Abhishek Kumar on Choosing an adviser in the Media
Articles, interviews and programmes in which Abhishek Kumar, founder of SahajMoney and SEBI Registered Investment Adviser (INA100008045), discusses fee-only advice, SEBI-registered advisers and avoiding mis-selling: 16 items in publications including India Today, Mint, The Economic Times and Outlook Money.
Abhishek Kumar on choosing an adviser
I came to financial advice after a family setback showed me how much unbiased planning matters, and that experience still colours what I say to journalists about choosing an adviser.
The first thing I look at is incentives. Advice is shaped by how the person giving it is paid. The seller's interest and yours do not always line up, and mis-selling damages trust, not just savings: premiums they never planned for, cash locked away when it is needed, products that never fitted. Registered investment advisers in India can charge either a flat fee or a percentage of the assets they advise on, and it is reasonable to ask anyone who advises you how they are paid.
Second, check credentials. Registration exists so that the public can tell a regulated adviser from someone borrowing the label, and I believe part-time advisers should be held to exactly the rules that apply to full-time advisers. Free stock tips in chat groups are the plainest warning sign of all, because nobody hands out recommendations purely out of kindness.
Third, whoever you work with, the advice should be about you: your goals, your risk appetite and your time horizon, with reasons you can understand and question. Automated tools can lower costs and take some bias out of decisions, but they can stumble when people act on fear in volatile markets. And there is no right stage at which to start; starting early simply helps you avoid costly mistakes, like buying insurance as an investment.
Questions people ask
Why does it matter how my financial adviser is paid?
Because payment shapes advice. When someone earns from the products they sell, the pull can be towards whatever pays them more rather than what fits you. Registered investment advisers charge the client directly, either a fixed fee or a percentage of the assets they advise on. Whichever arrangement you choose, ask the question openly and expect a clear answer. Knowing who pays your adviser helps you judge whether a recommendation is about your goals or about a sale.
Said in Outlook Money, October 2024
How can I tell if a financial product is being mis-sold to me?
Ask the person selling it to explain in writing why it suits you. Then check the charges, any lock-in and what you would lose by leaving early. A sound recommendation should survive those questions. Mis-selling costs more than money: it can leave you paying premiums you never planned for and short of cash when you need it. If you have already bought something that does not fit, use the free-look period to return it.
Said in India Today, June 2026
Are free stock tips on social media and chat groups safe to follow?
I would stay away. Groups offering free tips often target young, inexperienced investors, and nobody gives away recommendations purely out of kindness; there is usually something in it for the sender. Before acting on anyone's advice, check whether they are registered with SEBI. The regulator has also cancelled the registrations of inactive advisers to stop fraudsters misusing their credentials, so it is worth confirming that the person is who they claim to be.
Said in India Today, July 2025
How do I move my mutual funds from a distributor to a registered adviser?
Do it gradually, and with tax in mind. I usually suggest redirecting new SIPs to the new plan first, since that costs nothing. Then review the existing holdings unit by unit: units are treated as sold on a first-in, first-out basis, so some can be moved without creating a tax bill. For a large portfolio, switching units that carry big gains can be phased over 12 to 18 months rather than done in one go.
Said in Mint, March 2026
Can a robo-adviser replace a human adviser?
Automated tools have real strengths: they lower costs and take some human bias out of investment decisions. Their weakness shows when markets turn volatile and investors act on emotion, which the models behind many such tools do not handle well. Whether you use a tool or a person, the real test is whether the plan still fits your goals, risk appetite and time horizon, and whether you can stick with it when markets are falling.
When should I start working with a financial planner?
There is no particular age or income at which planning begins to make sense. I have sat with people who started at twenty-five and at fifty-five, and each had something worth fixing. What starting early buys you is fewer expensive detours. The commonest one I see is insurance bought as a savings plan, which leaves a person under-covered and tied to premiums for years. If you have an income, a few goals and some decisions ahead of you, that is already enough reason to talk to a planner, whatever stage you are at.
Said in Outlook Money, October 2024
Does it matter whether my adviser does this full-time or part-time?
I would not rule someone out for advising part-time. When SEBI proposed allowing it, I welcomed the idea, partly because I had to leave my own job to register in 2017, and a lower barrier lets people test the profession before committing to it. What I asked for then still applies: a part-time adviser should be held to exactly the same registration, qualification and conduct rules as a full-time one. So I would put the same questions to either: how they are paid, whether they are registered, and whether they can give your plan the attention it needs.
Said in freefincal, September 2024
Someone claims to be a SEBI-registered adviser. How do I check that it is true and current?
Look the person up on SEBI's public register of investment advisers rather than taking a certificate or a social-media bio at face value. Check that the name and registration number match and that the registration is still active. SEBI has cancelled the registrations of advisers who had stopped practising, partly so that lapsed credentials cannot be borrowed by someone else, which is why a current check matters more than an old one. If the details do not line up, or the person is reluctant to share them, I would treat that as reason enough to walk away.
Said in Mint, November 2025
What does working with a fee-only adviser actually involve?
The first few meetings are usually about you rather than about markets: what you are saving for, when each goal falls due, how much risk you can genuinely live with, and what you already hold. From that I build a mix of asset classes for each goal, with the reasoning written down so you can question it. The work then continues through reviews. As a goal comes close, a child's higher education for instance, I would typically move that money out of equity into debt so that a market fall in the last year or two does not upset the plan.
