The right time to start investing

Paritosh (37) works for a pharmaceutical company. His in-hand monthly salary is close to Rs 1 lakh. He wants to start investing for his five-year-old daughter's higher education and his own retirement but is confused about whether this is the right time to start, given the ongoing economic uncertainty. He also wants to know if he should invest in equity or gold. He has a lump sum of Rs 2 lakh ready to be invested. Here is a plan for Paritosh. Start investing now There is no good or bad time to start investing. What matters is that you choose the right investment avenue and invest systematically. It is essential to formulate a good financial plan and stick to it through thick and thin to achieve your financial goals. Market and economic uncertainties seldom go away. If one event is over, another arrives. Hence, don't focus on the short-term picture. Keep a long-term outlook. If you delay investing, that may result in opportunity loss, as illustrated below. Don't think of gold as an investment Gold rises whenever there is economic uncertainty, but it is not a productive asset. Its value is derived not from some economic fundamentals but from perception. See gold not as an investment but as a consumer good. Still, if you must inv

This article was originally published on December 22, 2021, and last updated on September 07, 2022.