Managing rent, setting up investment strategy: Top personal finance stories

What tenants should ask from landlords in rent agreements; how to bring discipline in your market play. Our newsletter explains

As rents rise, here is what tenants can do

Over the past couple of years, demand for rental housing has surged while supply has failed to keep pace. Consequently, rental rates have soared across cities. In this week’s lead story, Sanjay Kumar Singh and Karthik Jerome offer tips to tenants on how to cope with the steep rise in rentals.

Most investors devote the bulk of their time and energy to finding the winning funds. Deepesh Raghaw, a Sebi-registered investment advisor, argues that asset allocation and investors’ own behaviour in various market environments play a bigger part in determining portfolio returns.

Also Read: Top 10 insurance companies' policy terms and premium amount

If you wish to protect your family against financial hardships, buy a term plan with a sum insured equal to at least 10 times your annual income. If you’re looking for options, go through the table on these plans provided by Policybazaar.com.

Small-cap funds have given a robust return of 24.5 per cent on average over the past year. If you are looking for a fund from this category, look up Morningstar’s review of Kotak Small-cap Fund.

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

60 per cent: Share of retail investors and high net worth individuals (HNIs) in total assets under management (AUM) of mutual fund industry in March 2023. It is the highest level since records began to be kept in 2009-10.

The total mutual fund assets of retail investors across schemes stood at Rs 10.07 trillion in March 2023, according to data compiled by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). If the investments made by HNIs are factored in, then individual investors’ assets stood at Rs 23.7 trillion. Of this, equity mutual funds accounted for Rs 13.8 trillion. Hybrid funds were a distant second with assets worth Rs 4.2 trillion. However, mutual funds account for less than a quarter of the money held in bank deposits.

Moreover, the majority of equity investments are less than two years old, according to data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India.

Also Read: As rents rise, here is what you can ask from your landlord for protection

Investors should enter equity mutual funds with at least a five-year horizon. They should decide on an asset allocation and strive to maintain it across market conditions. Whenever equity markets witness a downturn, they should continue with their systematic investment plans (SIPs).