There is more to retirement planning than just buying a few retirement plans. Retirement planning requires number crunching more than one gives credit to it. A proper mathematical approach will not only help identify the retirement needs but also how to reach the target, how much to withdraw regularly without running out of capital, and so on. Unfortunately, we have seen that, in most cases, an individual has not saved enough for his retirement. It has been observed that an individual haphazardly approaches retirement planning by purchasing insurance schemes with retirement benefits or through some retirement plans. We focus too much on the off-the-shelf instruments, or one that is widely advertised, or a plan that has a big pension fund backing it, or one that claims to offer a very high yield without considering the risk behind such claims. Here are some steps in your retirement planning.
As you welcome the new year, it helps to reflect on how you did in the past year. The past few years have driven the point that financial planning enables you to prepare for any outcome. Here is a checklist of six items you need to tick in your financial planning process to prepare for 2022. Vikas Singhania, CEO, TradeSmart, "Every year requires one to go through a new budget preparation exercise, taking into account the present realities. Among the first thing that one needs to know is where do they stand in terms of income and expenses. Within the various elements, it is important to review your spending and try to plug any holes. Provide for at least six-month of cash in case of any unpleasant surprises, in case of a lockdown and job losses, as was witnessed in the first two phases of the pandemic."
By Vikas Singhania National Mathematics Day 2021: Legendary investor Warren Buffett has been quoted as saying that he made his first investment at the age of 11, till then he was wasting his life. Not all of us can have the same wisdom that early in life. In investing, starting early has its advantage, but it’s never too late to start. Even if one has started investing at a later age, the choice of a better investing instrument can help in catching up on lost time.
With just 10 days left to usher in the New Year 2022, it is the time of the year when people go high on making resolutions for every sphere of life. Among New Year resolutions, financial pledges related to investments and tax planning of all sorts are generally high on most individuals' promise lists including of near and dear ones. While talking to CNBC-TV18, Vikas Singhania, CEO at TradeSmart said that careful planning is required through the year not only to ease the year-end pressure, but also to get better returns. An individual can avail deduction of up to Rs 1.5 lakh under section 80-C of the Income Tax Act. There are various options available under this to avail the exemption. Some of them give fixed returns, while it may vary for others as they are market-linked instruments.
Vikas Singhania, CEO, TradeSmart, said that regulating the nascent algo market is the need of the hour, especially since the media has reported a number of cases of retail clients losing money based on false promises made by vendors. “However, in its attempt to weed a few bad cases, SEBI is putting in hurdles that can restrict the growth of algo trading in India. It will be difficult for brokers to provide APIs if the conditions mentioned in the consultation paper are implemented.”
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday said that it has enhanced the investment limit via United Payments Interface (UPI) in initial public offering (IPO) and RBI Retail Direct Scheme for G-Secs to Rs 5 lakh. The current limit for the same is Rs 2 lakh for making investments. According to Vijay Singhania, Chairman at TradeSmart, this is an important step in widening the primary market investor base. “Till date, the facility was available mainly to retail investors, who are categorized as those who invest up to Rs 2 lakh in an IPO. By increasing the limit, the market is now open to High Net Worth Individuals (HNIs). National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella organization for retail payments, recently reported that over 7.6 million mandates were created in November compared with just 1.14 million in the preceding month. RBI's move will help increase these numbers further,” Singhania said.
The transaction limit will be enhanced to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 2 lakh for UPI payments for RBI's Retail Direct scheme. IPO applications of Rs 2-5 lakh constitute approximately 10% of subscriptions, said the RBI Governor. "The RBI by proposing an increase Unified Payment Interface (UPI) transaction limit for investing in IPOs from its current limit of Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh is an important step in widening the primary market investor base. Till date, the facility was available mainly to retail investors, who are categorized as those who invest up to Rs 2 lakh in an IPO. By increasing the limit, the market is now open to High Net Worth Individuals (HNIs). National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella organization for retail payments, recently reported that over 7.6 million mandates were created in November compared with just 1.14 million in the preceding month. RBI's move will help increase these numbers further." said Vijay Singhania, Chairman of TradeSmart, an NSE registered leading tech enabled discount brokerage firm.
Sebi's decision to defer the implementation of the 50 per cent cash margin rule for future and options traders till February 28 will help market participants to adjust to the new process of segregation and monitoring, experts said on Wednesday. Welcoming Sebi's decision, Vijay Singhania, Chairman, TradeSmart, said that the major issue in the implementation of the rule is the lack of practicality. "Sebi circular requires segregation of client funds in different segments like cash, F&O, currency etc., and to upload the same to clearing corporation/ PCM. It is practically not possible," he said.
When the Meghalaya government launched a mobile app in July to verify pensioners' identities using facial recognition technology, it led to criticism over privacy concerns. In response to a legal notice from Jodhpur-based law student Jade Jeremiah Lyngdoh flagging privacy concerns with the "Pensioner’s Life Certification Verification" app, the state government said the use of FRT was not mandatory. Those who had concerns could opt out, they said. “IFF has raised some valid points here. Data security and error rates in FRT seem to be a major concern of the government. On this, I can only think of a quote by Steve Jobs: 'Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes.' It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations,” remarked Vikas Singhania, CEO at TradeSmart.
The cost of education is rising sharply with each passing year. For example, the inflation rate for education stands at over 10-11% in India, meaning that you have to collect a sizeable corpus to give your children a quality education. Vikas Singhania, CEO, TradeSmart says "With the inflationary pressure, education alone may cost you a moon going forward. Add to this the reality of online education, tuition costs, healthcare, insurance and sundry expenses, gadget costs, and you realize handling these whopping expenses is no child's play. So the only option, to avoid a possible debt trap to secure child's future, is to start investing early."