Said in Mint, May 2024
General information, not personal advice. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing.
All 16 items on choosing an adviser
2026 (2)
- 20 Jun 2026From warnings to regulation: Why RBI ran out of patience with bank mis-sellingIndia Today · Abhishek quoted · Choosing an adviser
Abhishek Kumar said mis-selling costs people trust as well as money, and can cause liquidity problems and unplanned premium payments. He advised customers to ask for written reasons why a product suits them, check charges and lock-ins, and use the free-look period.
- 5 Mar 2026How to shift your MF portfolio from an MFD to an RIAMint · Abhishek quoted · Choosing an adviser
Abhishek Kumar explained that a unit-level FIFO review can find units that can move without tax, and suggested redirecting SIPs first and phasing switches of high-gain units over 12 to 18 months for large portfolios.
2025 (3)
- 15 Dec 2025Old money rules are broken: 15 financial planners on how investing has changedThe Economic Times · Features Abhishek · Choosing an adviser
Abhishek Kumar said the 4% withdrawal rule may not hold in India given higher general and medical inflation and limited pension cover, and that 3–3.5% is a more sustainable rate in his experience.
- 27 Nov 2025Sebi cancels registration of 68 investment advisers in major compliance sweepMint · Abhishek quoted · Choosing an adviser
Abhishek Kumar said the move appears aimed at stopping fraudsters from misusing the credentials of inactive advisers and at keeping the public register of advisers credible.
- 24 Jul 2025Investment advisor explains how ‘free’ stock tip groups scam peopleIndia Today · Abhishek quoted · Choosing an adviser
Abhishek Kumar explained in a LinkedIn post, cited by the outlet, how such groups lure young investors, and cautioned that nobody hands out stock tips for free out of goodwill.
2024 (8)
- 1 Oct 20245 Questions That Will Lead You To The Right Financial PlannerOutlook Money · Abhishek quoted · Choosing an adviser
Abhishek Kumar, founder of SahajMoney, said there is no right stage to become financially fit and starting early helps avoid mistakes such as mixing insurance with investment; he also explained that RIAs may charge a fixed fee or a share of assets under advice.
- 30 Sept 2024Fan Favourite- Why do we need young SEBI investment advisors?Podcast · Guest: Abhishek Kumar · Choosing an adviser
A rerun of Mint's June 2024 Why Not Mint Money episode in which Abhishek Kumar, SEBI Registered Investment Adviser and founder of SahajMoney, explains how financial advice works for people in their twenties who often take guidance from friends and family.
- 8 Sept 2024SEBI wants to allow part-time advisors: Good move or bad move?freefincal · Abhishek quoted · Choosing an adviser
Abhishek Kumar welcomed the proposal as a way for prospective advisers to try the profession, noted that he had to quit his job to register in 2017, and urged SEBI to hold part-time advisers to the same rules as full-time ones.
- 22 Jun 2024Why young India needs Sebi-registered investment advisors? (opens on Mint, new tab)Video · Mint · Guest: Abhishek Kumar · Choosing an adviser
- 22 Jun 2024Why young India needs Sebi-registered investment advisors? (opens on Mint, new tab)Podcast · Mint · Guest: Abhishek Kumar · Choosing an adviser
- 1 May 2024How choosing a registered investment adviser helped this family manage its financesMint · Features Abhishek · Choosing an adviser
Abhishek Kumar is the fee-only SEBI RIA this Mumbai family hired; the article says he assessed their risk appetite, built a goal-based asset mix, and advised moving their daughter's education money from equity to debt as the goal neared.
- 20 Mar 2024How this Bengaluru family transformed its financesMint · Features Abhishek · Choosing an adviser
Abhishek Kumar is the fee-only SEBI-registered adviser this Bengaluru couple hired; the article says he had them build an emergency corpus, explained how accident cover differs from health cover, and guided a more balanced portfolio.
- 2 Jan 2024How this small-town dentist couple set their personal finance goalsMint · Features Abhishek · Choosing an adviser
Abhishek Kumar is the RIA this dentist couple found online; the article says SahajMoney advised term cover, separating clinic and personal money and leasing equipment, and Kumar described plans to collect data via account aggregators.
2023 (1)
- 8 Oct 2023Explained: What are robo-advisors and should you use one for your investing decisions?Business Insider India · Abhishek quoted · Choosing an adviser
Abhishek Kumar explained that robo-advisory tools cut costs and take human bias out of investment decisions by automating them, and cautioned that tools built on modern portfolio theory can falter when investors act irrationally in volatile markets.
2019 (1)
- 8 Jan 2019Fee-only Advisor Abhishek Kumar’s tap dancing to financial freedomfreefincal · Features Abhishek · Choosing an adviser
Abhishek Kumar shared, in his own words, how a family setback shaped his interest in unbiased planning and why he left corporate work to offer fee-only investment advice.
2016 (1)
- 31 Jul 2016List of Flat-Fee-only Financial Planners in India (SEBI RIAs) curated by freefincalfreefincal · Abhishek mentioned · Choosing an adviser
Abhishek Kumar is included in the list of flat-fee-only SEBI-registered advisers, with SahajMoney's website and Hindi noted as a language he works in.
Abhishek Kumar is a SEBI Registered Investment Adviser (INA100008045) and the founder of SahajMoney, a fee-only financial planning firm. More about Abhishek · All press coverage