking error and standard deviation in passive funds →
ESG funds: investing with a conscience, or paying for a label? →
- Treynor ratio
Excess return per unit of beta rather than per unit of total volatility.
Sharpe divides by all risk; Treynor divides only by market risk — the part you can't diversify away. Useful when the fund is one holding inside a wider portfolio.
Treynor and information ratio: advanced tools for comparing funds →
- Information ratio
Return above the benchmark, per unit of tracking error.
Consistency of outperformance rather than its size. A fund beating its index by 2% every year scores far better than one beating it by 6% then trailing by 4%.
Treynor and information ratio: advanced tools for comparing funds →
- Tracking error
How far the fund's returns typically stray from the benchmark's, annualized.
For an index fund or ETF, low is the whole job — it is the cleanest measure of tracking quality. For an active fund it just measures how active the manager is, which is neither good nor bad on its own.
Active vs passive: can a human beat the market? →
Index funds and ETFs: low-cost passive investing explained →
Treynor and information ratio: advanced tools for comparing funds →
Tracking error and standard deviation in passive funds →
Factor investing and smart beta: beyond market-cap weighting →
Contra funds: betting against the crowd, and what being early costs →
ESG funds: investing with a conscience, or paying for a label? →
- Upside capture
The share of the index's gains the fund captured in months the index rose. 100 = matched it.
Above 100 means it beat the index on the way up. Read it alongside downside capture — capturing 110% of the upside is worth little if it also takes 120% of the falls.
- Downside capture
The share of the index's losses the fund took in months the index fell. Lower is better.
80 means the fund fell only four-fifths as far as the index did. The pair to look for is high upside capture with lower downside capture.
Dividend yield funds: do high-dividend stocks make better funds? →
Consumption and FMCG funds: the defensive play that isn't always defensive →
Portfolio
What the fund actually holds, aggregated from its published holdings.
- AUMalso: Assets Under Management
The total money the scheme currently manages.
Sourced from AMFI's quarterly average AUM disclosure, so it lags the market by up to a quarter. Size cuts both ways: it signals staying power, but a very large small-cap fund can struggle to enter and exit positions without moving prices.
What a mutual fund actually is (and why it is not a piggy bank) →
Decoding the alphabet soup: AMC, trustee, custodian and registrar →
Micro-cap funds: the riskiest edge of Indian equity →
ESG funds: investing with a conscience, or paying for a label? →
- P/E ratioalso: Price to earnings
The weighted-average P/E of the fund's equity holdings.
Roughly, what the portfolio costs per rupee of the underlying companies' earnings. Only meaningful against funds in the same category — a small-cap fund and a large-cap fund carry structurally different P/Es. Shown only where we have enough holdings coverage to compute it honestly.
Value vs growth: which style actually wins over the long run? →
Infrastructure and PSU funds: riding the government capex cycle →
Consumption and FMCG funds: the defensive play that isn't always defensive →
- P/B ratioalso: Price to book
The weighted-average price-to-book of the fund's equity holdings.
Price against the accounting net worth of the underlying companies. More informative for banks and financials than for asset-light businesses, where book value captures little of what the company is.
Value vs growth: which style actually wins over the long run? →
Banking and financial services funds: doubling a bet you already hold →
- Average market cap
The weighted-average size of the companies the fund holds.
The quickest check that a fund is doing what its name says — a "large cap" fund with a mid-cap average is taking risk its label doesn't advertise.
- Large / mid / small cap split
How the equity portfolio divides across the three SEBI size bands.
SEBI ranks all listed companies by market cap: 1–100 are large cap, 101–250 mid cap, 251 onwards small cap. Category rules bind against these bands (a large-cap fund must hold at least 80% large caps), so the split shows both mandate compliance and where the risk really sits.
How to read a mutual fund factsheet like a pro →
Equity funds demystified: large cap, mid cap, small cap and the SEBI rulebook →
Flexi cap vs multi cap: which strategy offers better flexibility? →
Core and satellite: how to build a portfolio you can actually maintain →
Handling underperformance: when to stay and when to exit →
Fund manager changes: should you panic when the captain leaves? →
Focused funds: is holding only 30 stocks conviction or recklessness? →
- ASMalso: Additional Surveillance Measure
An NSE flag on a stock showing unusual price or volume activity.
