2021 is ending soon. Can you give us a sneak peek into your 2021?
We have to rewind 2021 from the background of 2020. After a short and intense bear market, the equity market saw a quick reversal which led to greediness. Investors felt they could make right decisions during the recent IPO frenzy and cryptocurrency rage. Handholding investors and managing their greed, in a way has become the main theme of 2021.
What are the two key lessons that the year has taught you?
2021 was a roller coaster and it taught me to be more patient with clients and persistent in my practice. During the V-shaped recovery and upward market movement, investors felt they could make easy profits. The passing year reinforces the need for exercising patience and persistence to encourage investors to stay long term.
Personally, I feel we should remain grounded and not forget the reason for our very existence in the business of mutual fund distribution. Things can go wrong when arrogance sets in.
What are your aspirations for the coming year?
We have crossed Rs. 1,000 crore of AUM. What took us to a four-figure AUM may not take us to a five-figure AUM. It is all about learning from past mistakes and scaling up our business practice by revamping current operations and becoming more adaptable.
In the personal space, we should maintain a balance between personal and professional life and not get exhausted too soon. We should be prepared physically and mentally to take up the challenges in the future.
What is that one thing that you feel could have been done differently last year?
There is a tsunami of investors coming into the system. How I wish, we could have envisaged the rise in the number of new investors wanting to explore the capital market. Had we been able to anticipate that, we could have made some early changes for catering to their growing needs.
What trends do you think MFDs/RIAs should watch for in 2022?
It is not just about 2022, but going forward fintech will bring masses into the financial system. It will broaden the markets by reaching out even to small villages. But the deepening of the markets and management of behavioural aspects will have to be taken care of by MFDs/RIAs.
