Today if you tell anybody anything, they can (and do) check about its correctness on Google. Good show.

However using the Internet to do research on what you should eat, how much, at what time is not something that you can learn online. You need to experiment, speak to your parents (if you are under 18 especially), do some small-time experiment, and then come to a conclusion. Picking and choosing what to eat and when may not be the greatest way to improve your health, and run a marathon!  So they jump from fad to the next; one week they’re avoiding gluten, next month they are using a Keto diet, a month later it’s dairy, then it is Rutuja Divekar, and then Dixit diet. After all, when an Indian diet is available, why follow the GM diet?!! If you dare raise the possibility that eating and feeling well is more about boring old balance–focusing mainly on whole, plant-based foods, well I would be relegated to the end of the room! Who wants to hear that “Grandma was right after all” even if it is there for everyone to see. They’d rather keep searching for the magic proverbial red pill. Unfortunately, the science of dieting is only about 20 years old – even today an MBBS degree or a specialisation in dieting is not available. However, a professional could help you – but please wear your commonsense hat.

Such behavior among “investors” is also visible. When I say investors – I just mean a person who deals in shares. Most of these people are short term traders who would like to believe that they are investors. They are looking for quick-fix solutions in food, diet and now in investing. Sadly, the proverbial red pill does not exist – in diets or in investing.

Sadly, not well-qualified people or just plain greedy people create letters, investment short cuts, posts – for a fee of course and tell them how they can create wealth. Something like a fat trainer making you do a workout! Of course, technically speaking it is possible, but it is very difficult to accept that this will work. I would like to work with a fit fitness trainer, not just a trainer who has got a “certificate” to teach. I want to see a “see it works” here.

It is difficult to give advice to such people – they are more like addicts. I met a friend after a very long time – and he had a decent portfolio. He now wanted to add ONE MORE mid-cap fund (he already had 2) and wanted to know “will it work”. Basically, his IFA was telling him “if you increase your exposure to Mid-cap you will achieve your goals more easily.

I saw it as a case of not investing enough. I asked him to shift some of his money in bank fixed deposit to liquid fund, and short bond fund. He wanted to know if that would help. I said “No. Increase your sip in an index fund by Rs. 25000 a month”. He could afford it, and I am still wondering why his IFA had not suggested such a simple step. Or my friend listened to me, but did not listen to his IFA!