Know your risks, diversify, & skip tips: Lessons from Smart Investor Arena

At the BFSI Insight Summit 2026's Smart Investor Arena, experts urged investors to set financial goals, diversify portfolios, avoid herd mentality and understand risks before investing

Setting goals, diversifying and avoiding herd behaviour was the common thread that ran through Tuesday's sessions at the Smart Investor Arena of the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit 2026 in Mumbai.

  

Money is about the freedom to live life on one's own terms, not just about getting rich, author and entrepreneur Ankur Warikoo said in the first session of the day. Investors, he said, must first decide how much is enough, he said; his own number is about ₹21.7 crore.

  

“Financial freedom to me is not retirement in the conventional sense of the word. Nobody really retires, especially if they like their job. Financial freedom means that you can do what you want; it adds a sense of purpose to your life,” he said.

 

  

Devina Mehra, Founder, Chairperson and Managing Director at First Global, expects Indian equities to deliver above-average returns over the next two years after a period of consolidation. She, however, advised investors to diversify globally.

  

Young investors should understand how cryptocurrencies work and how much they can afford to lose before investing, said SB Seker of Binance and Vimal Sagar Tiwari of CoinSwitch. Tiwari suggested beginners start with ₹100 or ₹500 investing.

  

Herd mentality and fear of missing out were among the biggest risks for Gen Z investors, according to Rajesh Saluja of ASK Private Wealth and Srikanth Subramanian of Ionic Wealth.

  

For those moving towards Specialised Investment Funds (SIFs) or portfolio management services, Jyotivardhan Jaipuria, Founder & Managing Director at Valentis Advisors and Rishi Kohli, chief investment officer, Jio BlackRock Mutual Fund suggested building a basic equity and fixed-income portfolio first.

  

Sakchi Jain, chartered accountant and content creator suggests investors without fixed expenses such as rent can invest 40-50 per cent of their income. “Ease of borrowing is encouraging some young consumers to prioritise lifestyle upgrades, even when their financial position may not support such spending,” Jain cautioned.