Archives for July 2020

Warren Buffett’s formula for becoming smarter in life and investing is simple – “Read. A lot.”

“I just sit in my office and read all day,” he is often quoted to have said this.

I have seen a lot of investors, including myself, take this advice seriously. Though I don’t read all day, reading books – and a lot of them – seems a great way to build my learning.

My bond with books has grown so stronger over the years that now, just holding a book in my hands makes me feels smarter. 🙂

I don’t have a name for this bias, but our mind plays this funny trick with us often. Just after we buy a book, or pay for an education, we “feel” we have learned what lies inside it.

That is probably the reason most people I meet in my investing workshops want to get my recommendation for the best investing books to buy. We all feel smarter just by owning these books.

But the question is – Can you really become a smarter investor just by reading all these books, blogs, and other resources out there?

Is there something else you need more to become educated and smarter as an investor?

[Read more…] about The Right Kind of Investing Education

Download Screenshot Version

Consider these stock prices –

• NTPC – Rs 88 per share
• Bajaj Auto – Rs 3000 per share

Do these prices tell you something if you were to decide which of these stocks to buy?

[Read more…] about Think in Market Caps, Not Stock Prices

Why is this post so small? I have long been thinking of writing short posts, for multiple reasons. One, brevity makes me think harder as I must cut through the clutter and write only what is essential. Two, with considerably reduced attention spans, I risk losing your attention with long posts. Three, it makes my writing task easier. And so, here I am. Starting today, I am experimenting with writing posts that can fit into a mobile screenshot. I got this idea from here.

So, here is my first post that you may download as a screenshot. This should also help you save all my “screenshot posts” without the need to print them (maybe, use them as mobile flash cards), and also share with your friends etc.

[Read more…] about Stock Prices: Information or Influence?

Safal Niveshak completes nine years today. 🙂

I started with a simple idea in 2011, that of helping people become better at their stock market investment decisions. The idea was just that, and I had no clue how I would do it (I still have no clue about the future!)

However, a lot has happened in these nine quick years – and the tribe is nearing 85,000 members – but as with any kid of this age, we’re just getting started.

Most of all, I want to thank you for “raising” this initiative to this point — it truly could not have happened without you, dear tribe member.

I know I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating – Thank you so much for reading, for commenting, for your interest and support, for helping this entire movement of creating smarter and independent stock market investors become greater and spread wider.

You are magnificent, and I am supremely grateful for your time and attention.

Just in case Safal Niveshak has touched your life, I would be happy and honored to read your thoughts in the Comments section of this post.

Thanks again for being here!

With respect,
Vishal

If your portfolio earns 50% in one year and then loses 50% the next year, you are back to the same level, right?

Wrong!

Your two year return is still a negative 25%.

Here’s the calculation. Rs 100 becomes Rs 150 in year one, and then halves to Rs 75 in year two. So, net-net, you are down from Rs 100 to Rs 75 over two years, which is a -25% decline.

This seems elementary, but a lot of us miss this simple math.

Anyways, the point I am trying to make today is not about our innumeracy, but that to achieve a high return over a long period of time, we must focus on minimizing our mistakes.

[Read more…] about As Long As You Don’t Lose Money