Simple, jargon-free guides on mutual funds, IPOs, SIP, tax saving and
more — written for Indian retail investors.
Last updated 27 Sep 2026.
No guides found. Try a different search or category.
This guide explains what stock market indices are, their significance, and how they can impact your investment strategy.
A Fund of Funds invests in other mutual funds instead of stocks or bonds directly. Learn how FoFs work, their double expense ratio problem, and whe...
Large, mid and small cap funds carry very different risk-return profiles. See a side-by-side comparison of volatility, typical returns, and who sho...
From 15 October 2026, NPCI is charging a 0.4% fee on UPI payments to merchants above ₹2,000 — the first paid UPI slab in 6 years. Here's exactly wh...
Exit load is a penalty for redeeming units too early, usually 1% if sold within 1 year. Learn typical exit load structures and how to avoid paying it.
Sovereign Gold Bonds mature in 8 years, pay 2.5% annual interest, and had tax-free redemption — until Budget 2026 changed the rules. Here is exactl...
AUM (Assets Under Management) shows how much money a fund manages. Learn when a large AUM helps, and when it can actually hurt small and mid cap fu...
IDCW pays out a portion of your own investment as "dividend" and reduces NAV. Growth option compounds everything. See why Growth wins for almost ev...
Getting IPO shares in a hot, oversubscribed issue can feel like a lottery — because for retail investors, it technically is one. But how you apply ...
CAGR works for lump sum investments, but SIPs need XIRR because money goes in on different dates at different NAVs. Here's the difference with an e...
Direct plans have lower expense ratios than Regular plans because there's no distributor commission. See exactly how much more you earn over 20 yea...
NAV (Net Asset Value) is the price of one unit of a mutual fund. Learn how NAV is calculated, why it changes daily, and what it means for your inve...
Best ELSS funds 2026 for Section 80C tax saving. Save up to ₹46,800 tax with just 3-year lock-in. Compare returns, ratings and expense ratios.
Your salary probably grows every year — does your SIP? A Step-Up SIP increases your monthly investment annually instead of staying fixed, and the g...
"How much do I need to retire?" doesn't have a one-size-fits-all answer — but it does have a calculable one, once you work through your expected ex...
Gold in India isn't just jewellery anymore — Sovereign Gold Bonds, Gold ETFs, and digital gold each let you hold gold's price exposure without a lo...
The right regime isn't the same for everyone — it depends almost entirely on how much you actually claim in deductions like 80C, HRA, and home loan...
A high grey market premium tells you what other applicants think a stock might list at — it tells you nothing about whether the underlying business...
Direct and Regular plans of the exact same mutual fund hold the exact same portfolio — the only difference is who gets paid a commission, and it sh...
Gold 24K rate today 27 Sep 2026: ₹15,268/gram (+₹0). Silver: ₹206.22/gram. Check 22K, 18K, city-wise rates and 7-day gold price history.
Week ending 25 Sep 2026: IPO listings, top market news and what to watch next week in Indian stock markets.
IPO GMP today 26 Sep 2026: 7 IPOs open, 8 upcoming. Moneyview leads with +39.71% GMP. Updated in real-time.
Seven new tools landed on TopFund this week — a real historical-NAV backtester, a Money Health Score, instant push alerts for IPO allotment and wat...
Three IPO grey-market terms get used almost interchangeably — GMP, Kostak, and Subject to Sauda — but they measure genuinely different things. Here...
Top rated mutual funds for the week of 21 Sep 2026 — Large Cap, Mid Cap, Flexi Cap, ELSS and Index funds ranked by star rating and 3-year CAGR. All...
Expense ratio is the annual fee a mutual fund charges. Learn how a 1% difference in expense ratio can cost you lakhs over 20 years, with a worked e...
2026's IPO market is running hot, with SME IPOs seeing 200-500x oversubscription and GMP swings in the final hours of bidding. Here's why chasing t...
Small-cap and mid-cap funds are dominating 2026's SIP rankings and inflow charts. Before you chase the trend, here's what the valuation data, risk ...
Nearly a quarter of the world's oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz. When it's threatened, Indian markets, the rupee, and your monthly budget a...
IPO weekly recap 26 Sep 2026: 3 open, 7 upcoming, 5 listed this week. GMP, subscription status and listing gains.
Gold, mutual funds, and fixed deposits each solve different financial needs — safety, growth, or a hedge against uncertainty. Here's a clear, side-...
Every month brings a fresh set of IPOs to the Indian market, each with different price bands, sectors, and risk profiles. Here's a practical framew...
