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By:

Kaustubh Kale

10 September 2024 at 6:07:15 pm

Akshay Tritiya and Gold

As Akshay Tritiya arrives, gold once again takes centre stage in Indian households. For generations, buying gold on this auspicious day has been considered a symbol of prosperity, purity, and good fortune. It is not just a purchase. It is an emotion, a blessing, and a tradition passed from one generation to another. But beyond tradition, gold also carries an important financial lesson. Gold is not just jewellery. It is an asset. Gold During Uncertain Times Over the years, gold has proved its...

Akshay Tritiya and Gold

As Akshay Tritiya arrives, gold once again takes centre stage in Indian households. For generations, buying gold on this auspicious day has been considered a symbol of prosperity, purity, and good fortune. It is not just a purchase. It is an emotion, a blessing, and a tradition passed from one generation to another. But beyond tradition, gold also carries an important financial lesson. Gold is not just jewellery. It is an asset. Gold During Uncertain Times Over the years, gold has proved its worth not only during festivals, but also during uncertain times. Whenever the world faces wars, inflation, currency weakness, economic slowdown, or financial panic, investors across the globe look at gold as a safe haven. This is because gold has a unique quality. It is trusted across countries, cultures, and generations. It does not depend on the promise of one government, one company, or one currency. Why Gold Holds Value Unlike paper currency, gold cannot be printed endlessly. Unlike businesses, it does not depend on profits or management quality. Unlike real estate, it is globally accepted and easily valued. This is why gold continues to remain one of the oldest and most respected stores of value. It has survived centuries of change, economic cycles, wars, and financial crises. The Right Role in Your Portfolio That said, gold should not be treated as a shortcut to wealth creation. Equities and equity mutual funds still remain essential for long-term growth. Gold plays a different role. It brings balance, stability, and protection to your portfolio. When equity markets are volatile or global uncertainty rises, gold often provides comfort. A sensible allocation of around 10-20% to gold can help reduce overall portfolio risk.  So basically, while stocks and equity mutual funds play the lead role in your long-term financial goals, gold plays the supporting but essential role. Physical Gold Has Limitations However, the way you invest in gold matters. Buying physical gold during festivals may feel emotionally satisfying, but it comes with practical challenges. There are making charges, purity concerns, storage issues, risk of theft, and liquidity problems. A necklace may be beautiful, but you cannot easily sell only a small portion of it when you need money. Also, when gold is bought as jewellery, the investor often forgets to calculate the actual return after making charges and deductions. Smarter Ways to Invest This is where Gold Mutual Funds and Gold ETFs become useful. They allow you to invest in gold without worrying about lockers, purity, theft, or storage. You can invest flexible amounts, start SIPs, track value easily, and redeem conveniently when required. For investors who want gold as part of their financial plan, these options are far more practical than buying jewellery purely as an investment. Tradition with Financial Clarity Akshay Tritiya is a beautiful reminder that wealth should be built with faith, patience, and clarity. Buying gold is auspicious, but buying it in the right form is financially wise. This Akshay Tritiya, celebrate tradition - but also upgrade your financial thinking. Because true prosperity is not just about owning gold. It is about owning it smartly. (The writer is a Chartered Accountant and CFA (USA). Financial Advisor. Views personal. He could be reached on 9833133605.)

Wielding Soft Power

Political parties are scrambling for the female mandate, as alliances vie against each other useing attractive schemes and slogans

Mumbai: Travel around Maharashtra and you will see hoardings with photographs of women voters—some hail the Chief Minister for caring about his “ladki bahins”, roughly translated as beloved sisters. Then there are some with women in the advertisement urging other women to vote for the ‘clock symbol’ or Ajit Pawar’s NCP for the largesse being doled out to the women. On FM radio, there are ads with women wondering if the monthly pension schemes for women will stop if the Mahayuti alliance loses the polls. Women, as we see, are at the centre stage of these assembly elections.


After the Chief Minister’s high octane Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana launch and campaign, the MVA has promised a monthly pension of Rs 3000 to the women of Maharashtra. This doubles the amount currently being doled out. There are riders of course; with a cap of the family income to be eligible for this pension. Election speeches, across parties, talk about women—their safety, education and employment opportunities for them and their children, promises which will tug at their heartstrings. Parties have also roped in a women force of campaigners to carry the message and appeal to women voters. The most vocal female politician in Maharashtra at present, Supriya Sule, connects effortlessly with women voters, breaking down development issues into a language which even the unlettered can understand. Around 10 per cent on the candidates of both alliances are women. Politicians are organising ‘paithani contests’, cooking competitions and making handsome donations to self-help groups run by women. Cash, competitions, fun and frolic are all being used to get the woman voter to their side.


Wives, mothers, sisters and daughters are working hard as campaign managers for male politicians. They can effortlessly hug a woman farmer, pat a young girl on the shoulder and can walk straight into the woman’s hearth and heart.


The focus on women lies in the numbers. Data by the election commission shows that Maharashtra has 46.6 million women voters as against 49.7 million men. The efforts are to draw a maximum number of women out of their homes to vote. Official data in absolute numbers showed that 5o per cent women voted pan India during the Lok Sabha elections this time.


There are sociological factors at play as well. Out of 288 assembly constituencies, there are 38 peculiar constituencies in various parts of the state where there is a larger percentage of women voters. This is because of the trend of men moving out of their towns and villages for work opportunities while the women stay back to tend to the farm or home. Some of these are Akola, Gondia, Shahada, Chiplun, Sindhudurg and parts of Kolhapur. Here, women will decide which candidate wins. With increasing education and financial independence, women now make their decisions without being coerced or influenced by men. It’s easy to then appeal to them with schemes and emotional messaging.


Women centric schemes have proven beneficial to the BJP in the past; the Ujjwal Yojana, the Laadli Yojana in Madhya Pradesh and the Lakhpati Ladli Yojana, among others, have helped the parties reap benefits from women voters.

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