It is now very well known that to create wealth in the stock market, the investor needs to remain invested for a long time. This is a proven truth. The various indices have shown that had you remained invested with your investment without interfering too much, you would have made massive wealth. But this is easier said than done. 

The most difficult aspect in the stock market is to sit ideal and  remain invested for a long term. Retail investors do not create wealth because they exit the markets too early. Sometimes, the investors become greedy and cuts off their profit too early and sometimes, the investors become fearful and exit when the investment shows a southward trajectory. Also, over a period of time, the investor sells off all his profit generating good stocks and keeps on averaging loss making stocks thus, having a portfolio of only junk stocks. Most of us, commit the same mistake of riding losers and selling winners. 

The market will generate greed and fear. Stock investment is more of Psychology and less of intelligence. One who can control his greed, fear and emotions will win. So, how do you balance yourself to remain invested for a long term to create wealth. let us discuss the same in the succeeding paragraphs.

1. Hot Tips; Don't get too involved in the market on a daily basis unless you are a trader. Avoid the urge to chase "hot tips"; resisting the lure of penny stocks; and picking a strategy and then sticking to it.

2. Ride a Winner; Peter Lynch famously spoke about "tenbaggers"—investments that increased tenfold in value. He attributed his success to a small number of these stocks in his portfolio. But this required the discipline of hanging onto stocks even after they’ve increased by many multiples if he thought there was still significant upside potential.

3. Sell a Loser; There is no guarantee that a stock will rebound after a protracted decline, and it’s important to be realistic about the prospect of poorly performing investments. And even though acknowledging losing stocks can psychologically signal failure, there is no shame in recognizing mistakes and selling off investments to stem further loss.

4. Tax implication; Always be aware of tax implications. Too much selling and again buying can attract heavy taxes which you realize only at the time of filing income tax return. 

5. NAV Vs Stock Price; Mutual fund investors can remain invested for much longer than direct stock investors because investors never remember the NAV of the scheme but the price of the stock is always there in the mind. So, if your expectations from the market are to earn 14-15% annual returns in the long term, then avoid direct stocks and invest in good quality diversified equity and hybrid mutual funds. Most of us will not be able to beat equity mutual funds returns over a 3 to 5 years time period. 14-15% mutual fund returns are very difficult to beat in the long term. It gives you compounding of unimaginable levels once your portfolio reaches a significant size. After 10 to 12 years, the multiplier effect of compounding takes place and it gives snow balling or parabolic effect in compounding which is huge. Every five years the money is doubling.

6. Reinvesting the Profits;  Even in mutual funds, investors book profits in a bull market but are not able to reinvest when the market is down. Stock Market turns around so fast that it doesn't give you any time to reinvest. 

7. Booking Profits; If you are investing in stocks then it is a good idea to keep booking some profits to the extent that it gives you a good feeling and to give you a tax advantage (Long term capital gains up to 1 lakh are exempted from income tax). But do this only when your portfolio reaches a significant size. Now, what is a significant size. For every investor  it will be different. I think, it should be atleast 2 times your annual income. So, psychologically you are better off. If the market keeps going up, the investor should be happy that the balance of his investments are still growing and he is in the money. And if the market falls, the investor should again be happy that he could take out some profit at the right time and is ready to reinvest. This psychology can make you remain invested for a long time. Make sure, the profit booking should not be too large. 

8.  If you are investing in mutual funds, the above technique can be implemented to take advantage of the LTCG exemption of ₹01 lakh. If you need money, go and spend but you don't require it, reinvest again in terms of small chunks or additional few SIP installments without waiting too long for the market to fall. The profit booking always makes you happy.

9. Goals; Match your investments to your goals. If you don't have any goal then wealth creation can also be a goal. If you have enough wealth then think of creating bigger wealth for inter-generation transfer of wealth. You can't spend every penny that you generate and have to leave a portion of it to the next generations.

10. Investment Advisor;  Last but not the least, an investment advisor can always help you to guide through greed and fear in the market. But for that you need to trust him first. There is no shame in taking guidance from someone who knows more than the normal retail investor. Right choices at the right time can only help you generate wealth in the long term.