Flagged names carry higher margins and, at stage II, trade-for-trade settlement. It is the exchange's response to trading behaviour, not a verdict on the company or the fund. A diversified fund holding a fraction of a percent in one flagged small cap is ordinary; several percent is worth noticing.
Costs & scheme terms
What you pay, and the rules attached to buying and selling units.
- Expense ratioalso: TER, Total Expense Ratio
The fund's annual running cost, as a percentage of assets.
Already deducted from NAV — you never see a bill, and every return figure here is net of it. It is the one number about a fund that is known in advance and compounds against you, which is why it carries 20% of the star rating.
How do mutual funds actually make money? →
Active vs passive: can a human beat the market? →
Direct vs Regular plans: how a commission you never see costs you lakhs →
Exit load and expense ratio: the hidden costs of investing →
How to read a mutual fund factsheet like a pro →
Index funds and ETFs: low-cost passive investing explained →
Fund of funds: what happens when a mutual fund buys mutual funds? →
Core and satellite: how to build a portfolio you can actually maintain →
Decoding alpha and beta: manager skill versus market risk →
Tracking error and standard deviation in passive funds →
What is portfolio turnover ratio? Decoding a fund’s trading activity →
Credit risk and yield-to-maturity in debt funds →
Factor investing and smart beta: beyond market-cap weighting →
Focused funds: is holding only 30 stocks conviction or recklessness? →
Dynamic bond funds: letting a manager call the interest-rate cycle →
How SEBI's rules actually protect a retail investor →
Teaching children about money through mutual funds →
Your annual portfolio audit: a step-by-step health check →
Blockchain and tokenisation: the future of fund record-keeping →
AMC apps vs third-party platforms: where should you invest? →
AIFs, PMS and mutual funds: what the ₹1 crore actually buys →
Thirty years back, thirty years ahead: how Indian funds evolved →
- Direct vs Regular plan
The same portfolio, sold with or without distributor commission built in.
Regular plans embed a trail commission in the expense ratio, typically 0.5–1% a year; Direct plans don't, so their NAV grows faster. Only ever compare Direct against Direct — putting a Regular plan next to a Direct one measures the commission, not the manager.
Direct vs Regular plans: how a commission you never see costs you lakhs →
How mutual fund investing actually works: follow the money, live →
Exit load and expense ratio: the hidden costs of investing →
The twelve mistakes that cost first-time SIP investors the most →
How to clean up a portfolio with too many schemes →
Demat or Statement of Account: which holding mode? →
Moving your funds from one platform to another →
How SEBI's rules actually protect a retail investor →
Analysis paralysis: how to stop researching and start →
Finfluencers: separating a useful explainer from a paid tip →
Your annual portfolio audit: a step-by-step health check →
AMC apps vs third-party platforms: where should you invest? →
Thirty years back, thirty years ahead: how Indian funds evolved →
- Growth vs IDCW option
Whether gains stay invested or get paid out.
Growth compounds everything inside the fund. IDCW (Income Distribution cum Capital Withdrawal, formerly "dividend") pays some out — but it is your own capital coming back, and the NAV drops by the amount paid. IDCW is not extra income.
What is NAV — and does a low NAV mean a cheap fund? →
Growth vs IDCW: which option should you pick? →
The twelve mistakes that cost first-time SIP investors the most →
How to clean up a portfolio with too many schemes →
Dividend yield funds: do high-dividend stocks make better funds? →
- Exit load
A fee charged when you redeem within a stated period.
Typically 1% if sold inside a year, though liquid and overnight funds use graded loads measured in days. Charged on the redemption amount and paid back into the scheme, so it discourages short holding rather than earning the AMC anything.
