Despite its recent underperformance, gold must be a part of your portfolio.

Many retail investors, who are experiencing their first bear market, are shocked at the erosion in the value of their mutual fund (MF) portfolios. The pain is especially acute for those who had taken excessive exposure to sector/thematic and small-cap funds. Even international diversification has failed to stanch the bleed in this downturn.

If you pledge market-linked instruments and their value plummets, you will have to provide additional collateral, points out Sanjay Kumar Singh.

'A policy that covers a wider range of diseases will offer greater peace of mind.'

Having exposure to international funds and gold is a must for those who have foreign currency-denominated goals.

Gold loan is currently the fastest-growing loan category (among the various types disbursed to individuals). On February 26, 2021, the outstanding loan against gold jewellery stood at Rs 56,596 crore. By February 25, 2022, it had risen to Rs 71,408 crore, a year-on-year growth of 26.2 per cent, according to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) data. Several factors are driving the demand for gold loans.

Multi-asset funds offer exposure to gold, which tends to do well in times of geopolitical tensions and inflationary pressures, suggests Sanjay Kumar Singh.

Treat silver as part of the procyclical or growth assets in your portfolio, advises Sanjay Kumar Singh.

Make sure that the waiting period on pre-existing diseases does not exceed two years. Avoid policies that come with room rent and ICU capping, suggests Sanjay Kumar Singh.

Exposure to debt funds and gold is essential even if current returns from these asset classes are low, suggests Sanjay Kumar Singh.

HNI investors need an optimal mix of oversubscription and listing-day gain to make money on leveraged bets, notes Sanjay Kumar Singh.

These funds have lowered the entry barrier for investors who can now invest with just Rs 5,000, points out Sanjay Kumar Singh.

In India, younger workers willing to work at lower salaries are easily available, so you could find yourself out of a job before 60. Therefore, save for retirement with urgency, advises Sanjay Kumar Singh.

Even if the bull run may continue, most experts say some profit booking is called for, points out Sanjay Kumar Singh.

Experts say this is a good time to buy a house for self-use, points out Sanjay Kumar Singh.

Select the exact category by matching your investment horizon to the portfolio duration, suggests Sanjay Kumar Singh.

Banks are auctioning 2,362 properties in next 30 days. The foremost benefit of purchasing a property in a bank auction is that you could get it at a significant discount to the market rate.

Allotment could be low, and expected listing-day gains can quickly morph into losses if sentiment takes a turn for the worse

Keep your mobile number and e-mail updated. When you receive the weekly report on cash holdings, check to ensure there is no discrepancy between the amount you have kept with the broker and what the latter has reported, advises Sanjay Kumar Singh.

To overcome your fear of the property being taken over, draw an ironclad agreement with a good lawyer's help, recommends Sanjay Kumar Singh.