Money With Monika, Season 3

While neo-classical economics postulates that individuals are inherently efficient, when it comes to investing, pragmatism and logic are often overshadowed by what is referred to as behavioural biases. These biases push investors towards making errors by making them take decisions based on impulse and perception rather than factual analysis. Some common biases include loss aversion bias, personalization bias and herd mentality. Watch this episode of Money With Monika Season 3 to understand how these behavioural biases work and how one can rein them in.

From ₹7,000 crore to ₹2 lakh crore - that is how the asset base of exchange-traded funds in India has grown over the last 5 years. ETFs are a kind of mutual fund, but with one big difference - as the name suggests, they are listed on exchanges and are traded like stocks. They are passive funds, i.e. they mimic an index, and a fund manager doesn't actively choose the constituent stocks. Although ETFs are traditionally cheaper than their non-listed counterparts, retail participation in this category remains subdued, although there is growing interest. Watch this episode of Money with Monika Season 3 to know more. Monika Halan is consulting editor, Mint, and author of the book 'Let's Talk Money'.

A few weeks ago, exchange-traded funds tracking the Nifty 50 crossed a major milestone by hitting the ₹1 lakh crore-mark in assets under management. Although institutions form a majority of the investors in ETFs, there is growing interest among retail customers. So what exactly is an ETF? Is it better than a mutual fund, or are they two different products meant for different types of investors? Watch Episode 12 of Money With Monika Season 3 on October 9 for answers to these questions, and more. Monika Halan is consulting editor, Mint, and author of the book 'Let's Talk Money'.

Warren Buffett, the famous investor, once called financial markets 'manic depressive'. He was referring to the swings periodically seen on the bourses. Buffett believes investors shouldn't be influenced by these movements, thus maintaining a perpetually long-term vision. But is this the only way to invest? Those who differ with this 'value' style, subscribe to 'growth' investing. Under this strategy, investors pick fast-growing stocks, even if the price is on the higher side. The markets provide another option - GARP (growth at reasonable price) - for those seeking a compromise between the two paths. However, picking a style becomes a bit more challenging when investing via mutual funds. Watch this episode of Money With Monika Season 3 to understand how to choose an investment style appropriate for your goals.

The financial markets are in a churn. But despite some despondency, a few stocks have done comparatively well, for instance, pharma and IT. So should you invest in the stocks currently on a high, or take a more long-term view and try to find investments with a promising future? In essence, you have to choose an investment style - growth-based, value-based, or middle-of-the-road GARP (growth at reasonable price). A more challenging task is to find a mutual fund which corresponds to the style you prefer. Watch Episode 11 of Money With Monika Season 3 on October 2 to understand various investing styles and decoding those employed by MFs. Monika Halan is consulting editor, Mint, and author of the book 'Let's Talk Money'.

Hybrid funds are a tool with which you can invest across asset classes like debt, equity and gold, while maintaining the asset allocation of your choice. Apart from some tax advantages, these have the added benefit of a fund manager ensuring that your debt-equity ratio is maintained without your active involvement. So, with various types of such funds in the market, which should you choose - Aggressive, Balanced, or Conservative? Watch this episode of Money With Monika Season 3 to understand hybrid funds, and how to invest in them.

There's a rally in the midcap space in the markets, especially after Sebi's news rules regarding multicap funds. But, should you capitalise on this development? Should recent, higher returns dictate your plunge into midcap investment, or should it be a more strategic decision with a long-term vision? And finally, should you pick a midcap fund to expand your portfolio, or are individual stocks the way to go? Personal finance expert Monika Halan explains the basics of midcap investing in this episode of Money With Monika Season 3.

A rally in midcap stocks has renewed interest in this section of the markets. But are current returns the correct metric to base your long-term investments on? And should you invest in individual stocks or pick a midcap fund? For answers to these questions, and more, watch Episode 9 of Money With Monika Season 3 on September 18.

Investor confidence in debt funds has been shaken in recent years due to episodes in the recent past. While regulators have now jumped into action, did investors enter a product class without understanding it in detail? Do retail investors suffer more as compared to their institutional counterparts when debt funds crash? For answers to these questions, and more, watch this episode of Money With Monika Season 3