The festival of Dussehra or Vijayadashmi symbolises the triumph of Rama over the 10-headed demon king Ravana. The victory of Rama over ‘Assuras’ signifies the victory of good over evil. Hence, Dussehra is also a time for self-analysis, identifying your own ‘asuras’ and overthrowing them. On the occasion of Dussehra, burn your ten dead habits related to investment.

Enlighten Your Investing! 

1) Adopting Dharma Aka Justice

The magic mantra of the stock market is ‘Buy low, sell high,’ Perhaps the most extreme example of this is arbitrage, the fundamental principle of arbitrage is the simultaneous buying and selling of the same asset in different markets to generate profit from small differences in the asset’s listed price. Yet, it is commonly seen that investors, instead of making a rational decision, make decisions out of fear or greed. In an attempt to maximise short-term return, investors often ignore the long-term investment goal. Every coin has two sides. Hence stock prices can drop. In the case of a stock price drop, most investors immediately want to bail out, and they sell out their stocks to avoid loss at lower prices. However, selling low can be bad when you go by price alone.

2) Investing To Become Like Lankapati

Cut your expenses, start saving and investing as early as possible, and utilise compounding interest to grow your revenue. Procrastinating in investing is a usual mistake. The reason behind not investing is not having enough money or time to invest and do research and select the best stock to invest in. However, one should start investing as early as possible as it can be a helpful strategy for young people to meet their financial goals.

3) Dismiss Social Media, Implement Buddhi

Research showed almost 80 per cent of institutional investors today use social media as part of their regular workflow, and almost 30 per cent of the investors obtain information about the investment through social media and sites. In contrast, social media can provide so many benefits; many of the users can be manipulative and may use these platforms for their gain. A good investor should have a responsibility to take any information with a grain of salt. Thus, start using your ‘Buddhi’, i.e. Intellectual mindset, to become an Ace Investor.

4) Blurred Investing Strategy- Think like Dasavtara

After Sita’s abduction, Lord Ram did not act on impulse. The legend speaks of Lord Ram taking time out to strategise his plan. He had it all in mind as to how he would rescue Sita and neutralise ten-headed Ravana. Similarly, formulate a plan before investing. Why so? To know the threat and risks involved in the market, analyse the market, know your financial standing and understand your budget to yield high profit. After thorough research, you would automatically adopt the market skills like Lankapati Scholars in all Four Vedas.

5) Spending Mindlessly

The burning of Ravana’s effigy symbolises the victory of good over evil. So take a step in turning your bad financial decisions into the right ones to generate profits. Using credit and debit cards, spending beyond your budget, and buying insurance and investment plans without planning could be reckless. Financial discipline is important; one should be prepared with a budget and stick to it to lead a financially secure life.

6) Being Annoyance Like Asura

 As per the Ramayana, Lord Ram is very patient because he prayed calmly to Lord Ocean continuously for three days; likely to this, Patience is a true virtue in the world of investment, as the market is unsettling on the indices, and hence some shares and funds could go down the graph unexpectedly. However, the same can pick its pace with time. Hence, Patience remains a true virtue in the world of investments. Analysing the market is crucial, as it gives the Investor a sense of whether the company is stable, growing, or deteriorating. Impatience may lead to anger, resembling the 2nd Head of Ravana, ‘ Krodha’.

7) Borrowing Money- Is It Worth?

Borrowing money to invest does not make sense to invest the borrowed money in risky investment options like stocks, mutual funds, IPOs, etc. So should you borrow a loan for investing? The answer to the question ultimately rests on whether you should take or loan or not. But it is advised to take a structured loan such as a personal loan for investing and not to rely on income generated from the investment; if you can pay off the EM from your regular income, then it is advised to borrow money to ease off your burden.

8) Never Exodus Quality Stocks

Investing requires an exceptional amount of Patience. Conversely, making rash decisions in haste can be a blunder. Investing requires Patience. For instance, there are various examples where an investment severely lagged for several years before it bounced back and became a top performer. It is not surprising at all. To generate attractive returns, in the long run, being patient and staying invested is a must; it may look like a boring strategy, yet, it is important to stay patient to become a successful investor, just like Ravana, who rendered his devotion towards Lord Shiva and lifted the Kailasa Mountain to show his powers. He, then, enchanted Shiv Tandav Stotram to please the Lord.

9) Losing Focus’ Manas Chitta’

As per the three two, each one, Lord Rama and Arjuna remained focused not just on merely destroying their opponent but on achieving their goal of being righteous. Likewise, an investor should always concentrate on an individual goal-based investment plan. You would lose out on your long-term gains if you listen to the noise of the herd or get driven by the emotion of greed and fear. Thus, a lesson from ‘Manas Chitta’, meaning, Mind’s Desire to fulfil your goal should adhere.

10) Not Heeding to Sound Advice ‘Ahamkara’

As per Ramayana, Devi Sita got abducted by Ravana because she didn’t heed Lakshmana’s word of caution and crossed the Lakshmanrekha (a line drawn on the ground to mark territory). Similarly, the Investor must be a good listener. A smart investor always stays at all ears to sound financial advice to filter and choose what is right for him. To make better investment decisions, one has to listen to the pieces of advice of an ethical, unbiased, experienced, not egoistic ‘Ahamkara’ and research-backed financial adviser.

Mark the day of Dussehra as the new beginning, pledge to improve your financial habits and choose the right steps to take for your bright future. Have a positive approach and outlook towards your investment, seek the right path and brighten it with the oil lamp of wisdom and knowledge. Wishing you all the glorious and magnificent Vijayadashmi. May this Dussehra enlighten your investment goals and diversify your mindset like the 10-headed Ravana.

Happy Investing!