Amidst debates and speculations on whether an investment in mutual fund midcap and small caps ‘sahi hai’, a finfluncer has shared that he lost Rs 9.7 lacs in mutual fund investments. Without sharing details of his portfolio, Vineet Bhatia uploaded a screenshot of his mutual fund investment portfolio, showing a loss of Rs 9.7 lacs. ‘Ek sal ki salary udd gayi, kar lo financial independence’ (lost one year salary, go ahead with financial freedom now!)
Many of his followers were quite stunned how a value investor could lose his entire year’s salary on SIP, to which he replied, ‘don’t invest in Mutual Funds’.
Vineet’s LinkedIN bio suggests he is an experienced Investor with a demonstrated history of working in the investment management industry.
Vineet’s post is gaining traction amidst a raging debate over SIP investments in India. As many investors look for quick gains via small and midcap funds ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, S Naren has sparked uproar in the mutual fund industry, claims it is “time to take out lock, stock and barrel from small and mid-caps”.
He believes that investors who had started SIPs from 2023 were going to have “very bad experience”. However, MD-CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, Radhika Gupta, opposed his views.
Posting in favour of SIPs, she advised that persistence matters more than high returns while investing in SIPs, by treating them like a ‘marathon’. She also warned the investors of tough days seeing crests in the curve. While focussing on consistency, like in a game of “chess” Gupta posted, each instalment counted towards achieving an investor’s goal.
Aashish P Sommaiyaa, CEO of WhiteOak Capital, without taking Naren’s name, wrote on social media, “If the market goes up I am a star manager. If market goes down you gave me money at wrong time and started your SIP at peak.”
These words of caution, especially coming from an influential position come at time where the Indian markets are bleeding. Taking into account the voices around this debate on SIPs and mutual fund, one must remain a vigilant investor. The key is to find a balance between “protecting gains from past five years” as Naren says and Radhika’s advice of treating SIPs like a marathon.