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Beware of Mis-Selling: A Real Investor Story with Money Back Insurance Policies
A retired investor narrowly escaped being mis-sold a money back insurance policy by a manager at one of India's largest public sector banks. The experience offers crucial lessons for every investor about recognizing aggressive sales tactics, understanding product features, and asking the right questions before committing large sums to financial products. The Incident: How a Bank Manager Blocked a Legitimate Investment The situation unfolded during a straightforward transactio
Abraham Cherian
7 days ago9 min read
FDs vs Debt Direct Mutual Fund Investments: A Detailed Analysis for Retiring Armed Forces Officers
As retiring officers transition to civilian life and plan their finances, a central question arises: Are traditional Fixed Deposits (FDs) or debt direct mutual funds the better choice for a secure and efficient fixed-income portfolio? This detailed guide examines this choice through the lenses of returns, risk, liquidity, cost, and taxation —updated for the 2025 regulatory landscape—and includes corporate FDs for an advanced comparison. Comparative Overview: Bank FDs, Corpor
Abraham Cherian
Nov 267 min read
Building Your Post-Service Portfolio: A Guide to Asset Allocation, Diversification, and Risk Profiling
Your distinguished career in the armed forces has taught you discipline, strategic planning, and the importance of preparation. These same principles apply as you transition into retirement and build your investment portfolio. Unlike your years of service, where uncertainty was part of the mission, your retirement portfolio should be built on clear foundations and rational decision-making. This guide walks you through the three pillars of portfolio construction: understanding
Abraham Cherian
Nov 215 min read
Portfolio Management Services (PMS) as an investment option for Armed Forces Officers
Portfolio Management Services (PMS): Definition and Types What is PMS?Portfolio Management Services represent personalized investment management where a professional portfolio manager directly manages an investor's securities on their behalf. Unlike mutual funds (pooled investments), PMS provides direct ownership of securities in the investor's demat account, offering complete transparency and customization tailored to individual investment objectives. Key Characteristics of
Abraham Cherian
Nov 1512 min read
Why Smart People Make Costly Mistakes in Retirement
Retirement should be a time of financial security and peace of mind. Yet despite years of careful saving and investing, many people stumble at the finish line—not because of market crashes or economic downturns, but because of the way their own minds work. Behavioral finance—the study of psychology in financial decision-making—reveals that investors are not the rational beings we'd like to believe we are. Our biases, emotions, and mental shortcuts often sabotage our best-laid
Abraham Cherian
Nov 99 min read
Protecting Your Financial Future: A Guide to Avoiding Financial Frauds Targeting Veterans
Your decades of service to the nation have built discipline, integrity, and resilience into your character. These very qualities have shaped you into a trusted custodian of national security. However, as you transition into retirement, it's crucial to redirect this vigilance toward protecting another vital asset: your financial security. Armed forces officers are increasingly becoming targets for sophisticated financial frauds, and understanding these threats is the first ste
Abraham Cherian
Nov 712 min read
Do ULIPs and Money Back life insurance policies benefit you?
image from GoDigit Your Money Deserves Better Every month, thousands of families across India faithfully pay their insurance premiums, believing they're building financial security. But what if your insurance policy is actually working against you? You're not alone. Millions of Indians have purchased money back policies and Unit Linked Insurance Plans (ULIPs) believing they're making smart financial decisions—protecting their families and building wealth simultaneously. Yet
Abraham Cherian
Oct 2814 min read
SEBI RIA - Flat % Commission model for Mutual Fund Investment Advisory
(updated 20 Nov 25) Working paper by Col Abraham Cherian, Retd Founder 360° wealth advice SEBI RIA, Regd No: INA000019594 Executive Summary 1. This paper comprehensively examines the reasons why fee-based Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) models have not scaled in India, details the strengths and weaknesses of the current mutual fund commission system, and proposes a flat commission framework as a solution for delivering unbiased investment advice to a broader populat
Abraham Cherian
Oct 2720 min read
Invest in DIRECT mutual funds to build wealth!
Most investors unknowingly lose substantial wealth through regular mutual funds, which carry hidden commission charges that can erode returns by 0.5-2% annually compared to direct plans. While the difference may seem minimal, this "silent wealth tax" can cost investors lakhs over a 10-15 year investment horizon, making direct mutual funds a critical tool for serious wealth builders who understand the compounding impact of lower expense ratios. Regular vs Direct Funds Regular
Abraham Cherian
Oct 245 min read
PPF investment guide for PMR officers
The Public Provident Fund (PPF) offers PMR officers a government-backed, tax-free, fixed-income alternative to DSOPF after retirement, pairing safety with steady 7.1% annual returns as of Q4 2025, according to the Economic Times and multiple bank sources. This blog explains how PPF works, its pros and cons for retirees across risk, return, liquidity, and costs, and how to pair it with debt mutual funds for disciplined rebalancing and portfolio stability. PPF - product details
Abraham Cherian
Oct 245 min read
SIF investment for military officers
Specialized Investment Funds (SIFs) represent a new category of investment vehicles introduced by SEBI, designed to bridge the gap between traditional mutual funds and high-end alternatives like Portfolio Management Services, offering sophisticated investment strategies with a minimum investment of ₹10 lakh. As retiring armed forces officers with substantial retirement benefits navigate investment decisions, understanding the suitability of these complex products becomes cruc
Abraham Cherian
Oct 245 min read
Life insurance policy features that may be detrimental to investors
Return of Premium (ROP) and money-back life insurance policies in India promise attractive benefits like premium refunds and periodic payouts, but these features often come with significant hidden costs and poor long-term value that undermine both protection and wealth creation goals. These policies typically charge 1.5 to 3 times higher premiums than pure term insurance while returning money without interest, offering fixed payouts that fail to keep pace with inflation, and
Abraham Cherian
Oct 236 min read
Investment Advisor vs Distributor / bank Relationship Manager
When choosing someone to help with your investments in India, you'll encounter three main types of financial professionals: SEBI-registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) who charge transparent fees and act as fiduciaries, bank wealth managers who often earn through commissions while providing bundled services, and mutual fund distributors who earn trail commissions from fund companies but cannot legally charge for investment advice. Understanding the key differences between thes
Abraham Cherian
Oct 224 min read
Investment options for retiring armed forces officers
Retiring Indian Armed Forces officers face unique financial challenges and opportunities when transitioning from active service at age 54 with substantial gratuity amounts of ₹1.5-2 crores, combined with lifelong pension benefits but limited access to traditional employee investment schemes like EPF and NPS. With favorable tax brackets of 10-15% and the evolving investment landscape under 2025 taxation rules, these officers require specialized investment strategies that balan
Abraham Cherian
Oct 229 min read
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