We, at INVESTOR FIRST can manage your mutual fund portfolio if you so desire. The process of investment will be online only. It will take 1 or 2 days for registration with us. We will give you an app for monitoring and execution of your mutual fund investments. If you so desire, you may please contact us at the following address:

Website: https://investorfirst.co.in/

Head Office : 2nd Floor, 159/129/96, Sri Krishna Tower, Near Hotel Ramada, Ballupur Road, Dehradun-248001, Uttarakhand.

Contact Numbers: +91-9164046333(personal), +91-8410116967(off), +91-6397808084(off), +91-1353520386(off).

Mail Address: sangam157@gmail.com, info@investorfirst.co.in

Regards, 
Col Sanjay Datt,
Associate Business Partner, 
Investor First.

I think there is no risk in the equity market.  We must understand the difference between risk and volatility in the equity market. 

Let's have a look at the returns of the Sensex from 1980 to 2023: 

Date                 Annual return

01-04-1980        3.50%

01-04-1981      35.25%

01-04-1982      27.12%

02-04-1983       -3.76%

03-04-1984      16.06%

01-04-1985      42.39%

01-04-1986      59.57%

01-04-1987       -8.95%

04-04-1988.     -22.21%

03-04-1989       82.26%

02-04-1990       8.16%

01-04-1991       52.45%

02-04-1992       267.61%

02-04-1993       -47.32%

04-04-1994        63.57%

03-04-1995        -12.28%

02-04-1996         2.81%

01-04-1997           0.51%

01-04-1998       15.83%

01-04-1999          -7.14%

03-04-2000          37.07%

02-04-2001         -29.42%

01-04-2002.         -1.85%

01-04-2003         -11.98%

01-04-2004          86.33%

01-04-2005          15.05%

03-04-2006          75.08%

02-04-2007            7.70%

01-04-2008          25.46%

01-04-2009         -36.63%

01-04-2010.         78.68%

01-04-2011            9.77%

02-04-2012.        -10.00%

01-04-2013             7.93%

01-04-2014         18.99%

01-04-2015         25.90%

01-04-2016.       -10.58%

03-04-2017         18.36%

02-04-2018.        11.18%

01-04-2019         16.89%

01-04-2020        -27.29%

01-04-2021              77%

01-04-2022              18%

01-04-2023          -0.48%

As shown above, it has been pretty rough at times but after every major fall there has been a great recovery. This is volatility. It works in your favour. This is the fundamental nature of the equity market. The sensex started with 100 and today it is above 70,000, a CAGR of approximately 15%. Which other asset class can give you this kind of return with so much of ease, transparency, liquidity and mental peace? Even if the returns are low or negative for one or two years, your SIPs may still give you better than FD returns even during distress due to volatility (regular rise and fall). Don't wait for tomorrow; it never comes. Start today and invest slowly. Increase your investment as your income rises.

Remember one thing very clearly in your mind that your capital will never become zero in equity mutual funds. It may happen in direct stock buying or trading ( Future and Options). What you need is investing in good quality equity and hybrid mutual funds as per your age, risk appetite, goals and need. A good financial advisor can always help to make your journey smooth and profitable by guiding you in the times of hyper activity in the market.

We, at INVESTOR FIRST can manage your mutual fund portfolio if you so desire. The process of investment will be online only. It will take 1 or 2 days for registration with us. We will give you an app for monitoring and execution of your mutual fund investments. If you so desire, you may please contact us at the following address :

Website: https://investorfirst.co.in/

Head Office : 2nd Floor, 159/129/96, Sri Krishna Tower, Near Hotel Ramada, Ballupur Road, Dehradun-248001, Uttarakhand.

Contact Numbers: +91-9164046333 (personal), +91-8410116967(off), +91-6397808084(off), +91-1353520386(off).

Mail Address: sangam157@gmail.com, info@investorfirst.co.in

DISCLAIMER :   The opinion  expressed above  is our personal  opinion and  in no  way recommendation  of buying  or selling.  You must  consult  your  financial advisor   before making any fresh investment  in equity market. Please also note that  past   performance of funds does not guarantee future returns. 

Mutual fund (MF) scheme issued by mutual fund houses, collects money from various investors who wish to invest in equities. The fund houses then invest the money collected across various financial instruments to generate high returns. The MFs are professionally managed. You as an investor also have an option to buy these stocks directly from the stock market.

