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CAGR Insights – 28 Oct 2022

CAGR Insights is a weekly newsletter full of insights from around the world of web.

Here’s the list of curated readings for you this week:

Personal Finance

  • In search of deposits, bankers embark on door-to-door campaign – Video of Canara Bank employees selling FD scheme on road is from Goregaon East, Mumbai, confirm branch employees. Read here.
  • Invest in companies that Handle hard well – The adversity will separate the wheat from the chaff, the three-stars with upside from five-stars without it, and those who can “handle hard well” from those who cannot. Read here.
  • Ready reckoner for Passive funds – The latest edition of Cafemutual’s Passive Ready Reckoner is now out. It gives you all details that you need to know – daily AUM, TER, tracking error, tracking difference (1 year), and returns (1, 3 and 5 years). Additionally, it also captures the 1-year average trading volume and impact cost for ETFs.Read here.

Investing

  • Fundamental Analysis of Asahi India Glass– Dr. Vijay Malik brings out deep insights on Asahi India Glass, India’s leading producer of automotive and float glass. Read here.
  • A Primer on Free Cash Flow  – Free cash flow is one of the most dangerous terms in finance, and I am astonished by how it can be bent to mean whatever investors or managers want it to, and used to advance their sales pitches, says Prof, Aswath Damodaran.  Read the blog here.
  • Hedge funder David Einhorn says value investing may be gone forever- There have been serious changes to the market structure and pretty much most of the value investors have been put out of business.  Watch the interview here.
  • Understanding the hospital industry – The hospital industry is emerging rapidly due to progression in technology, increasing penetration in health insurance and growth in various lifestyle diseases across the country. This knowledge session by Parag Parikh Mutual fund team provides valuable insights. Watch here.

Economy

  • India’s Plan to Unlock Gold Gets New Focus With Trade Gap Near Record- The deposit plan and a related sovereign gold bond scheme, which allows an investor to buy a bond priced at the value of gold without an underlying physical asset, are a “far cry from success,” representing less than 2% of India’s annual gold consumption. Read here.
  • ECB raises rates by 75 bps for 3rd straight time, hints at more hikes – In recent months, soaring energy and food prices, supply bottlenecks and the post-pandemic recovery in demand have led to broadening of price pressures and an increase in inflation, the central bank said. Read here.
  • RBI MPC holds an additional meeting – The Monetary Policy Committee will hold an additional meeting, according to a press release issued by the Reserve Bank of India today. The meeting will be held under provision of Section 45ZN of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, which pertains to drafting the committee’s report to the government on failure to meet the inflation targetting mandate. Read here.

CAGR Speak

  • Succession planning – Who is Next? This is one of the most daunting challenge several companies in India face. Read here.
  • Are women less confident about managing their own money?  Read here.

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Check out CAGRwealth smallcase portfolios here.

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That’s it from our side. Have a great weekend ahead!

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The content of this newsletter is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security in any jurisdiction. The content is distributed for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation to sell or buy any security or other investment, or undertake any investment strategy. There are no warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or results obtained from any information set forth on this newsletter unless mentioned explicitly. The writer may have positions in and may, from time to time, make purchases or sales of the securities or other investments discussed or evaluated on this newsletter.

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5 Common Money Mistakes We Make In Our 20s and 30s

Investments turned negative

As soon as we start earning our salary, we make some radical financial and monetary decisions, which end up being mistakes in the long run. There are quite a few reasons for this, but one that is commonly attributed to problems like these is low financial literacy. Our schools, colleges, and a number of years of formal education may prepare us to face the real world, but more often than not, it leaves us completely clueless about the financial world. This is why we have listed down 5 common money mistakes we make in our 20s and 30s, so you can avoid these! 

  1. Frivolous Spending- The indescribable joy of the first salary, the rush when your account shows salary credited, we understand how this can be an invitation to spend it all, and that’s exactly what we do in our 20s. Living beyond our means won’t get us to financial freedom anytime soon, and living paycheck to paycheck is certainly not the way to go. Since we are not taught the basics of money management from a young age, these skills take time to develop in our adulthood and may affect us in the long run, if we are not savvy with our expenses! 
  1. Not Having Financial Goals- Like with any destination, it is easy to get lost amidst the confusion if our journey is not mapped. Having a financial goal is really important because if we don’t have a financial plan, our expenses will be unhinged and you will be completely clueless when an emergency hits. We know the future is a long shot, and you might feel that there is time, but every year you don’t categorize your goals, you lose a layer of financial security. Start with short-term goals, like saving an x amount, or opening up a retirement fund, just the thought is a wise investment in your future! 
  1. Credit Cards- Oh the ominous credit card! When we are in our early 20s and 30s, maintaining an image (and over the top credit card limit!) is all the rage. This habit is extremely harmful especially in your 20s if you have education loans and other debts pending. Plastic is drastic, this rings true for that credit card lingering in your wallet waiting to add exponential debt with its towering interest rates and deceptive rewards. However, if you are of the very disciplined ones, you might think about owning 1 credit card. 
  1. Not Having An Emergency Fund- Usually, having any money saved at all at the end of the month quickly translates to orders from Zomato and that red dress from Zara- although indulgences are good once, in a while, you are completely going bare if you don’t have an emergency fund. The pandemic has taught us bitterly that job security and financial wellness may all well be transient and that fortune favors the prepared. Not having an emergency fund will be crippling if any sort of financial or health emergency arises, you will be on shaky ground! 
  1. My Friend Told Me To Invest In..- Beware of this! We understand that friendships are important, but take everything with a grain of salt. We have all been guilty of falling trap of conjecture and investing our money in a risky stock which we would not have otherwise. Falling trap to what others are saying is a common problem, but it can be extremely pricey when it involves literal money! Investing is a great tool for your money to work for you, but make sure that you do your own research and not fall into so-called trends and end up in grave financial danger! 
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5 Tips To Customise The Perfect SIP Plan For You-


