Guides

Ten plain guides to investing in India, in the order we would read them. Free to read, no login. Open any chapter to see what it covers.

Written and checked by our research desk

Reading time per chapter

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1Build an emergency fund first45 minStarting outWhy six months of expenses in a savings account or liquid fund comes before any stock.
1. Working out your monthly number8 min
2. Savings account, FD or liquid fund12 min
3. Health and term cover before returns15 min
4. When the fund is big enough10 min
2Opening a demat account: what each form means30 minStarting outKYC, PAN and Aadhaar, nominee, DDPI, and which boxes you can safely leave unticked.
1. Trading account and demat account are two things6 min
2. KYC with PAN, Aadhaar and a cancelled cheque8 min
3. Nominees, and why you should add one6 min
4. DDPI: what you are signing10 min
3How your money is protected25 minStarting outWhat SEBI, the exchanges and CDSL each check, and how to verify any broker yourself.
1. Who regulates whom7 min
2. Your shares sit with the depository, not the broker6 min
3. Quarterly settlement of unused funds5 min
4. Checking a registration number on the SEBI site7 min

4How the stock market works1 h 40 minStarting outExchanges, orders, T+1 settlement and how to read a basic balance sheet.
1. What a share is10 min
2. NSE, BSE and what a broker does12 min
3. Market, limit and stop-loss orders15 min
4. T+1: when the shares and money arrive8 min
5. Reading a balance sheet in ten minutes20 min
5SIPs: ₹5,000 a month for fifteen years55 minStarting outCompounding with real numbers, index funds against active funds, and when to stop a SIP.
1. The fifteen-year table10 min
2. Direct plans and expense ratios12 min
3. Index fund or active fund15 min
4. Pausing, stopping and stepping up10 min
6Applying for an IPO with UPI30 minStarting outPrice bands, lots, the UPI mandate, allotment odds, and why grey-market premiums are not a guide.
1. Reading the price band and lot size6 min
2. Approving the UPI mandate before the cut-off8 min
3. How allotment is decided8 min
4. Listing day and the grey market8 min

7Reading an annual report1 h 10 minSome experienceThe six numbers that matter, related-party notes, and what the auditor is quietly telling you.
1. Revenue, margin and cash from operations18 min
2. Debt and interest cover12 min
3. Promoter holding and pledges10 min
4. The auditor’s report14 min
8Candlestick charts2 h 20 minSome experienceWhat a candle records, volume, support and resistance, and the patterns worth knowing.
1. Open, high, low, close12 min
2. Volume tells you who is serious15 min
3. Support, resistance and breakouts25 min
4. Doji, hammer and engulfing30 min

9Tax for investors1 h 30 minSome experienceShort- and long-term gains, the ₹1.25 lakh exemption, harvesting losses, and what to give your CA.
1. Short-term at 20%, long-term at 12.5%15 min
2. Using the ₹1.25 lakh exemption each year12 min
3. Setting off and carrying forward losses18 min
4. The capital gains statement for your ITR15 min
10Options, and why most buyers lose money3 h 45 minAdvancedCalls, puts, spreads and time decay, with payoff diagrams and SEBI’s own study of F&O traders.
1. Calls and puts in one diagram20 min
2. Premium, strike and expiry25 min
3. Theta: the clock is against the buyer25 min
4. What SEBI found about F&O traders15 min
5. Spreads that cap your loss40 min

Index of terms

CAGR ch. 5: Compound annual growth rate: the steady yearly return that would take you from the start value to the end value.
Circuit limit ch. 4: The most a stock may move in one day before the exchange halts trading in it.
Demat account ch. 2: Holds your shares electronically with CDSL or NSDL, in your name.
NAV ch. 5: Net asset value: the price of one fund unit, set once a day. A low NAV does not mean a cheap fund.
P/E ratio ch. 7: Share price divided by earnings per share: how many rupees you pay for each rupee the company earns.
STT ch. 9: Securities transaction tax, charged on every trade and shown on your contract note.
T+1 ch. 4: Trades settle one working day after the trade date.
Theta ch. 10: How much value an option loses each day as expiry gets closer.
XIRR ch. 5: Your annual return when money went in on different dates, as it does with a SIP.

On Zoom, recordings sent the next morning

Live classes
3 OctSaturday	Reading an annual report: the six numbers that matter Deepa Iyer, CA. 5 pm to 6 pm. Free.
10 OctSaturday	Momentum or value: what twenty years of Indian data shows Rohan Kapoor. 6:30 pm to 7:45 pm. ₹199.
17 OctSaturday	Diwali muhurat trading: what it is and what it is not Arjun Mehta, CFA. 6 pm to 7 pm. Free.

Our classes explain how things work. They never recommend a stock to buy.