That is an replace on my mutual fund investing journey, which started on nineteenth June 2008. Within the final three a long time, I’ve gone from being a spendthrift to being in debt to monetary independence.
New neighborhood members can refer to those articles for an account. The Monetary Arrow of Time and My Journey: Pushed by the concern of constructing the identical errors once more. My story was featured in Livemint. Additionally, livemint’s guru portfolio guru profile: You solely want a fund the place returns stay constant: Freefincal’s Pattabiraman and its replace – Why Freefincal’s Pattabiraman doesn’t imagine in beating the market.
I want to make clear that that is solely a private milestone, not some earth-shattering occasion. I do know many buyers who’ve invested for many years within the capital market. Lots of them are too reticent to debate their journey. Additionally see: How does it really feel after reaching monetary independence?
There may be a lot to be taught. Be it the inventory market or life, the second you sound like you will have some expertise, you’re going to get kicked to the bottom. The easy reality is that life chosen one for me out of one million methods to go from level A to level B in ten years. This doesn’t imply that is the one option to success (or failure).
Particulars of how I began investing and a few insights on the portfolio progress might be present in a earlier account: Fourteen Years of Mutual Fund Investing: My Journey and Classes Discovered.
Right here, I want to present a fast portfolio replace and re-visit the teachings (most of those, unsurprisingly, are the identical as earlier than).
Retirement Portfolio Replace
That is the expansion of my retirement portfolio in contrast with an identical purchases and redemptions within the NIfty 50 TRI index as of 14th Aug 2025, created utilizing the freefincal Mutual Funds and Inventory Portfolio Tracker on Google Sheets.
Asset Allocation (roughly)
The fairness MF portfolio
| Fund Title | XIRR | Weight |
| Parag Parikh FlexiCap | 20.36% | 59.19% |
| HDFC Hybrid Balanced | 14.00% | 16.47% |
| QLTE | 13.59% | 11.33% |
| UTI Low Volatility | 13.33% | 13.01% |
The debt portfolio
| Fund Title | XIRR | Weight |
| NPS | 9.07% | 57.41% |
| PPF | not relevant | 11.22% |
| ICICIGilt Rama | 7.19% | 14.31% |
| Parag Parikh Conservative Hybrid Fund | 11.59% | 3.89% |
| Parag Parikh Dynamic Asset Allocation Fund | 7.24% | 9.79% |
| Money (ICICI Arbitrage + Quantum Liquid) | not thought of | 3.38% |
Additionally, see, Analyzing the expansion of my 14-year-old NPS portfolio.
Classes learnt
These are reproduced from final yr’s account. If I can name myself profitable, it’s only due to three facets
- Luck
- Self-discipline
- prioritized feelings. I used to be extra emotional in regards to the lack of monetary independence after retirement than seeing my portfolio in “crimson”. Due to this fact, I didn’t monitor my portfolio every day. I didn’t search data daily and fear about it. I let my cash develop peacefully with occasional gardening.
My portfolio progress has nothing to do with my means to decide on “good funds” or my schooling or coaching. By nature, I’m disciplined and hate data.
If I needed to checklist my classes (even when nobody is asking me to!), they might be:
1: Get a life! Determine your targets, put money into them and go away them alone till it’s time on your annual evaluate.
2: Do away with Monetary contacts or teams on WhatsApp, Twitter and Fb. An investor is outlined by her means to course of data – and the easiest way to try this is to keep away from data. One of the best ways to handle time is to keep away from work (or be taught to say ‘no’).
3: Make investments like your rear finish is on hearth, or life will mild it up later.
4: In case your wants are far-off and you see a sideways market, pump in cash if attainable. That’s the greatest time to take a position.
5: Always remember that these positive factors are notional. A single occasion can lower your holdings by half. Mountaineers imagine they’ll climb a peak “if the mountain lets them”. Markets should not completely different. Bear in mind, notional losses are actual losses. Solely notional positive factors are notional. A goal-based systematic danger administration technique is crucial.
6: Your perspective in direction of cash itself and revenue and loss relies on how a lot cash you will have. I’ve seen my portfolio achieve or lose 10s of Rs, 100s –> 1000s —> ….. Alongside the best way, I realised that to achieve success, we want to be taught to lose/achieve lakhs daily and yearn for it.
7: Cash is a drug. The extra you will have, the extra you need to have. So, at some stage, you’ll have to draw the road. Rising the quantity you disclose to assist others on the similar charge at which your portfolio grows will preserve us grounded.
8: To be wealthy, we should first suppose like a wealthy particular person. Have a 10Y, 25Y or 35Y yr view of your life. Need To Get Wealthy? Write Your self A One Crore Cheque!
9: We can not purchase stuff with returns. Having sufficient cash is extra essential than getting excessive returns; they don’t seem to be the identical. The 2016 Private Finance Audit: Returns don’t matter!
10: Focus on the portfolio return essentially the most. Particular person funds could have their ups and downs. It’s tremendous if the portfolio strikes alongside at a wholesome tempo. That is the primary purpose for creating the freefincal mutual fund and monetary aim tracker. That is the one sheet I exploit to trace my targets and investments.
11: To make cash, two issues are obligatory: time and cash. Returns should not in our management. Those that need to grow to be financially free should make investments as if their lives depend upon it. For all others, attempt to make investments for retirement not less than as a lot as you spend or as near it as attainable. So ask your self: What’s your investing progress charge (CAGR)?
12: Get a correct pastime so that you just neglect about cash. Freefincal is, sadly, my pastime. Simply because I write about investing doesn’t imply I take a look at my portfolio every day and tinker with it. Each statue was as soon as a rock. It can grow to be a rock once more if we have no idea when to cease sculpting.
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Dr M. Pattabiraman(PhD) is the founder, managing editor and first creator of freefincal. He’s an affiliate professor on the Indian Institute of Expertise, Madras. He has over 13 years of expertise publishing information evaluation, analysis and monetary product growth. Join with him by way of Twitter(X), Linkedin, or YouTube. Pattabiraman has co-authored three print books: (1) You might be wealthy too with goal-based investing (CNBC TV18) for DIY buyers. (2) Gamechanger for younger earners. (3) Chinchu Will get a Superpower! for teenagers. He has additionally written seven different free e-books on numerous cash administration matters. He’s a patron and co-founder of “Payment-only India,” an organisation selling unbiased, commission-free aum unbiased funding recommendation.
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Most investor issues might be traced to a scarcity of knowledgeable decision-making. We made unhealthy selections and cash errors after we began incomes and spent years undoing these errors. Why ought to our youngsters undergo the identical ache? What is that this e-book about? As mother and father, what wouldn’t it be if we needed to groom one means in our youngsters that’s key not solely to cash administration and investing however to any facet of life? My reply: Sound Determination Making. So, on this e-book, we meet Chinchu, who’s about to show 10. What he desires for his birthday and the way his mother and father plan for it, in addition to educating him a number of key concepts of decision-making and cash administration, is the narrative. What readers say!
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