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5 Money Questions To Ask Yourself

The pandemic has made us realize how important it is to be prepared to meet a crisis. While we try to make ends meet during this time of uncertainty, we’re constantly left wondering whether we’re financially equipped to fight a situation. 

It’s true that the pandemic has made people take their finances seriously. Knowing where you stand in the financial abyss, you need to be ready for what you are going to be facing in the future. 

There are several different ways one can check their financial health and be ahead of the crisis.  To start with, here are a few questions to ask yourself to see how financially sound you are.

  1. What is your income source and frequency? 

The first question you need to ask yourself is about the money you are earning. It may be your salary, a return on investment or any form of profit earned from your business. All of these are considered as your incomes.  These incomes will determine how much you can spend. You also need to ask yourself how often your investments are giving returns, and how frequently you are getting a salary. It is important to ask this question in order to determine a pattern of income which can help you use the money wisely.

  1. How much do you spend?

While many people spend their income on their needs and wants, one has to ask how much they can spend on a specific goal. You need to plan how you spend your funds so that you have stability even if a sudden expense occurs.  The best way to be safe from such risks is to spend according to a predetermined plan that you have set up for yourself. If you follow the money management rule, it will effectively help you determine your income and make efficient use of it. 

  1. How much debt do you have to pay?

The word debt can cause uneasy feelings and create anxiety. Debt management is an important part of being financially and mentally healthy as too much of a loan can put you under a lot of stress. So check how much you owe and plan to reduce its burden as soon as you can. Remember, being debt free is a great stress reliever and will help you grow financially stronger. 

  1. Do I have funds for emergencies?

The core aspect of a financial plan is putting cash away for emergencies. Uncertainty will leave you with no choice but to drown in debt. To avoid this, you can start saving money for emergencies. You can start small and be consistent. You could also consider insurance for your family, which is a smaller expense. 

  1. Are your risks covered? (Insurance)

Being insured is one of the best ways to be safe from the uncertainty that life brings. Returns may vary for each investment. While being insured is an additional expense from your pocket, it will help you in times of emergencies like pandemics, economic recessions, inflation or any other form of a problem you face with your income stream. 

These are the few crucial questions that will help you know where you stand as far as money management is concerned. It’s important to have the right financial plan to get through circumstances stress-free, and with minimum damage to your lifestyle. Do you think you are financially healthy? Leaving you with this food for thought for the time being. 

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15 Frugal Tips To Save A Lot Of Money

A frugal lifestyle is often confused with a life that sacrifices on quality. This is because the term frugal is, more often than not, misconstrued as a negative one. If done the right way, choosing to be frugal can actually add more value to your life. Do you agree? 

The art of frugal living

A lifestyle where you are very intentional with your spending is a frugal lifestyle. It is about prioritizing your money on things that truly matter, and cutting out all the frills that don’t. If you choose to only look at the sacrifices you make, it is bound to get difficult to stay on this path. However, if you look on the bright side, these sacrifices add to larger benefits down the road. 

Why is frugal living a great idea?

The benefits that come with choosing a frugal lifestyle are multifold. 

  • It puts you on the path to financial freedom by accelerating how quickly you achieve your personal financial goals.
  • It allows for a cause-and-effect reality to take hold in terms of finances.
  • You get to decide where you spend your hard-earned money. 

How does one live a frugal lifestyle?

If you’ve tried to lead a frugal lifestyle over the years but have fallen off the wagon, it’s okay. If you are new to this life, then it may seem difficult at first. That is also okay. We’ve been there. We are all for that frugal lifestyle, and over the years we have found tips and tricks that really lower expenses and help us save a lot of money. 

We’ve put together some of our favorite tips for you to save money while living your best life. When we say this, we understand that a frugal lifestyle means different things to different people. We just want to help you live a life that aligns with your goals. 

  1. Start budgeting your finances 

Your first tool towards a frugal lifestyle and your financial success is creating and sticking to a budget. It helps you prioritize things that are important and cut out the ones that are not. There are many tools available to help you plan your budget. You can start by maintaining either a weekly or monthly budget, whatever works for you. 