There are various benefits of investing through mutual funds, which may not be available if one invests directly through shares. Direct equity investment can be very rewarding, however, the risk of loss in direct equity is also very high. It is not easy to understand equity. One needs to understand the underlying business and industry the business operates in, before investing in equity (stocks).

Most important factors to invest in equities are

- Do you understand equities?

- Do you understand the underlying business and how it earns money?

- Can you figure out the fair value of that business?

- Do you have time to trade & track stocks?

- Do you have discipline to continually allocate time to make investment decisions?

Do you want to create wealth in the long term or you want few gains here and there. The most difficult thing in the stock market is to sit tight on your profits. The moment you see your capital doubles, you will sell. Also, when your stock is down, you will try to average it.  Investing is less of intelligence and more of Psychology.

Another problem in direct stocks is the sizing. You can make money in direct investing if your allocation to good stocks is very high. Even if your stock rises 4-5 times but your allocation is not large enough, your gains will be limited. You will not be able to increase your allocation in rising stocks. Can you increase your allocation in a stock which has risen 2-3 times its buying price. More often than not, you will sell it before it gives you substantial gains. You will always increase your allocation in stocks which are falling. That's the whole tragedy of direct investing. 

Most of the investors buy on tips which you keep getting every day on the mobile.  Even, if  you follow some market expert for stock buying, he may tell you some good shares which are looking good at that point but he may change his view after a while due to many reasons associated with the stock. So, if you want to be in the business of direct stocks then you will have to rely on yourself and not on anybody else. Experts keep changing their views as per the market conditions. But to rely on yourself for buying direct stocks is easier said than done. You need to understand the market thoroughly and must have seen 2-3 bad cycles.

Also, you should be able to at least, I say ATLEAST, read and understand the balance sheet, profit and loss account and cash flow statement of the company. This is the minimum requirement of direct stock investing. 

Mutual fund investing is low ticket size. You can start with capital  as low as Rs 500/-. In direct equities you require higher capital. Also, exit from mutual fund is easier than in stocks. 

Investors may not have the necessary skills to identify the right stocks. Not everyone can dedicate time to do research. Mutual funds, therefore, offer investors the expertise of fund managers with a whole research team. Also, mutual fund investing is easy, less emotional, disciplined, cheap and tax efficient. 

It is very easy to have access to information and knowledge about the market and companies but to become wise out of this information and knowledge is MOST DIFFICULT and more often than not, it will be the opposite.  

Look at the mutual funds. You will get 14-15% compound annual growth rate without losing your sleep and without looking at the market everyday. The problem in direct investing is the attachment with the stock. You can't sit idle with the stock price. If it goes up, you will sell and if it goes down, you buy and keep averaging. So, over a period of time, you will sell all your good stocks and accumulate junk stocks. Also, buying and selling entails brokerage charges and capital gains. So, your profits will further reduce.

Mutual funds do not have stock price but net asset value (NAV) which no body tracks. In fact, whenever the market falls, due to your SIPs investing, you accumulate more units of mutual fund Scheme because of the cheap NAV.  So, you can really sit tight and can keep increasing your allocation in your mutual funds for many years. That is where the power of compounding kicks in. 

All humans have urges. Stock investing can also be an urge. If you really want to indulge in direct stocks then allocate 10-20% of your corpus in direct stocks and rest can go to mutual funds. Compare your returns after 3-4 years. If you have made more money in stocks then increase your allocation slowly in stocks. 

Also, to reach a target of ₹2 Crores in 20 years, you need to invest ₹10,000/- per month in good quality 2-3 mutual funds with an annual increment of 1,000/- which is easily achievable.

Also, to reach a target of ₹5 Crores in 20 years, you need to invest ₹30,000/- per month in good quality 4-5 mutual funds  with an annual increment of ₹2,000/-. This can be easily done without losing your peace of mind.

DISCLAIMER :   The opinion  expressed above  is our personal  opinion and  in no  way recommendation  of buying  or selling.  You must  consult  your  financial advisor   before making any fresh investment  in equity market. Please also note that  past   performance of funds does not guarantee future returns. 

We are also operating a Mutual Fund Distribution  Firm INVESTOR FIRST. For better understanding of mutual fund investments or Investment Planning for future targets, you can contact us at the following address :

Website: https://investorfirst.co.in/

Head Office : 2nd Floor, 159/129/96, Sri Krishna Tower, Near Hotel Ramada, Ballupur Road, Dehradun-248001, Uttarakhand.