SIP inflows into Indian mutual funds have grown dramatically over the past decade as more retail investors embrace disciplined, automated investing...
RBI targets retail inflation (CPI) at 4%, with a tolerance band of 2-6%. When inflation runs above this target, it changes the calculus for your EM...
Foreign investors don't buy or sell Indian stocks randomly — their flows follow US interest rates, the dollar, crude oil, earnings growth, and valu...
CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) is the standard way to compare mutual fund returns. Learn the formula, examples, and why 1-year returns can be m...
Five new free tools — live USD/INR & currency rates, Brent/WTI crude oil, an Indian ADR premium tracker, and 25 years of S&P 500 & Nasdaq historica...
A complete walkthrough of filing your Income Tax Return online — which ITR form to pick, documents to keep ready, old vs new regime, and a step-by-...
Applying for an IPO in India is simple once you understand the process. You need a Demat account, a UPI ID or bank ASBA, and you can apply in minut...
What does ₹1,000/month SIP become in 20 years? At 12% CAGR, your ₹240,000 investment grows to ₹999,148 — that's 4.2x returns. Best funds and compar...
What does ₹5,000/month SIP become in 15 years? At 12% CAGR, your ₹900,000 investment grows to ₹2,522,880 — that's 2.8x returns. Best funds and comp...
Both index funds and ETFs track the same index, but they have key differences in how you buy them, costs, and flexibility. Here's which one wins fo...
How much tax do you pay on mutual fund profits in India? Equity LTCG, STCG, debt fund tax, ELSS deductions — everything you need to know for 2026 t...
Sectoral and thematic funds can deliver extraordinary returns — but also extraordinary losses. Here's the critical difference between the two and w...
Your mutual fund app shows both XIRR and CAGR — but they often show different numbers for the same investment. Here's what each means and which one...
Every mutual fund publishes a monthly factsheet. Most investors never read it. Here's how to extract the 8 most important data points from any fact...
₹1 crore is the most common wealth goal for Indian investors. Here's exactly how much monthly SIP you need — at different return rates and time hor...
Star ratings are a quick filter for mutual fund quality — but they have important limitations. Here's how to use them correctly without over-relyin...
When an IPO is '80x subscribed', what does that mean? What are QIB, NII, and Retail quotas? Here's how to read IPO subscription data like a pro.
An emergency fund protects you from financial disaster when life goes wrong. Here's exactly how much you need and the best places to keep it in India.
Nifty 50 Index Funds are the simplest and lowest-cost way to invest in India's top 50 companies. Here's everything beginners need to know.
Applied for an IPO and waiting for allotment? Here's exactly how to check your IPO allotment status using PAN number — on BSE, registrar, and TopFund.
Albert Einstein reportedly called compound interest the eighth wonder of the world. See exactly why — with real SIP calculations over 10, 20, and 3...
Physical gold, Gold ETF, or Sovereign Gold Bond — each has different costs, returns, and tax treatment. Here's which one is best for Indian investo...
NAV is the per-unit price of a mutual fund. But a low NAV doesn't mean a better buy. Here's everything you need to understand about NAV.
FDs are safe but often lose to inflation. Mutual funds offer higher returns with market risk. Here's exactly when to use each — with real numbers.
ELSS funds give you a ₹1.5 lakh Section 80C deduction while investing in equity. Here's everything you need to know before investing.
Both SIP and lumpsum have their place. The right choice depends on your market timing ability, income pattern, and risk tolerance. Here's how to de...
GMP tells you what people are willing to pay for IPO shares before listing. But is it reliable? Here's everything you need to know about Grey Marke...
Choosing a mutual fund feels overwhelming with 8,786+ options. This guide breaks it down into 6 simple steps any Indian investor can follow.
Straight answers before you dive into a guide.
Plain-language guides on mutual fund basics, SIP vs lumpsum, IPO GMP, NAV, ELSS tax-saving funds, and other topics Indian retail investors search for — no jargon, no sales pitch.
Yes. Every guide on TopFund is free to read, with no login, subscription, or paywall.
First-time Indian investors starting their first SIP, and existing investors who want a clear, no-jargon refresher on a specific topic like tax-saving or IPO allotment.
New guides are added regularly as reader questions and market topics change — each one shows its last-updated date so you know how current it is.
Every Sunday — live IPO GMP, top mutual funds & market news. Free, no spam.
No spam · Unsubscribe anytime · 5 readers
TopFund AI
OnlineAsk me anything about funds, IPOs & more
AI · Not financial advice