Guides
SIP guides, written straight
Plain-English explanations of how SIPs, tax, inflation and returns actually work — no jargon, no sales pitch.
All guides
What Is a SIP? A Plain-English Guide
A clear explanation of Systematic Investment Plans: how they work, why rupee-cost averaging matters, and what they can and can't do.
SIP vs Lumpsum: Which Is Better?
When a lumpsum beats a SIP, when it doesn't, and why the honest answer depends on a question most comparisons ignore.
Step-Up SIP: Why Increasing Your SIP Matters
How raising your SIP each year as your income grows can dramatically increase your final corpus — with the maths laid out.
How SIP Returns Are Taxed (LTCG Explained)
Equity SIP taxation in plain terms: the 12.5% LTCG rate, the ₹1.25 lakh exemption, holding periods, and why each SIP instalment is taxed separately.
Why Inflation Makes Your SIP Worth Less Than You Think
Nominal vs real returns explained: why a ₹2 crore corpus in 20 years isn't ₹2 crore of today's money, and how to plan for it.
XIRR Explained: The Honest Way to Measure SIP Returns
Why XIRR is the right return metric for irregular SIP cashflows, how it differs from absolute return and CAGR, and how to read it.
7 Common SIP Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
The behavioural and planning errors that quietly cost SIP investors the most, from stopping in downturns to ignoring tax and inflation.
How Much Should You Invest in a SIP?
Frameworks for deciding your SIP amount: the goal-first method, the percentage-of-income method, and how to start when money is tight.
How to Start a SIP: A Beginner's Walkthrough
The practical steps to begin a Systematic Investment Plan in India — from KYC to your first auto-debit — explained plainly for first-timers.
Completing Mutual Fund KYC: A Step-by-Step Guide
What KYC is, why it's required, the documents you need, and how the online and offline processes work for mutual fund investing in India.
Direct vs Regular Mutual Fund Plans: What's the Difference?
Direct and regular plans hold the same portfolio but charge different fees. Here's how the cost gap works and why it compounds over time.
Documents Required to Start an Online SIP
A simple checklist of what you need to open and run a Systematic Investment Plan online in India.
Linking Your Bank Account for SIP Auto-Debit
How the auto-debit mandate behind a SIP works — e-NACH, OTM, registration time, and how to change or cancel it.
How to Compare Mutual Funds: The Factors That Matter
A neutral, educational look at the criteria investors use to evaluate funds — costs, mandate, track record, risk — without naming or ranking any specific fund.
Index Funds for Beginners: How Passive Investing Works
What an index fund is, how it differs from an actively managed fund, and the trade-offs of passive investing — explained plainly.
Large-Cap vs Mid-Cap vs Small-Cap: Understanding the Differences
What market-capitalisation categories mean, how their risk and return profiles differ, and why the distinction matters for a long-term investor.
How Many Mutual Funds Should a Portfolio Hold?
Why more funds isn't more diversification, what determines a sensible portfolio size, and the over-diversification trap — as education, not prescription.
Expense Ratio: What It Is and How It Eats Returns
A plain explanation of the mutual fund expense ratio, how it's charged, and why a seemingly small percentage compounds into a large sum over decades.
SIPs and Market Crashes: What History Suggests
What tends to happen to SIPs during sharp market falls, why continuing has often mattered, and the trade-offs — presented as education, not a directive.
Pausing a SIP During Volatility: The Trade-Offs
An even-handed look at the case for and against pausing a SIP when markets get choppy, and what the numbers tend to show.
Managing Volatility With Asset Allocation
How spreading money across asset classes — equity, debt, gold — can smooth a portfolio's ride, and why allocation tends to matter more than fund selection.
The Step-Up (Top-Up) SIP Strategy, in Depth
How a step-up SIP works, why raising contributions with income can dramatically lift your corpus, and the practical ways to implement it.
Flex SIP vs Fixed SIP: How They Differ
What a flexible SIP is, how it differs from a standard fixed SIP, and the trade-offs between automation and discretion.
From SIP to SWP: The Accumulation-to-Income Transition
How investors shift from building a corpus with SIPs to drawing a regular income with an SWP, and the key risks to understand at the switch.