Contact Numbers: +91-9164046333 (personal), +91-8410116967(off), +91-6397808084(off), +91-1353520386(off).

Mail Address: sangam157@gmail.com, info@investorfirst.co.in

 SIP : 30k per month

Step up amount : 3k per annum (that means your SIP Amount in 2nd year: 33k, 3rd year: 36k, 4th year: 39k, 5th year: 42k,  so on and so forth till tenth year).

Expected rate of return: 13-15%

Amount after 10 years : 1.07 crore with an expected rate of return of 14%

The expected rate of return from the equity market is 12-15%. I have taken 14%. Conservatively, even if equity markets give 12% rate of return, one may take 11 years to reach the target of 01 Cr. One year will not make much of a difference. The aim is to reach there. 

Now the most important part; HOW TO GET PENSION OF 01 LAKH PER MONTH 

Yes, one can easily withdraw 01 lakh  per month from this account through out your life and your principal of 1.07 crores will remain with you all the time. The logic is very simple. Equity markets are expected to give 12-15% returns in long term. So, if you withdraw 12 lakh per annum (ie 12% of 1 crore), your corpus of one crore will not get effected, since it will fetch you 12 lakh again. Yes! It may not be as simple as it looks here on paper because of volatility of the market but I am sure if you stick with your investment, you can withdraw the above amount per month and your corpus will not get effected in long term. 

DISCLAIMER :   The opinion  expressed above  is our personal  opinion and  in no  way recommendation  of buying  or selling.  You must  consult  your  financial advisor   before making any fresh investment  in equity market. Please also note that  past   performance of funds does not guarantee future returns. 

We are also operating a Mutual Fund Distribution  Firm Investor First. For better understanding of mutual fund investments or Investment Planning for future targets, you can contact us at the following address :

Website: https://investorfirst.co.in/

Head Office : 2nd Floor, 159/129/96, Sri Krishna Tower, Near Hotel Ramada, Ballupur Road, Dehradun-248001, Uttarakhand.

Contact Numbers: +91-9164046333 (personal), +91-8410116967(off), +91-6397808084(off), +91-1353520386(off).

Mail Address: sangam157@gmail.com, info@investorfirst.co.in

In the last article, we compared SIP investment versus lumpsum investment and found out that in most cases SIP investment is a better option for long term investment. In this blog post, I would like to discuss the options available for increasing the probability of maximizing  returns in mutual fund investing.  To maximize  returns from mutual fund investment, the undermentioned Three Pronged approach is probably the better option:

1. SIP

2. Lumsump (switch from liquid or short term fund during falling markets)

3. Step up of SIP

Three Pronged Approach:

SIP. The investor should have a target of Terminal Value (TV) to be achieved in a particular period of time. Minimum ten percent of the terminal value should be accumulated within first 2-3 years of investing. So, if the terminal value in mind is Rs 2 Cr then 20 lakh must be accumulated within first 2-3 years through SIP and lumpsum both. The expected CAGR of 14-15% in the Equity Mutual Funds can double the money in approximately 5 years. The SIPs will take little longer, specially in early years, since the complete amount is not available for compounding. But once a base is made of substantial amount, the power of compounding kicks in, on the base amount and on the increasing amount of SIP every month.

Step Up the SIP every year by 10%. This enhances the power of compounding and helping the investor to increase the base amount on which compounding is happening.

Lumpsum.  During draw downs of the market or market crashes, top up the portfolio with lumpsum investment. This can be done if the amount is available in the bank account or one can maintain a certain    amount of money  in debt funds and use switching   option. Capital Gains will have to be considered before switching. You can take the advice   of your Mutual Fund Advisor to understand the tax implications on short    term and long term capital gains. But it will not be significant, considering the gains in equity. The lumpsum strategy can also be used to top up the  SIPs whenever you have extra cash available.

In the normal SIP approach, the mutual fund investment can double every 5 years, in long term (around 15 years) with an expected CAGR of 14-15%. With the above mentioned three pronged approach, mutual fund investments can double every 3-4 years with an expected CAGR of 14-15% in long term. The data shows that this has happened in the last forty years and if we believe in India’s growth story, the chances of this happening in the next forty years are very bright and better than before. 