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The great American investor Warren Buffett bought his first stock at the age of 11. It shows that one can learn stock investing at a young age. Vikas Singhania, CEO, TradeSmart, says “One can invest in stocks for minors and also encourage the child to monitor them to develop a habit of investing. The only condition is that it should be in good companies with strong management.” Note that the investment made is periodic to get the benefit of compounding and averaging.
Children learn life skills mainly from their parents, teachers, and friends. As schools and colleges do not teach the management of personal finances at a practical level, nor are friends in a position to learn from each other, the onus of informing kids about finances falls on parents. Vikas Singhania, CEO, TradeSmart, said it is crucial for the child to know about the current scenario for them to help improve the situation. Parents will be pleasantly surprised at how soon kids pick up these points. In the current uncertain scenario, it becomes essential that children know about managing their finances and wealth. "Dinner table talks and family outings are good occasions to talk about the nuances of finance and real estate," Singhania said.
Awareness of savings, early investment is essential for lifelong financial management. Unfortunately for children and young students, financial literacy is often left out of the formal education system curriculum. Having said that, when it comes to teaching children financial management skills, there are some digital platforms that assist kids to start their investment education. TradeSmart: A technology-focused discount online broking firm that simplifies investments for young and tech-savvy Indians. A member of NSE, TradeSmart provides online trading in – Cash, Futures and options, currency derivatives, commodities, mutual funds and ETFs for investors and online traders. The platform also benefits its users with informative blogs on IPOs, trading, stocks, investments, share market, etc.
Vikas Singhania, CEO, TradeSmart - Children from a young age should have a healthy relationship with money, and the only way to do that as a parent is to set an example. Educating a child about money is a process and not a one-day job. Teaching should start with making them aware of how money works. Taking them shopping and using cash to make the transaction will help them see money working in action. This will, however, also send the message that money is meant to be spent. They will see you buying stuff for the house and even for themselves by giving money. Here is where the lessons on saving money need to be taught simultaneously.
For investors looking to accumulate Rs 1 crore, the 15x15x15 mutual fund rule is the mantra to reach the financial goal. The rule states that if you invest Rs 15,000 per month through a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) for 15 years in an equity mutual fund that offers 15 percent annualised returns, it will accumulate a corpus of Rs 1 crore. ou should start saving early to get the most out of this rule and achieve this goal. Further, since interest rates rarely touch 15 percent these days, investing in equities in good quality stocks can be a way to achieve regular higher returns, said Vikas Singhania, CEO at TradeSmart.
New Fund Offers (NFOs) are generally introduced when the markets are doing well. As this is the time when more people are attracted to markets, giving an opportunity to mutual fund companies to make the most of it. This year also, when markets have mostly done well, several new fund offers were launched by asset management companies (AMCs). According to Vikas Singhania, CEO, TradeSmart, even as the price is low, there are certain risks of investing in an NFO that one should understand. “An NFO is attractive to an investor because of its low price, however, it carries certain risks with it. An existing fund has several years of track record and has a portfolio that can be dissected to see if it matches the investors’ risk, return and volatility profile. On the other hand, an NFO only has the schemes’ offer letter to rely on which generally are too verbose to digest,” Singhania told FE Online.
In a bid to begin the upcoming financial year on a positive note, every year the Indian Stock Exchange market opens for one hour during Diwali – the biggest time to trade in the industry. The entire brokerage community comes together to trade after performing Lakshmi Pujan at this auspicious time which is relevantly called as Muhurat Trading. This year it falls on 4th November, opens at 6:15 PM IST and closes at 7:15 PM IST. A 50 years old tradition – a once in a year one-hour window, still not known by most Indians, is a lost opportunity to make smart money by trading enthusiasts. This is where TradeSmart’s bonafide Muhurat Trading Campaign #SmartAarambh comes into the picture to spread awareness and educate the masses on the significance of Muhurat Trading.
There are several investment options that can help in making your loved ones wealthy in the long run. According to Vikas Singhania, CEO, TradeSmart, these are different times we are living in, especially with the threat of pandemics still lurking. A stable and secure financial future would be the ultimate gift to the family. “With Diwali almost upon us, family members, especially the younger ones are waiting anxiously for their gifts. While it is important to maintain our culture and traditions, it is equally important to start new ones, especially those that will help improve the financial health of the family,” Singhania told Financial Express.
In India, Diwali marks the beginning of a new financial year. Every year, Indian stock markets open a one-hour trading session called Muhurat Trading to celebrate a good day and start the financial year positively. Muhurat, in simple terms, can be described as the best astrological time of the day. Muhurat Trading has significance as it marks the new year or “Samvat”. A trading platform to consider for Muhurat Trading this Diwali: TradeSmart - A new age digital-first- advanced trading platform. If you are a new investor and wish to attend the process of opening a free Demat account without any hassle, then TradeSmart should be your go-to application. The new AI-enabled E-KYC- feature assists the opening of a seamless error free Demat account. A member of NSE, TradeSmart provides online trading in – Cash, Futures and Options, Currency Derivatives, Commodities, Mutual Funds and ETFs for investors and online traders. TradeSmart offers simplified products – SINE, SWING, SWING API, BOX and TradeSmart MF. The application has a simple and user-friendly interface to facilitate its users with a seamless trading experience.
