Hi
We are already 3 months into the calendar year and now we begin the new financial year too. I am once again asking the question – “what is important to me?”
For me, the answer is absolutely clear – your financial well being to lead to a life well lived.
Dig deeper and you will realise that financial well being is not about accumulation of money alone. It is about how can you use the money to create a life you want. In some cases, it is even finding a bigger purpose.
Who knew that for Afroz Shah, an environmental activist and doer, it would mean cleaning up the filthy Versova Beach in Mumbai over 96 weeks of painstaking effort. The cleaning pales in comparison to the fact that after 20 long years the Olive Ridley Turtles returned to hatch at the beach. Yes, 20 years. It is a sight to behold. (Google it) Can you imagine the happiness that Afroz Shah and team is experiencing?
It brings an important message to us. If you decide, you can bring about any change with sheer dedication and effort.
I am looking forward to many changes this year. One of the most important change is in one of the Unovestor’s life who at a young age of 48 will hang up hits boots on his corporate career and design a life that he wants. Yes, in this year 2018.
Then there is health. Personally, after being a long do it yourself person, I am now joining formal Yoga classes. I need to push the pedals and ensure that even after 20 years, I can do a hand stand, a cart wheel and who knows, may be some levitation too. 🙂
You too figure out what works for you. No compromises on health!
One of the best ways, in my view, is to engage in an activity that helps you tap your creativity. I am willing to guarantee that nothing else can make you more satisfied and make you feel more alive.
Based on my own experience, I can vouch that entrepreneurship is an extension of creativity too. That’s what Kartick Vaddadi, one of our Unovestors, has also discovered. As an entrepreneur (he quit his cosy Google job), he has built a new camera app, NoctaCam, for the iPhone.
Based on what I see, NoctaCam does amazing night photography.
Show your love to the fellow Unovestor. Download the app from www.noctacam.com, try it out and share your feedback with Kartick.
Here’s the link to a detailed interview I did with him.
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Talking again of change, the saying is “change is the only constant“. I totally stand by it.
But in the markets, the one thing that never changes is the volatility. Markets continue to be volatile, sometimes less, sometimes more. Only the events that deliver this volatility change.
One of the most interesting episodes of market volatility during the past year was witnessed in crypto currencies. Remember Bitcoin. What a crazy ride it was!
At the height of the craziness, I got several calls asking for advice to invest in Bitcoin. You would never jump into a fast running train, but when it comes to investing, we are willing to suspend our senses.
Many a lamb got slaughtered in the crypto currency investing battle. Not to mention about those who got the ‘pay your tax’ notices from Income Tax Department.
My takeaway is – greed has only one end.
You see very few of us understand the whole crytpo phenomenon, leave alone how to work with it. If you are interested in getting a super bird’s eye view on blockchain, cryptocurrency and Bitcoin, I recommend reading this tweet storm from Naval Ravikant, an influencer in this space.
If you get interested, you can explore a lot more.
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What should you expect in the new financial year?
To begin with, expect equal, if not less, of the same craziness, random events and volatility.
As an investor, your best tool to work you way through this uncertain world is preparedness. It is difficult to predict the future but you can build adequate margin of safety in your life and your investments.
This new FY is also about long term capital gains and losses that you need to take care of in your equity (mutual funds or direct stocks) investments. But we will deal with that separately. Keep an eye on the Unovest Blog for all investment related writings and messages.
The final change this year is about the connect between you and me. I am not sure if you have guessed but I am planning to write this letter to you every month, hoping that we get to know each other better.
I have sent my thoughts. I would love to read yours now.
Looking forward,
Until next time,
Your fellow Unovestor
Vipin Khandelwal
vipin@unovest.co