Let's illustrate by an example: (normal SIP with Step Up)

SIP and Step Up Only:

Terminal Value (TV) to be achieved: 02 Cr

Time available : 20 years

SIP amount : Rs 10,000/- per month

Step up amount : Rs 1000/- per annum (I am not even considering 10% every year, which  keeps on increasing after first year)

TV after 5 years : Rs 10 lakhs

TV after 10 years: Rs 35 lakhs

TV after 15 years : Rs 89 lakhs

TV after 20 years : Rs 02 Cr

Look at the compounding, after first 05 years, it takes off parabolically. Once you make a base of some substantial amount, the power of compounding kicks in. Look at the parabolic growth. If the SIP amount and Step Up is doubled i.e. SIP amount is increased to Rs 20k per month and step up is Rs 2k per year, you will reach the target of Rs 4 Cr in 20 years. Tweaking of investment is in the hands of investor. Think of the target and start reverse calculation. One can always take the advice of Mutual Fund Distributor for better understanding. You should never be penny wise pound foolish.

This value can be as large as Rs 8 Cr, if you start with a base of Rs 20 lakh and start SIP of Rs 10k over this base and you keep increasing the step up amount by 20% of monthly installment every year and also invest lumpsum amount during markets draw downs. You can use SIP calculators freely available on internet (copy and paste the under mentioned links in the web browser).

https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/finance/calculators/compoundinterestcalculator.php#google_vignette

https://www.advisorkhoj.com/tools-and-calculators/mutual-fund-sip-calculator-step-up

If you want to leave your legacy for future generations or start an SIP investment of your children at very early age, then  let me demonstrate the power of compounding for next 20 years for SIP amount of Rs 10k and step Up amount of 1k :

TV after 25 years : 04 Cr

TV after 30 years : 09 Cr

TV after 35 years : 18 Cr

TV after 40 years : 37 Cr

So, if an investor starts his investment journey at the age of 40, with an investment of mere ₹10,000/- per month, by the time time he retires at 60, he would accumulate almost Rs 02 crores. But if he starts his investment journey at the age of 20, he would accumulate almost Rs 37 crores at 60 years of age. He would create huge wealth for his retirement. Time is the most important factor in power of compounding. Even a small amount can create huge corpus, if invested for long time. The sooner one starts the better it is. 

Of course, every one doesn't have that much time left but you can always increase the SIP amount, step up amount and lumpsum amount to reach your realistic target in your time horizon. Mutual fund investment is not for regular income but for future wealth creation. But once the wealth is created, one can draw a healthy monthly income through SWP or STP (to debt funds) or intermittent withdrawal from equity mutual funds. Your Mutual Fund Advisor can help you in planning all your future expenditures, be it for retirement purposes or creating wealth for future generations.

Every Indian leaves some assets for future generations be it land, house, gold or cash. Nothing can be better than leaving your legacy of mutual fund investment for your future generations. You will ensure your future generations will never be poor because besides the huge wealth, they will also realize the power of compounding. 

REFERENCES: NIL

We are also operating a Mutual Fund Distribution  Firm Investor First. For any kind of investments in Mutual Funds or Investment Planning for future targets, you can contact us at the following address :

Website: https://investorfirst.co.in/

Head Office : 2nd Floor, 159/129/96, Sri Krishna Tower, Near Hotel Ramada, Ballupur Road, Dehradun-248001, Uttarakhand.

Contact Numbers: +91-9164046333 (personal), +91-8410116967(off), +91-6397808084(off), +91-1353520386(off).

Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) is an investment option available for mutual fund investors. Investors can invest a fixed sum on a regular basis. Also, one can start with a one time investment in SIP and then continue with regular periodic investments.

One of the many questions that every investor has is whether they should invest in equity mutual funds through SIP or lumpsum. We are not talking about debt investing where the obvious choice is lumpsum because there is no volatility in debt market.

SIP Investments are for those who don't have large sums of lumpsum amount and have regular cash flows from monthly income. SIPs Investments give you mental peace and good night sleep in the falling market because you accumulate more units of mutual funds. It provides the advantage of rupee cost averaging, prevents the problem of timing of the market, inculcates a discipline approach of investing.