There are so many different options and ways in which you can catapult your journey towards financial freedom if you make the decision to wisely invest your money. We often find that taking the first step towards our goals is the most bewildering as there are so many financial products available in the market. If you are a beginner, then a SIP is perfect for you! A Systematic Investment Plan allows you to save and invest your money regularly, it does not have to be a huge amount, which is why it allows beginners to start their journey towards financial freedom. You can choose to start a SIP on a monthly, weekly, or yearly basis depending on your needs.  Here’s what you can do to make the most out of your SIP investment! 

  1. Make sure that the mutual fund or the SIP plan that you choose, has been around the market for at least 5 years. Do not jump to invest in the trendiest plans or the most touted funds- instead, research and collate your needs and capacity to your investment. A great way to do this is to analyse the returns of a fund over a considerable amount of time and then make the calculated decision of whether you need to invest in this or not. Make sure that the fund house that you choose to invest in is recognizable and is registered by SEBI. 
  1. A high volatile fund might attract you to invest a chunk of your money in it, but make sure that you first analyze the current financial market before you hop on to trends. A great way to do that is to track the stock market and analyze the volatility of the market before you invest in high volatile stock / fund. See their past trends and returns, if they have a consistent track record, investing might be a good option. Stay away from risks like low liquidity by actually doing the homework and not falling prey to trends as they can become quite costly. 
  1. The total corpus should be expansive. If you are new to investing, look for funds with a corpus size of 500 – 1000 crores. 
  1. Try investing in tax-saving schemes like an Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS). These schemes are not only a lucrative way to get back high returns on an investment but also help tax deduction up to Rs 1.5 Lakh a year. ELSS can also be used as a Growth Fund which can be used as a long-term wealth creation platform, where you can realize the full value of the investment when you choose to redeem it. ELSS linked schemes are great for young and old investors alike who are starting out their investment journey, and looking for a higher rate of tax deductions. 
  1. Diversify your portfolio. We always like to stick to our comfort zone and invest in stocks that are only doing well for the current time period, ignoring the other stable stocks, which go a long way to protect us from the volatility of the market. The returns of the major asset categories like stocks, bonds, and cash move differently at all times, as the forces of the market can help one category do better and hinder the growth of another. By diversifying your portfolio you can reduce the risk of losing money and make sure that the overall investment stays stable. 

Don’t be afraid of venturing out and taking a step towards securing your financial future. The plethora of financial advice and investment plans can confuse any first-time investor, which is why we recommend that you choose a financial roadmap that is unique to your own needs and goals and make sure that you are consistent and stick to it! Deciding to take the first step is half the job done! 

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5 Tips To Optimize Your First Salary

When we first earn our hard-earned salary, our emotions often get the best of us, and we end up spending so much that we’re left with almost nothing, too soon. What’s worse, it might end up as a bad habit and will hurt us in the long run. Relying on well-known baristas every day for coffee, ordering food online might satisfy your urges, but only for a few hours. We know what it’s like to be swayed by our wants so easily, which is why we are sharing these 5 financial tips: 

1. Start Saving Up For Your Retirement- Although you might think that your retirement has ages to come, consider saving up for it NOW. If your company adds a percentage to your retirement savings, then you are lucky, but if they don’t create your own which automatically deducts the amount as soon as your salary comes in. Treat it like you are paying a bill, but the most fun part is- that you are only paying YOURSELF! 

2. Hire a Professional- Creating our own financial goals might be easy, but getting there is difficult, as we need to map very complex financial routes that might be beyond our own bandwidth. That’s where professionals like CAGRfunds come in.  They assess the health of your finances and assign plans or investments that help you get to your goals. Start small with an annual financial check and then build up a relationship! 

3. Accelerate Debt Repayments- Try to pay off your debts as soon as possible. They may be your student loans, credit cards, or any type of personal loan you might have taken. It’s simple- start off with the loans which accrue a high interest, in most cases, they are credit card loans or student loans. Like the retirement option, try automated payments towards these loans so it feels like a monthly bill, so you don’t have to depend on the last moment to scramble over your finances.

4. Invest in a PPF or an ELSS- Under section 80C of the Income Tax Act of 1961, Equity Linked Savings Scheme or ELSS is a tax saving investment wherein by investing in it, you can claim a rebate of up to 1,50,000 and save almost 50,000 a year in taxes! It is the only kind of mutual fund that is eligible for tax benefits under section 80c.   A PPF or a Public Provident Fund is a government-supported retirement saving scheme to help generate small-scale savings towards retirement. It is also a tax-saving investment that helps you build your retirement fund while saving you some money from getting taxed. 

5. Create an Emergency Fund- The pandemic has taught everyone about the dangers of uncertainty and the chaos that it may bring. Any unforeseen circumstance might befall you causing you to incur heavy expenditure. Again, automating your payments towards your emergency funds, and treating it like a bill, helps you to make creating funds easier. 

We hope these 5 easy tips help you forge a path towards your financial goals! Happy saving and investing!