My MF construct

 Each one have their own style of investing. Some focus on diversification, some on concentration, some on thematics and so on.

My construct for a MF is as follows:

50% Index funds (equal weightage or more towards Indian schemes)

a) Sensex

b) Nifty

c) Nifty Next

d) S&P

e) China Shanghai

f) Japan Nikkie  Index

g) European Index

20% Multi and Flexi Funds

a) Multi Asset fund

b) Flexi cap Fund

10% Mid/Small cap Funds

a) Mid cap funds

b) Small cap funds

10% Thematic Funds

a) Banking

b) Pharma

c) IT

d) Chemical

e) Infra

Ok, now that we have done, some reasoning for the above. 

Most of us do not have the time or inclination or ability to read and analyse the stock market. Thus 60% is put in Index which reflects the best of the stock market companies churned every now and then. So you are primarily invested in best of the companies all the time. Rare that you may lose based on the past trends.

You may have noticed I have not added Large cap funds. These are primarily in the index, so it will only duplicate.

Next is the multi asset (diff class of assets like gold, etc) and Flexi cap which has a mixture of large, small and midcap. These protect you from volatility.

 Then comes the risk part in small and mid cap. If you want a slightly better returns a certain level of risk is taken and it is in this group. 

Finally, thematic sectors. I notice that the market tends to work on themes. Thus Banking may be flavor of the month, then pharma etc. So this has a small risk, but returns can be higher. But a lot depends on when you get in and get out.

As can be seen, this is MY CONSTRUCT AND NO RECOMENDATIONS IF THIS IS A GOOD ONE. I believe, however that this can be a safe and non risky one with returns that should be reasonable. If you want more risk and returns decrease index and go more with small/Mid cap or thematic.

MF helps in getting a return without the worry of analysing/taking a buy/sell call etc. It is best left to experts.

I have not touched debt funds as those with poor, but steady returns may not beat inflation and can be only used at retirement for security of capital reasons.

Standard Rules

What Is the Rule of 72?

The Rule of 72 is a quick, useful formula that is popularly used to estimate the number of years required to double the invested money at a given annual rate of return.

• The Rule of 72 is a simplified formula that calculates how long it'll take for an investment to double in value, based on its rate of return.
• The Rule of 72 applies to compounded interest rates and is reasonably accurate for interest rates that fall in the range of 6% and 10%.
• Years To Double: 72 / Expected Rate of Return For Eg 72/6% means it will take 12 years for money to double at 6% 
  

 

What Is the 4% Rule?

The 4% rule is a guideline that recommends retirees withdraw 4% of their retirement funds in the first year after retiring, and then remove the same dollar amount, adjusted for inflation, every year thereafter. 

• The rule seeks to establish a steady and safe income stream that will meet a retiree's current and future financial needs.
• The rule was created using historical data on stock and bond returns over the 50-year period from 1926 to 1976. Some experts suggest 3% is a safer withdrawal rate with current interest rates; others think 5% could be OK
• Life expectancy plays an important role in determining a sustainable rate.

 

What is 100-Age rule?
 
 
Determining the allocation of assets is a pivotal choice for investors, and a widely used initial guideline by many advisors is the “100 minus age" rule. This principle recommends investing the result of subtracting your age from 100 in equities, with the remaining portion allocated to debt instruments. For example, a 35-year-old would allocate 65 per cent to equities and 35 per cent to debt based on this rule.

Brian Feroldi

Rule of 114
How much time in years it will take for your money to triple. Divide 114 by the interest rate at which you are compounding your money.
Rule of 144
How much time in years it will take for your money to quadruple. Divide 144 by the interest rate at which are compounding your money.

Rule of 70
How time it will take in years for your buying power to erode. Divide 70 by the current inflation rate to see how many years it will take for your purchasing power to half.

The 10, 5, 3 Rule
You can expect to earn 10% annually from stocks, 5% from bonds, and 3% from cash.

The 3-6 Rule
Put away at least 3-6 months worth of expenses and keep it in cash. This is your emergency fund.

 

The 15% Rule
Set aside at least 15% of your salary for retirement.

Age x Income / 10 Rule
This rule shows how good you are at building wealth. Multiply your age times your pre-tax income and divide by 10. This is what your net worth should be. I would rather divide by 5