For a long term investment, of say 15-20 years, SIP is a better option because market always remain volatile and SIP provides rupee cost averaging, which in long term,  give high returns.

Remember 2008, if you had invested rupees 12 lakh as lumpsum, that investment would have gone down  by more than 50% (as seen in the chart below) by the end of the year.  Only those had a very strongly appetite could see off this phase and see their one-time investment grow back to rupees 10.6 lakh (which is still  a loss) by 2009 end.

The SIP route, too, saw a fall during 2008 but the drop was less alarming when compared to lump sum investment.  in addition, the Rs 12 lakh investment grew to 16.39 lakh by the end of 2009, which means an SIP investor made a gain of more than Rs 6 lakh as against a lumpsum investor.

Clearly SIP beats lumpsum  investment when the markets are negative or volatile. Markets will always remain volatile and will never move in one direction. Hence, chances of SIP beating the lumpsum investments are always high.

Lumpsum investment tends to do better when the markets are on the rise. There is only one situation when lumpsum investment can be better than SIP Investment. Suppose, you invest today and in the next 15 years, the markets keep on rising every year for the next 15 years then your lumpsum returns will be better than SIP. But this will never happen in the equity market. The nature of the equity market is always volatile. It never moves in one direction.

Suppose you start investing in SIPs and  markets start coming down or moves sideways for the next two to three years. What will be your reaction after watching no returns from your investment in SIPs? You will be frustrated and start doubting your wisdom to invest in equity market. This is where you need to understand the concept of SIPs. During these periods of distress in the market, you will be accumulating more number of mutual fund units than in the rising market (units will be cheaper due to lower NAV), which will fetch you much higher returns in the end. Market drawdowns and crashes are considered as the biggest enemy of mutual fund Investors. Please don't consider the falling markets as your enemy.  SIP investment makes your enemy (falling market) your best friend because that is the time when you make most of your money. So, the SIP mutual fund investor must never be afraid of falling market rather you should be happy about it.

If you start your SIP and markets remain volatile throughout your investment horizon, your returns will be maximum because you will also keep buying at lower NAVs and collect more and more units. Finally, what matters is the number of units you have. The terminal value is the number of units multiplied by NAV. Markets will always remain volatile. It never moves in linear fashion. Understand and enjoy the beauty of SIP.

Japan equity market didn't move up for thirty years. According to a survey, If someone had invested in Japan equity market 30 years back as a lumpsum then even today, you would have been sitting at loss but if you had invested through SIP then even today you would be sitting at profit. This is the advantage of rupee cost averaging.

Moreover, the longer the investor stays, they can realize the beauty of SIPs and enjoy the benefit of power of compounding which is the eighth wonder of the world (Albert Einstein). Investing is simple, don't make it complicated. Consult your Investment Advisor or Mutual Fund Distributor for understanding the investment strategies before investing in Equity Market.

We are operating a Mutual Fund Distribution  Firm Investor First. We are one of the highest ranking  investment firms in Uttarakhand and Dehradun. Rest assured that your interests and benefits will always be first and foremost. For any kind of investment planning, you can contact us at the following address :

Website: https://investorfirst.co.in/

Head Office : 2nd Floor, 159/129/96, Sri Krishna Tower, Near Hotel Ramada, Ballupur Road, Dehradun-248001, Uttarakhand.

Contact Numbers: +91-9164046333 (personal), +91-8410116967(off), +91-6397808084(off).

REFERENCES:

https://scripbox.com/mf/sip-vs-lumpsum-when-to-choose-what/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVqlsAeoNWM&t=2223s

https://www.valueresearchonline.com/stories/50916/sip-or-lumpsum-which-is-better/

https://www.businesstoday.in/personal-finance/investment/story/lump-sum-vs-sip-which-mutual-fund-suits-you-best-331199-2022-04-26

DISCLAIMER : The above information is available on public domain and has been taken mostly  from the above mentioned websites  and  YouTube  videos freely  available  on  internet.   The opinion expressed above is in no way recommendation of buying or selling.  You must consult your financial advisor before making any fresh investment in equity market.

 Start investing early in life.  It is not very important that how much you invest but how long you can remain invested. Understand power of compounding. It's the eighth wonder of the world(Albert Einstein).