What a mutual fund actually is (and why it is not a piggy bank) →
Mutual funds vs fixed deposits: which risk are you willing to see? →
How mutual fund investing actually works: follow the money, live →
SIP 101: the secret weapon of disciplined investing →
Exit load and expense ratio: the hidden costs of investing →
How to read a mutual fund factsheet like a pro →
The twelve mistakes that cost first-time SIP investors the most →
STP: how to deploy a lump sum without betting on one date →
SWP: creating your own monthly pension →
Portfolio rebalancing: when and why you must sell winning assets →
Handling underperformance: when to stay and when to exit →
Fund manager changes: should you panic when the captain leaves? →
Mutual fund overlap: are you really diversified? →
How to clean up a portfolio with too many schemes →
The emergency fund: where liquid funds fit, and where they don't →
Building a passive income stream from mutual funds →
- Lock-in
A period in which units cannot be redeemed at all.
Distinct from exit load, which lets you leave for a fee. Three years for ELSS (the tax-saving category); most open-ended funds have none.
ELSS: save tax while building wealth — if you are on the right regime →
Mutual fund taxation decoded: short-term vs long-term capital gains →
- Stamp duty
A flat 0.005% government levy on every mutual fund purchase.
In force since 1 July 2020, identical for every scheme and every AMC, applied to purchases and switches in but not to redemptions. Too small to influence a fund choice; included so the cost picture is complete.
How mutual fund investing actually works: follow the money, live →
Exit load and expense ratio: the hidden costs of investing →
- Minimum SIP / lumpsum
The smallest instalment and the smallest one-time amount the scheme accepts.
Set by the AMC and occasionally revised. Read from the scheme's own disclosures, so a blank means we haven't sourced it for that plan, not that there is no minimum.
The mandatory checklist: what KYC is and how to complete it online →
Nomination: two minutes now, or a court process for your family later →
Folio numbers: why you have several and when to consolidate →
AIFs, PMS and mutual funds: what the ₹1 crore actually buys →
- NFOalso: New Fund Offer
A scheme's initial subscription window, before it starts trading.
Units are offered at ₹10, which is not a discount — it is an arbitrary starting NAV. An NFO has no track record, so nothing on this site can rate it; there is rarely a reason to prefer one over an existing fund with a decade of history.
What a mutual fund actually is (and why it is not a piggy bank) →
What is NAV — and does a low NAV mean a cheap fund? →
Sectoral and thematic funds: high risk, high reward — or just hype? →
Tax
Indian capital-gains treatment as it applies to mutual fund redemptions. Rates are FY 2025-26 and exclude surcharge, cess and STT.
- STCGalso: Short-term capital gains
Gains on units sold before the holding period for long-term treatment is met.
For equity-oriented funds: held under a year, taxed at a flat 20%. For debt and non-equity funds the short-term gain is added to your income and taxed at your slab rate.
Growth vs IDCW: which option should you pick? →
Hybrid and balanced advantage funds: the ultimate stress-free ride? →
International funds: diversifying beyond the economy you already earn in →
Gold funds and gold ETFs: paper gold versus the jewellery box →
The art of asset allocation: it decides more than fund selection ever will →
SWP: creating your own monthly pension →
Portfolio rebalancing: when and why you must sell winning assets →
Handling underperformance: when to stay and when to exit →
Fund manager changes: should you panic when the captain leaves? →
How to clean up a portfolio with too many schemes →
Mutual fund taxation decoded: short-term vs long-term capital gains →
How to invest a windfall: inheritance, bonus, property sale →
Tactical asset allocation: shifting weights on valuation →
- LTCGalso: Long-term capital gains
Gains on units held past the long-term threshold — 12.5% where it applies.
Equity-oriented funds qualify after one year, and the first ₹1.25 lakh of long-term gains per financial year is exempt. Debt funds bought after April 2023 get no long-term rate at all — every rupee is taxed at slab, whatever the holding period.
