COVER STORY
Look into yourself, identify and acknowledge your set-in-stone beliefs and behavioural biases and start dealing with them one at a time
01 August 2025
Freedom From Self
We often do not think of how important it is to free oneself from oneself—our beliefs, idiosyncrasies, or our behavioural biases. We highlight common biases and how to overcome them
We often let instant gratification overrule our financial prudence, which could prove disastrous in the long run
Splurging and living in the moment because of the firm belief that you live only once, can wreak havoc with your finances, even to the extent of leaving you broke
When it comes to investing, procrastination can lead to delaying your investment journey or financial planning for various life goals
Too many choices and too much information can lead to indecision or a bad choice, often leading to analysis paralysis
Anchoring, which refers to the tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information, be it related to the price of a good or the returns figure from an investment, can affect your rational thinking.
In terms of investing, the fear of getting in (FOGI) to the market because of bad experience previously can lead to missed opportunities
The fear of missing out or FOMO can lead to greed and wrongful investing decisions
Recency bias can trick you into chasing hot stocks or mutual funds just because they did well recently, leading you to ignore assets or products which have a proven track record in the long term, but whose performance may have dipped only recently
We often do not think of how important it is to free oneself from oneself—our beliefs, idiosyncrasies, or our behavioural biases. We highlight common biases and how to overcome them
We often let instant gratification overrule our financial prudence, which could prove disastrous in the long run
Splurging and living in the moment because of the firm belief that you live only once, can wreak havoc with your finances, even to the extent of leaving you broke
When it comes to investing, procrastination can lead to delaying your investment journey or financial planning for various life goals
Too many choices and too much information can lead to indecision or a bad choice, often leading to analysis paralysis
Anchoring, which refers to the tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information, be it related to the price of a good or the returns figure from an investment, can affect your rational thinking.
In terms of investing, the fear of getting in (FOGI) to the market because of bad experience previously can lead to missed opportunities
The fear of missing out or FOMO can lead to greed and wrongful investing decisions
Recency bias can trick you into chasing hot stocks or mutual funds just because they did well recently, leading you to ignore assets or products which have a proven track record in the long term, but whose performance may have dipped only recently
OTHER STORIES
In investing, loss aversion could lead to emotional decisions, such as panic selling during volatility, or holding on to bad investments, neither of which will serve long-term financial goals
The bias of sunk fallacy can have long-term implications on your financial well-being as you may continue to remain invested in a product despite it offering not much in return because of the simple fact that you have already invested so much in it
Seniors are often plagued by biases when it comes to investment, relocation or other life goals. However, longer livespans, inflation, and physical and mental well-being could often necessitate a change in outlook
The middle class faces a tough financial equation: rising fixed costs, stagnant income, and limited financial wiggle room. As a result, long-term goals—home ownership, entrepreneurship, retirement, education choices, treatment access—are being delayed, downsized, or abandoned. But financial discipline and managing expectations can go a long way in achieving financial freedom
A higher percentage of direct investors in mutual funds tend to withdraw funds earlier than the regular investors, who usually buy funds on the advice of financial advisors or distributors
An analysis of ICICI Pru Multi-Asset Fund. This fund could be a decent choice given its sound fund management, process-driven approach, and the track record across market cycle
As the extended income-tax filing deadline of September 15 approaches, many last-minute filers are rushing to gather documents and avoid penalties. While the basic method of filing income tax returns (ITRs) stays the same, there are a few changes you should note when filing your returns for financial year 2024-25
Homebuyers can approach the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera) requesting necessary action and penalty against errant builders. Know how it works and what’s the recourse
Regulatory changes in July 2025, and how they will impact you
In an exclusive conversation with Outlook Money, PGIM India MF CEO Ajit Menon reveals that his early retirement plan was laid out much in advance, what it took him to achieve it and how he plans to spend his post-retirement years. We’ve captured the main learnings for those who aspire to retire early
For our new section, Outlook Money Retirement Chronicles, we will talk to seniors to understand how they carved their journey to retirement and how successful they were. We start with chronicling the journey of retired Delhi University professor Sunil Kumar, who embraced adventure in his 60s and turned around his financial life post retirement
It is natural to upgrade your lifestyle when income increases. It is also normal to spend more when you earn more. But don’t let it be at the cost of your financial freedom
Don’t Use Savings For Lifestyle Expenses
Surrendering Pension Plan At Maturity? Be Ready To Pay Tax
When a public limited company earns profit, it either reinvests that money back into the business or shares a portion of it with the shareholders. This is typically done through paying dividends or by way of bonus shares
