So How Well Would You Have Done With FDs Only?


wealthymatters.comEvery time the stock markets tank or or equity returns look less than appealing,there is a tendency to want to return to the stable and predictable FDs. Why lose capital on the stock market or risk one’s money for lower rates than FDs?Why not just invest in FD’s and avoid the hassles of investing in the stock market?

In fact,what would have happened to you if you invested exclusively in FDs over the last thirty years?Ever wondered about that?If so,this link will give you your answer:Long Term Returns From FDs

Of course by locking in the higher rates ,when they appear, for as long as possible, and taking care to avoid FDs when they trail inflation rates for prolonged periods, you will be able to do a little better.Also these rates are those of the nationalized banks.You could earn a bit more by opting for smaller private banks and scheduled co-operative banks.You would still enjoy the same deposit insurance.

However the ravages of inflation should give you a pause before you decide on an all FD approach. Equity at worse is a necessary evil.

 

Historic Sensex Ratios


wealthymatters,comMemory has its limitations.If ever you want  to step back and go over historic P/Es,P/B and Dividend Yields of the SENSEX to get a better grip on things, here are the links:

1.For P/E link

2.For P/B link

3.For Dividend Yield link

The Best Areas To Make Money


Wealthymatters,comWhen you are next on the lookout for a new way to make money,fetch a paper and draw the Venn Diagram to the left.

Next introspect to fill up the various sets and subsets.

Talk to family,friends,colleagues and mentors,if possible, to fill in what you might have missed.

Then pick what looks like the most productive avenues to focus your effort on.

Rank them as per your preference and start on the first.

Persist till you have a sustainable break.

Continue to work in this line till you want to  try something new.

 

The Potential Of Small Beginnings


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“It (mustard seed) is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

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The Richest Man In Babylon


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‘The Richest Man In Babylon’  is a book by George Samuel Clason,first published in 1926, which teaches simple lessons in financial wisdom through a collection of parables set in ancient Babylon.

The book is well deserving of its status as a personal finance classic and is an extremely easy read both for adults and children.The parables have the power to make an indelible impression on the mind and teach lessons for life.I feel the book should join all the childhood classics such as Cinderella,Sleeping Beauty,Snow White, Aesop’s fables et al. After all it is so much easier and fun to learn financial wisdom from parables than through bitter experience.

Copies of the book can be bought online and in book stores easily and they make excellent gifts.It is also an excellent title for your personal library.Alsoyou can get free copies legally as it is off copyright.Here is the link to a free copy.

The following are my favourite excerpts from the book:

“…a man’s wealth is not in the purse he carries. A fat purse quickly empties if there be no golden stream to refill it. Arkad has an income that constantly keeps his purse full, no matter how liberally he spends.”

“Thou makest me to realize the reason why we have never found any measure of wealth. We never sought it. Thou hast labored patiently to build the staunchest chariots in Babylon. To that purpose was devoted your best endeavors. Therefore, at it thou didst succeed. I strove to become a skillful lyre player. And, at it I did succeed.” Read more of this post