Mutual funds vs fixed deposits: which risk are you willing to see? →
Growth vs IDCW: which option should you pick? →
Hybrid and balanced advantage funds: the ultimate stress-free ride? →
ELSS: save tax while building wealth — if you are on the right regime →
International funds: diversifying beyond the economy you already earn in →
Gold funds and gold ETFs: paper gold versus the jewellery box →
Fund of funds: what happens when a mutual fund buys mutual funds? →
The art of asset allocation: it decides more than fund selection ever will →
SWP: creating your own monthly pension →
Portfolio rebalancing: when and why you must sell winning assets →
Handling underperformance: when to stay and when to exit →
Fund manager changes: should you panic when the captain leaves? →
How to clean up a portfolio with too many schemes →
Mutual fund taxation decoded: short-term vs long-term capital gains →
Estate planning for mutual fund investors: transmission and legalities →
Building a core-satellite portfolio with international exposure →
The 4% rule vs an SWP: funding early retirement in India →
Building multi-generational wealth with mutual funds →
How to invest a windfall: inheritance, bonus, property sale →
Tactical asset allocation: shifting weights on valuation →
Tracing and claiming a deceased relative's mutual funds →
Automated rebalancing: robo-advisor or do it yourself? →
How inflation quietly eats a savings account →
Your annual portfolio audit: a step-by-step health check →
AIFs, PMS and mutual funds: what the ₹1 crore actually buys →
- Equity-oriented fund
A fund holding at least 65% Indian equity — the test that decides its tax treatment.
It is a tax definition, not a marketing one. Arbitrage and aggressive-hybrid funds are equity-oriented; fund-of-funds, gold, international and balanced-hybrid schemes are not, and are taxed under the separate non-equity rules.
Mutual funds vs fixed deposits: which risk are you willing to see? →
Equity funds demystified: large cap, mid cap, small cap and the SEBI rulebook →
Hybrid and balanced advantage funds: the ultimate stress-free ride? →
ELSS: save tax while building wealth — if you are on the right regime →
International funds: diversifying beyond the economy you already earn in →
Fund of funds: what happens when a mutual fund buys mutual funds? →
The art of asset allocation: it decides more than fund selection ever will →
Mutual fund taxation decoded: short-term vs long-term capital gains →
Building a core-satellite portfolio with international exposure →
Currency risk: the second bet inside every international fund →
- FIFOalso: First in, first out
The order units are treated as sold in when computing capital gains.
Mandated for mutual funds: a redemption is matched against your oldest units first. This is what decides whether a sale is short- or long-term, so it drives the tax on a portfolio built through a SIP.
How mutual fund investing actually works: follow the money, live →
The CAS: every fund you own, in one free statement →
STP: how to deploy a lump sum without betting on one date →
SWP: creating your own monthly pension →
Portfolio rebalancing: when and why you must sell winning assets →
Mutual fund overlap: are you really diversified? →
How to clean up a portfolio with too many schemes →
Mutual fund taxation decoded: short-term vs long-term capital gains →
Estate planning for mutual fund investors: transmission and legalities →
The 4% rule vs an SWP: funding early retirement in India →
Building multi-generational wealth with mutual funds →
Building a passive income stream from mutual funds →
Moving your funds from one platform to another →
Ratings & classification
How funds are grouped and scored here.
- Star rating
Our own 1–5 stars: 60% performance, 15% risk, 10% cost, 15% downside.
Each component is a percentile against the fund's own peer group, combined into a 0–100 score and banded into stars. A 3Y record is mandatory — no three years, no rating. It is computed here from public data, not bought from a rating agency, and the full working is on the methodology page.
Handling underperformance: when to stay and when to exit →
Recency bias: why investors keep buying at the top →
- Peer group
The funds a rating or rank is measured against — same sub-category, plan and option.
Ranking a Direct Growth small-cap fund against Regular IDCW large-cap funds would measure plan and category, not skill. The peer count is shown with the rating, because a percentile out of 12 funds is a weaker claim than one out of 200.
