Long-form writing on investing, taxes, and portfolio construction.
The full record of onboarding Bank of Baroda as a second FX Retail relationship bank — a cold email to treasury, branch paperwork, a USD 100 test remittance, the real 2-day transfer and SWIFT message quirks that followed, and a structural Foreign Bank Charge that narrows its cost advantage.
A failed FX Retail booking via BHIM Bharat Connect put a substantial sum under lien for 11 days, with BHIM, ICICI, and FX Retail each pointing at the others. The money came back — the July 31 entry window it was meant for never did. The full account, and what it actually cost.
Financing a laptop via a zero-cost EMI offer triggered a broader credit card churn — picking up an Axis Neo RuPay card, closing an inactive HDFC Swiggy card, hitting a rejected ICICI Coral application, and landing on a deliberate 3-bank, 3-network card design.
August 2026 edition of “State of the 1 Portfolio” report covering portfolio returns, asset allocation, drift, and this month's eventful investment
A schedule-by-schedule reconstruction of my actual ITR-2 filing for FY 2025-26 — backtracking every schedule from Salary (Sched S) to Other Sources (Sched OS), Capital Gains (Sched CG & 112A), Foreign Assets (Sched FA), Assets & Liabilities (Sched AL), and TCS tax credit setoff.
July 2026 edition of “State of the 1 Portfolio” report covering portfolio returns, asset allocation, drift, and system optimizations
A unified portfolio operating system that handles buying, selling, liquidity management, and withdrawals under one coherent rule set for both Accumulation and Retirement Phases.
June 2026 edition of “State of the 1 Portfolio” report covering portfolio returns, asset allocation, drift, and system optimizations
How I upgraded my *RealValue Family SIP Allocator* from a proportional drift allocation model to an even drift optimization model and why it compressed the negative drift band by 75%.
Static SIPs blindly invest fixed amounts regardless of portfolio drift. Cashflow-Based Rebalancing uses new investments to continuously correct allocation drift — enabling tax-efficient perpetual rebalancing during the accumulation phase.
A step-by-step walkthrough of executing a live INR-to-USD forex transaction using FX Retail via Bharat Connect (BHIM), completing the remittance on ICICI Bank Money2World, and investing in an Irish ETF on IBKR
Monthly “State of the 1 Portfolio” report covering portfolio returns, asset allocation, drift, and rebalancing strategy
A comparison of foreign exchange rates for converting INR to USD across different channels like direct banking, FX Retail Web, and the newly discovered FX Retail via Bharat Connect.
Annual portfolio review for FY 2025–26: Three goal-based portfolios, allocation strategy, drift correction and forex cost optimization.
A practical, tax-efficient, and behaviorally robust system for portfolio rebalancing tailored for Indian investors.
How salaried Indians investing internationally via LRS can use Form 12BAA to reduce cashflow drag from TCS, optimize compounding, and avoid capital lock-in.
Options to invest in the NASDAQ 100 index from India — covering mutual funds, Indian ETFs, and the LRS route via Interactive Brokers — along with a comparison of Indian apps vs IBKR with UCITS ETFs, buying cost, and taxation.
How Indian investors can reduce the hidden forex markup cost when funding Interactive Brokers accounts by using FX Retail instead of the bank's default remittance rate.
Discover real-world scenarios showing how to use the RealValue EMI Engine for home loans, car loans, personal loans, and understanding the true cost of debt with inflation-adjusted calculations.
Discover real-world scenarios showing how to use the RealValue SIP Engine for retirement planning, education goals, house down payments, emergency funds, and more.
A comparison between a typical multicap/flexicap fund and a globally diversified, rule-based multi-asset allocation strategy.