Yesterday I met a pharma distributor. He is really huge – and controls a full state. Just to hide his identity will not reveal which state. He was talking about retail margins in the pharma industry. First of all the ‘billing’ price is far, far below the MRP (which incidentally in India is a fraud). […]
Gurur Brahma Guru Vishnu Guru Devo Maheshwara Guru Sakshat Parah Brahma Tasmai Shree Guruveh Namah! Most Indians (sorry this may be homogenising all other religions!) know this prayer. Today is Teachers’ day. It is one profession for whom my fascination will never end. I recently met a Pediatrician with 35 years ex experience – she […]
I have been a big proponent of financial education, but I hope you understand its limitations. Let me explain. Finance has changed over the past 100 years. In fact the changes in the past 10 years could perhaps be greater than the changes in the past 90 years before the last decade. Now if you […]
This is an amazing first hand story in the brokerage business. Once upon a time not long ago I happened to be associated with a stock broker who was the 3rd generation stock market broker. He was the Chairman of a brokerage company which we had floated to become a member of the National Stock […]
There is one person who is rarely quoted in Financial Circles. He is George Bernard Shaw. He said “Whenever I go to my tailor, he measures me up”. I wish all of us would do it! Once we decide on a particular thing we do not let new facts change our minds. We carry prejudices […]
Suzie Orman says: Keep enough money in ultra safe accounts to cover life’s emergencies, – say 8 months expenses – but no more. Financial planners talk only of an income emergency. They do not talk about an asset emergency. When your assets crash and you are reluctant to sell at the current prices it is […]
There is a big rush by the regulators to ‘protect’ the small investor from the big bad fund houses, insurance companies and their agents. The thought is surely laudable and one must appreciate the thought. However, most of the people involved see the markets and the investor with a very nice honorable telescope. They have […]