A book that will improve your spending and investing habits

I recently read a wonderful book called The Undercover Economist by Tim Hartford which answers many questions related to business, governments and economic policies, without taking you into the depths of textbook economics. It brings economics to the reader in a delightful manner, with real-life examples that are easy to relate...

If SEBI has its way, investing in mutual funds will become cheaper

I have been arguing over the past few years that if an investor chooses to bypass the distributors to buy mutual fund units, he should not have to pay for the selling expenses of a fund company. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has taken the first step to ensure this. It has placed a notice on its website...

Distributors and financial planners encourage you to buy NFOs. Their advice is against your interest. Here is why

The year 2007 has been a quiet one in terms of new fund offers (NFOs). The previous year saw a record number of NFOs hitting the deck. If we look back, it is obvious that there is a correlation between the state of the markets and the number of NFOs getting launched. The moot...