  1. Take stock of your pantry 

If you ever walk into your pantry and take stock of the food available, you’ll be surprised. In today’s digital world, ordering food at the click of a button has spoiled us rotten. Instead, get into the habit of making meals at home with what is available. The fact that it is healthier than take-out food is an added bonus. Of course, you can indulge in food from your restaurant; you just don’t need to do it four times a week. 

  1. Sell the things you don’t need 

If you look around, there’ll be five things in your direct line of vision that you can do without. Set a day aside, look around the house and put aside things that you have outgrown. With a little bit of effort, this clutter can be cashed through different platforms such as Facebook and eBay, to name a few. 

  1. Start thrifting 

Local thrift stores and online marketplaces can really surprise you with the things on sale and the prices they are available at! Apart from saving up tons of money, you’ll also be saving the planet. A win-win situation, we say. 

  1. Upcycle your wardrobe 

Have you ever considered shopping in your closet? Yes, it’s true. If you look into the deep corners of your closet, you’ll unearth clothes and shoes that are begging for your attention. Sew some patchwork on that jacket or cut your denim and turn them into shorts. You can be fashionable, even on a budget!

  1. Walk or bike whenever you can 

We’re all guilty of taking the car to the nearby grocery shop that is within walking distance. Next time, ditch the car and walk instead. Not only will you save on a lot of petrol money, you’ll also end up burning some calories in the process. 

  1. Workout at home 

A membership at a good gym can really burn a hole in your pocket. Instead, join an online workout class that is relatively cheaper and also lets you work out at ease. Or you can ditch a membership altogether and pull out a video from YouTube instead.

  1. Automate your savings and investments 

It is easy to fall into the habit of overspending when your savings and investments are not automated. Get a financial advisor on board and figure out places where you can invest in and automate them. Also, go through your expenses and set up automatic payments wherever possible. 

  1. Evaluate your subscriptions 

Do you really need subscriptions to six OTT platforms? You’ll be surprised at the amount you pay on an annual basis just to watch one movie from that one platform. Keep the ones that are worth keeping and cancel the rest. 

  1. Get a side gig 

The gig economy is booming in the country and all over the world. Pick up a part-time job near your house or even one that requires you to work from home. There are tons of exciting options available.

  1. Shop in bulk 

You’ll be surprised at the amount you save when you buy certain things like toilet paper, soap, paper napkins, among others, in bulk. The price per unit is low when you purchase large quantities. Make a list of items that you use daily, and next time you go grocery shopping, buy them in bulk and keep them. 

  1. Plan your travels better 

Travelling does not have to be an expensive affair if you plan it well. Try to plan your travels during the ‘off-season’ as everything is relatively cheaper. Ditch the expensive hotels and opt for a beautiful Airbnb instead. Also, avoid the tourist traps and eat where the locals eat, instead. Not only will you save up on cash, but you’ll also get to eat some of the best food!

  1. Make gifts instead of buying 

There is a certain emotion associated with gifts that are handmade instead of store-bought. Gifting during the holiday season can be expensive. You can check out videos on YouTube for some great gift making ideas!

  1. Grow your vegetables 

If you are blessed to have a small open patch in your house where you can grow a vegetable garden, do it! Apart from being fun and inexpensive, there is also a sense of great satisfaction associated with it. 

  1. Ditch the expensive coffee 

We’ve all been there and done that. Try ditching that expensive cup from Starbucks and instead start brewing your coffee at home. There are some top-notch home-grown brands that source the best coffee from all over the country. Your wallet and taste buds will thank you.

As you can see from the tips above, a frugal lifestyle does not ask you to give up your favorite cereal brand or stay at home instead of going on a vacation. Also, don’t cut back on too many things too fast, as it is bound to backfire. It all comes down to the strategy and approach you choose for yourself. If you get addicted to this lifestyle, we completely and happily accept all the blame!

