Wishing a Happy New Year is the best way to close an eventful year and to introspect the year gone by and look forward at 2020 with optimistic approach. Year 2019 has been a volatile year with surprises ranging from the unnerving fluctuations in the price of gold and oil, a sharp fall in the rupee and the gradual implosion of taxes. However, in these unwelcomed circumstances, there have been “Some Financial Tips to Welcome the New Year“ by ShubhBank. Let us focus on such learnings to carry forward into 2020.
Goal-based approach to investing: if you don’t have any financial goals to reach then it is unlikely you will get anywhere. You should have approach towards investing in equities and bonds at random; it is unlikely that you will get too far in making wealth. It is always advisable to start your investment journey with your goals in mind. Outline your goals such as retirement, child’s education, vacations etc. Once you extrapolate the amount needed for these goals, you can create a core portfolio.
It is good to take some risks: A liquid fund will result in 6% annualized return which will come to be 4.50% after taxes. Forget about wealth creation because you cannot beat inflation; so you must take the risk of equities. When you have long term goals, you must look at equities as the preferred asset class.
A rupee saved is worth than rupee spent: The time when you spend the money, it is gone and so is its future value. If you save and invest the money in productive assets such as bonds and equities, it creates future value. With the passage of time, not only the principal amount but even returns generate the additional returns. There is an effective power of compounding in such cases. The goal of wealth creation remains extracting optimal savings out of your income.
No wealth creation with too much debt: Many people do not realize the consequences of large borrowings till they actually fall into debt trap. It not only puts burden on your cash flow but also reduces your potential and capacity to take financial risks. Some of the debts such as home loan or vehicle loan are inevitable but high cost debts such as outstanding credit card payments and personal loans are best kept at the minimum margin. The main concern of your financial planning should be repaying high cost debts first, if you have any of them.
Don’t panic about factors you cannot control: it is so natural to worry about the price hikes; return of same powers etc. but the fact is that you do not have any control over either. Being an investor, your focus must be on looking at existing risks and managing them. Most of the triggers are out of your control but the things that are in your control are stock selection and portfolio mix.
Hope, you may have a financially rewarding year with these tips. “Happy New Year 2020“!