Better by design

Experts shared tips on planning for times good and bad at THE WEEK-Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund investment education seminar

- NACHIKET KELKAR

We live in difficult times—expenses are rising, retail inflation rate touched 7.35 per cent in December. At the same time, interest rates are falling. Between February and October, the Reserve Bank of India cut repo rate by 135 basis points in a bid to give a lift to the economy. Equity markets have been volatile. Even as the benchmark indices have hit new highs over the past few months, people who have invested in small- and mid-caps have earned hardly anything in the past couple of years. In such a scenario, how do you plan for your dreams? How do you secure your family’s future?

In a seminar organised by THE WEEK and Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund in Mumbai, experts shared tips and ideas on the need for financial planning and how one should plan for the good times and bad times.

The annual savings rate of Indians has typically been around 30 per cent. Yet, barely about 2 per cent of the people invest in equity or equity-linked instruments. Traditionally, Indians preferred investing in gold or property. Over the past few years, however, residential real estate market has been down, and prior to 2019, gold delivered subdued returns for several years. As India does not have a social security system, planning to ensure that the financial goals are achieved is extremely crucial.