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Track Your Mutual Fund Investments Real Time

Till some time ago, every family had a relationship manager who would periodically come and meet our parents and discuss his mutual fund investments with him. And that was the only time our parents could get to know how their funds were doing. This is similar to those times when the only way to send money to someone was to visit a bank branch and deposit some cash/cheque.

With the onslaught of technology, everyone is seeking more convenience in everything that they do. So we don’t want to visit bank branches anymore and neither do we want to depend on our advisor to tell us how our money is doing. At CAGRfunds, we realized this urge for independence and therefore provided our clients with the convenience of tracking their investments on their own personal CAGR dashboard.

Once you register and start investing through the CAGR platform, you are assigned your own login details with which you get access to your own dashboard. Not only can you invest in mutual funds online but also track how your funds are performing.

But you do get a bunch of statements on your email, right? So what is there to track? Well, three reasons why our dashboard helps:

Comprehensive Data:

Some reports give you the value of how much your money has grown while others show you the list of transactions you have made. We give you everything relevant at one place. We show you how much you have invested, the current invested value, the absolute return and the annual return.Not only that, we show you the individual funds that you are invested in and what is the return you are making both at the fund and portfolio level. We also show you how your investments are split between asset classes and if it is in sync with your decided asset-allocation.

Simple Enough For Anyone To Get It:

The fine print and numbers overload on the statements you get on email makes it all the more complicated. Either you sift through all the information yourself or stay uninformed. We obviously don’t want that and hence our dashboard and reports are quite simple. Our clients told this to us! Don’t believe? Read here.

Any Time Visibility:

Reports generally come to you at the end of the month or when you transact. But with us, the next time you are discussing investments with your friend, just log in, check your current portfolio value and returns and have a more informed discussion!

We, therefore, ensure that you stay in complete control of your portfolio. So the next time you call us, it is only to discuss your portfolio, not to get data – because your dashboard gives you all the data you need!

If you have been facing trouble tracking your investments and want to switch to a truly delightful investing experience, do not hesitate to call / Whatsapp us on +91 97693 56440. You can also comment on this post or email us on contact@cagrfunds.com.

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Our Investment Experts Cater To The Minutest Of Queries

This post is quite close to our hearts. Because in many ways, it defines who we are.

Let us talk about two recent examples.

Example 1

The other day, we met a 35-year-old salaried individual who had not started investing yet. He knew it was high time he should start deploying his surplus money to better use, but who has the time with a 12-hour job! While we were discussing his financial goals, he gave us a pile of 5 booklets (call them policies). And he smiled and said – “Can you please go through them and tell me what to do?”

And so we did. We not only analyzed the policies for him, we ended up giving him some useful advice, based on our expertise.

So, trust us when we say we go beyond our job description, to help clear those small doubts in your head, which you never ask or share with others!

Example 2

A month back, we met a 22-year-old female who wanted to start saving. It was a usual savings-discussion we were having when she mentioned, how she had no idea about what her tax liability would be that year.

This was of concern because she had just received her salary slip where tax had been deducted for the very first time. She asked if we could help her. And there we were, helping her calculate her tax.

The point we are trying to make is – we are always there for you.

We can never promise to do just everything for you, but if it is within our realm of possibility and knowledge, then we go all out to help you.

You must be thinking why on Earth do we do it? Well, we believe in getting married to our clients. We are not just a platform where you can begin investing or a set of people who will list out 3 funds to invest in.

We are a bunch of financial experts who treat our clients like family. And we do that in our style!

Did a financial query just pop up in your mind? Do not hesitate to call / Whatsapp us on +91 97693 56440. You can also comment on this post or email us on contact@cagrfunds.com

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How CAGRfunds Makes Investing Simple For You

How CAGRfunds decodes the complexity of financial planning for you?

When we first started this business, we went out to talk to our friends about what they thought about investing and financial planning. May we say, we were surprised with the kind of responses we got?