The twelve mistakes that cost first-time SIP investors the most →
Equity funds demystified: large cap, mid cap, small cap and the SEBI rulebook →
Flexi cap vs multi cap: which strategy offers better flexibility? →
Debt funds explained: duration risk and credit risk are not the same thing →
Core and satellite: how to build a portfolio you can actually maintain →
Fund manager changes: should you panic when the captain leaves? →
Mutual fund overlap: are you really diversified? →
Treynor and information ratio: advanced tools for comparing funds →
The psychology of a market crash: behavioural finance that survives contact →
Value vs growth: which style actually wins over the long run? →
Focused funds: is holding only 30 stocks conviction or recklessness? →
Contra funds: betting against the crowd, and what being early costs →
Dynamic bond funds: letting a manager call the interest-rate cycle →
- Category & sub-category
SEBI's scheme classification — what the fund is allowed to hold.
Since 2018 every open-ended scheme must sit in exactly one defined sub-category (Large Cap, Mid Cap, Flexi Cap, Corporate Bond, and so on) with binding holding rules. It is the only sound basis for comparing two funds — everything on this site ranks within sub-category, never across.
Equity funds demystified: large cap, mid cap, small cap and the SEBI rulebook →
Flexi cap vs multi cap: which strategy offers better flexibility? →
Debt funds explained: duration risk and credit risk are not the same thing →
Sectoral and thematic funds: high risk, high reward — or just hype? →
Mutual fund overlap: are you really diversified? →
Credit risk and yield-to-maturity in debt funds →
Infrastructure and PSU funds: riding the government capex cycle →
Banking and financial services funds: doubling a bet you already hold →
How SEBI's rules actually protect a retail investor →
Thirty years back, thirty years ahead: how Indian funds evolved →
Ways of investing
The transaction types the calculators model.
- SIPalso: Systematic Investment Plan
A fixed amount invested on a fixed date, usually monthly.
Buys more units when NAV is low and fewer when it is high, which averages the entry price. It does not protect against a falling market — it just means you weren't required to guess the right day.
The magic of compounding: why starting early beats starting big →
How mutual fund investing actually works: follow the money, live →
SIP 101: the secret weapon of disciplined investing →
SIP or lumpsum: when should you put it all in at once? →
Rupee-cost averaging: why market crashes are your best friend →
The twelve mistakes that cost first-time SIP investors the most →
Goal-based investing: mapping dreams to specific buckets →
STP: how to deploy a lump sum without betting on one date →
The psychology of a market crash: behavioural finance that survives contact →
Analysis paralysis: how to stop researching and start →
Teaching children about money through mutual funds →
- Step-up SIPalso: Top-up SIP
A SIP whose instalment rises by a set percentage each year.
Tracks a rising income instead of freezing the contribution at what you could afford on day one. Over a long horizon the increment usually matters more to the final corpus than the return assumption does.
The magic of compounding: why starting early beats starting big →
SIP 101: the secret weapon of disciplined investing →
SIP or lumpsum: when should you put it all in at once? →
Goal-based investing: mapping dreams to specific buckets →
Structuring a portfolio for your child's higher education →
- Lumpsum
A single one-time investment.
Fully exposed from day one, so the entry date matters far more than it does for a SIP. Its return is a plain CAGR rather than an XIRR.
SIP or lumpsum: when should you put it all in at once? →
Rupee-cost averaging: why market crashes are your best friend →
How to invest a windfall: inheritance, bonus, property sale →
- SWPalso: Systematic Withdrawal Plan
A fixed amount redeemed on a schedule — a SIP in reverse.
The usual way to draw an income from a corpus. Each withdrawal is a redemption, so each one is a taxable event under FIFO, and withdrawing faster than the fund grows will exhaust it.
SWP: creating your own monthly pension →
Dividend yield funds: do high-dividend stocks make better funds? →
The 4% rule vs an SWP: funding early retirement in India →
Building multi-generational wealth with mutual funds →
Building a passive income stream from mutual funds →
Sequence-of-returns risk: why the order of returns decides retirement →
- STPalso: Systematic Transfer Plan
A scheduled move from one scheme to another within the same fund house.
Typically parking a lumpsum in a liquid fund and transferring into equity over several months. Each transfer is a redemption from the source fund, so it is taxed like one.
STP: how to deploy a lump sum without betting on one date →
Structuring a portfolio for your child's higher education →
How to invest a windfall: inheritance, bonus, property sale →