31 chapters + 7 appendices — from why a savings account loses, to your yearly review
Your Savings Account Is Losing a Slow Race
Inflation vs your passbook — and the scale of India's ₹32,297-crore-a-month SIP habit.
Five Jobs Before Your First SIP
Emergency fund, health cover, term plan, expensive debt and written goals — in order.
The Goal Picks the Investment
Time horizon decides the risk, and the fund — with a goal-to-vehicle table.
What a Mutual Fund Actually Is
NAV, units, AUM, AMC, RTA, folio and Growth vs IDCW — in plain words.
The Menu: What Each Fund Type Is For
Equity, index, ELSS, debt, hybrid, solution-oriented and FoF — and the riskometer.
SIP, Lump Sum, Step-Up and SWP
Rupee-cost averaging, the SIP-vs-lump-sum debate, and the step-up habit that builds a fortune.
How Much Should You Invest Each Month?
Savings rates that work in India, and what a monthly SIP grows into over 10, 20 and 30 years.
Where Your Salary Actually Goes
A four-bucket money map, and why you set aside investing before lifestyle.
Direct or Regular & the Expense Ratio
The same fund at two prices, and SEBI's 2026 cost rules decoded.
Index or Active? The Honest Comparison
Cost, transparency and consistency — and when an active fund earns its fee.
Debt, Liquid and Hybrid Funds
Where the money you cannot afford to lose actually lives.
Gold and International Funds
Two satellites worth a small slice — and how to keep them small.
ETFs, Index Funds and the Demat Question
Which to buy, when, and why SIP beginners rarely need a demat account.
What "Risk" Really Means
Volatility vs permanent loss, and the five kinds of risk you can actually manage.
Shortlist a Fund in Twenty Minutes
The six filters, applied in order, with the worksheet to run them on paper.
How to Read a Fund Factsheet
Nine sections, in the order that makes sense, in five minutes.
Build a Portfolio You Can Keep
One-, three- and five-fund blueprints, plus asset allocation by age.
Planning a Goal With Real Numbers
Target corpus to monthly SIP, with inflation built in.
Rebalancing: The Once-a-Year Thirty Minutes
Keeping your risk where you chose it, without timing the market.
Insurance Is Not an Investment
Why the bundled products cost you twice, and what to buy instead.
Tax-Saving Investments Compared
ELSS vs PPF vs EPF vs NPS vs tax-saver FD — the honest table.
The Weekend Setup: Zero to First SIP
KYC, platform choice, the SIP, the mandate — in one afternoon.
Your First Year: The Ten-Minute Routine
What to do monthly, quarterly and yearly — and what never to do daily.
When the Market Falls
What the long-SIP data shows, and the four moves to make in a crash.
The Mistakes That Quietly Cost Lakhs
Nine choices that feel reasonable and turn out expensive.
Tax on Your Gains: FY 2026-27 Rules
Equity, debt and gold rates, a worked example, and how to file.
Protecting Yourself: Advice, Scams and Data
Unregistered advisers, "account handling" frauds, and how to verify before you trust.
Three Indian Investors
How the same plan fits a 24-year-old, a 35-year-old and a late starter of 50.
Your Money Through the Decades
What changes from your 20s to your 50s — and what never does.
Handling a Lump Sum
Bonus, PF or inheritance — the four-step routine that avoids the classic mistakes.
Old Regime or New?
The tax-regime choice, with a worked example, and what it means for your investing.
Appendices
A glossary, the shortlist worksheet, a platform comparison, 16 FAQs, sources, a goal tracker and a yearly review checklist.