While some of them knew bits and pieces of what financial planning means, most of them were upfront about why they never thought about it. Or rather, thought about it but kept on delaying any action. It was just too complex. That is when we decided to keep investing simple. Whether it was the concepts, the terminology, the planning or the transactions, we were absolutely sure that everything about financial planning needs to be simple.

So we started spending time with every such person we met. Our conversation never started from “How much do you want to invest?” We almost always just asked, “What do you do with your salary or earnings?” As we got answers to what people did with their earnings, we asked more questions, and then more answers. We think we are very good listeners. So that helps us to understand how best we can simplify your finances for you. And thus started the journey of decoding or let us say de-jargonizing the process of financial planning.

Likewise, we never get into terms like CAGR, ROI, risk profile, net worth etc. At CAGRfunds, we believe that there is always a simple layman-way of explaining things. So we generally pick up situations from your life to explain every relevant term to you. For example, if you are an entrepreneur and are wondering how risky will equity mutual funds be, we will perhaps take instances of how you set up your company to give you a sense of what risk in equity means.

Being able to de-jargonize and break down financial planning into simple concepts has helped us a lot in connecting with people who have limited understanding of finance and numbers or who are unable to take the right decisions about managing their money. And hence, we love to interact with people.

If you are one of them who wants to grow their wealth but is confused about how to go about it, maybe you should befriend us. We don’t charge you for a conversation, so no harm giving it a try!!

Whatsapp / Call us on +91 97693 56440 or email us on contact@cagrfunds.com.

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Crazy about being fit? How about some financial fitness?

Ajay, my neighbor, was a regular “fitness freak” and never failed to capture my avid respect for his assiduous dedication to his fitness regimen. Three years ago, I was impressed enough to seek his friendship and invited him over for dinner. It was across the dinner table that I discovered his personal dilemma.

His passion for physical fitness was total and amply rewarded. However, he was nursing a deep regret in that he saw no way of realizing his abiding dream of starting a fitness center. In twenty years of working as a gym instructor, he had not managed to save any money.

As a financial planning aficionado, I immediately put on my “financial adviser” hat and apprised Ajay of “Financial Fitness” – how, by following a simple set of money management skills, a stress-free life of financial well-being can be ensured.

 1) Have predefined financial goals

The secret of financial stability begins with sorting and ordering priorities and with defining short term and long term goals. It is essential to achieve this clarity so that resources can be managed and plans laid out, to align with fine-tuned goals. If there is no sense of direction, the destination cannot be reached.

2) Calculate net worth

Once the goals and priorities are defined, assets and liabilities need to be assessed to determine the net worth of an individual. If a huge loan repayment is pending, an investor’s net worth may be negative, a situation that calls for urgent and concerted financial planning.

3) Manage Taxes

Taxes are often considered a necessary evil. While this may be true, there are numerous ways to harvest the benefit of government schemes and reduce taxable income, in the process. Filing tax returns before the stipulated deadlines and avoiding any direct or indirect course of tax evasion goes a long way towards inducing financial discipline.

4) Invest regularly

Simply depositing money in a bank cannot be the most productive way of capitalizing on savings. Investing is a wiser route to beating inflation and simultaneously building a corpus over a period of time. Align investments with pre-defined goals. It is possible that at all times sufficient funds for investments are not available; nonetheless, regular and disciplined investments should be maintained every month. Start small, but start early! Read more about this here

5) Earn as well as learn

Financial knowledge is not everyone’s forte. The lack of adequate information should not accrue as the stumbling block in financial decision making. There is no harm in consulting financial experts. Broadening the knowledge base in this domain can prove extremely rewarding. It is never too late to learn how to earn.

6) Maintain an emergency fund

If there is one thing that will remain constant, it is the ever changing scenarios that life will keep presenting as challenges. To deal with unexpected exigencies efficiently, an individual should have saved an emergency fund, which should ideally equal about 5 to 6 times of the monthly expenses. This will ensure the much needed cushion in times of emergency.