ETMarkets Fund Manager Talk : For women seeking investment advice, here’s 5 mantras from Janvi Nagrecha of IIFL Securities

On the eve of Women’s Day, Janvi Nagrecha of IIFL Securities advises women to diversify into other asset classes such as mutual funds or portfolio management services. Nagrecha, who is the director at one of the leading brokerages, also shares 5 investment mantras that did wonders for her as well as her clients.

Edited excerpts:

What prompted you to enter the finance world, which even today is male-dominated? How did this turn into a passion?
I was introduced to the world of finance in my early college days. Professor Ashok Kumar, MD of Lotus Wealth, also known as the IPO guru, was our faculty then, and he narrated such stories about the concepts, the history of stock markets which absolutely fascinated me. Stories of Harshad Mehta and the IT boom and how it all came down was extremely thrilling and I was naturally drawn towards it.

Once I started the “real job” at IIFL Securities and started implementing all that I had leant in my B-school days, the game changed all together.

This was real money at stake and so much could be done with it. Making the right choices, understanding the risks and end-to-end execution. So, everything was quite indulging. Like they say, there is never a dull moment in stock markets.

Can you share any of your experiences? What were the major challenges you faced during your stint in this industry?
I started my career in 2004, and this is an industry where we deal with real people and real money, which comes with its unique risks, pressures, challenges and learnings.

I have seen it all from the Black Monday of 2004, the subprime crisis of 2008 to demonetisation and enduring through the work from home regime, and the virus itself during COVID times. Each of these leaves you enriched with new experiences and learnings.

So, what’s your investment mantra and how well has it worked for you and your clients?
My 5 major investment mantras are assess your risk appetite, evaluate your options, stay invested, review periodically, and realign wherever needed.

This has worked fabulously for most of our clients as we offer them advice based on their requirements which comprise of various factors such as timelines, liquidity, risk appetite and expected returns.

Given the need and emergence of financial independence, what will be your investment and savings advice to the women of this country today?
To begin with, there has to be learning in some form. Once they are aware, they need to be actively involved in the decision making process. They can also take advice from a reliable advisor.

Historically, we have seen women are more aligned towards gold, PPF or fixed deposits as an investment avenue.

I would advise them to diversify into other asset classes through various avenues like mutual funds, PMS and other managed investment options available along with tax planning options like ELSS etc to achieve a better overall yield on their investment portfolio.

In addition, a sizable health and life insurance cover should be there to manage unforeseen events.

An analysis showed that women fund managers represent just about 10% of the MF industry? 5 years down the line, where do you see this figure?
Globally, within financial services institutions, women held 21% of board seats, 19% of C-suite roles, and 5% of CEO positions in 2021, says a report by Deloitte. This industry historically has been male dominated, but things are changing surely.

With the on-going digitalisation, financial awareness and rising penetration in non-metro cities, more and more women are joining the workforce in the banking and financial space, and I am definitely looking at these numbers improving significantly with time.

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