Top 10 Thumb Rules For Investing Every Investor Should Know (2024)

There are rules of thumb for everything. In tennis, always start with a good serve; for good writing, avoid using cliches; even there is a six minute boiling rule for well done eggs. And if that is the fact, then why should investing be an exception.

In terms of investing, there are certain thumb rules that help us ascertain how fast our money grows or how fast it loses its value. Then, there are rules to make our investment process easier. Like how should we do our asset allocation in mutual funds, how much to save for retirement and for emergencies etc.

In this blog, we will talk about the 10 most popular thumb rules in the world of investing.

First, let’s look at the 3 rules to understand how fast your money can grow

1. Rule of 72

We all want our money to double and look for the ways it can be done in the shortest amount of time. Well, calculating the number of years in which your money doubles is very easy with the Rule of 72.

Take the number 72 and divide it with the rate of return of the investment product. The number at which you will arrive is the number of years in which your money will double. For example, let’s suppose you have invested Rs 1 lakh in a product that provides you a rate of return of 6 percent. Now, if you divide the number 72 with 6, you arrive at 12.

That means, your Rs 1 lakh will become Rs 2 lakh in 12 years.

2. Rule of 114

Like the ‘rule of 72’ tells you in how many years your money can be doubled, this rule tells you how many years it will take to triple your money.

The mathematical formula for Rule of 114 is similar to Rule of 72. For this, take the number 114 and divide it with the rate of return of the investment product. The remainder is the number of years when your investment will triple. So, if you invest Rs 1 lakh in a product that gives you an interest rate of 6 percent, then as per the rule of 114, it will become Rs 3 lakh in 19 years.

3. Rule of 144

Two multiplied by 72 is 144. Hence, you can simply understand that ‘rule of 144’ helps you calculate in how many years your money will grow four times if you know the rate of return.

For example, if you invest Rs 1 lakh in a product that gives you 6 percent interest rate, it will become Rs 4 lakh in 24 year as per the rule 144. All you need to do is divide 144 with the interest rate of the product to calculate the number of years in which the money will grow four times.

Now, as much as it is important to understand how fast your money grows, it is equally essential to know how fast the value of your money diminishes.

Let’s look at the rule that helps you determine how fast money loses its worth

4. Rule of 70

This is an excellent rule that helps you determine what your current wealth will be valued at 10 or 20 years down the line. Even if you do not spend a single penny from it (neither invest), it’s worth will be much less than what it is today. The reason is inflation.

To calculate this, take the number 70 and divide it by the current inflation rate. The number that you arrive is the number of years your wealth will be worth half of what it is today.

For example, let’s suppose you have Rs 50 lakh and the current inflation rate is 5 percent. So going by the rule of 70, your Rs 50 lakh will be worth Rs 25 lakh in 14 years. For this, we simply divided the number 70 by 5 to calculate the number.

And now that you know how fast your money goes up and down, let’s look at some other rules that help you in the investment process.

Let’s look at the 5 thumb rules you can use while investing

  • The 10,5,3 rule

When we invest or even think of investing money, the first thing that we usually look for is the rate of returns that we will get from our investments. The 10,5,3 rule helps you determine the average rate of return on your investment.

Though there are no guaranteed returns for mutual funds, as per this rule, one should expect 10 percent returns from long term equity investment, 5 percent returns from debt instruments. And 3 percent is the average rate of return that one usually gets from savings bank accounts.

  • The emergency fund rule

As the name suggests, the money kept aside for emergency use is called an emergency fund. It is a good practice to keep six months to one year’s expenses as an emergency fund. While calculating your expenses you should include expenses for food, utility bills, rent, EMIs etc. And instead of keeping it idle in savings bank accounts invest in liquid funds. These funds provide a little more returns than savings bank accounts. At the same time, like saving banks accounts, liquid funds are highly liquid, i.e. the money is available in very short notice.

To know more about emergency fund clickhere

  • 100 minus age rule

The 100 minus age rule is a great way to determine one’s asset allocation. That is, how much you should allocate in equities and how much in debt.

For this, subtract your age from 100, and the number that you arrive at is the percentage at which you should invest in equities. The rest should be invested in debt.

For example, if you are 25 years old and you want to invest Rs 10,000 every month. Here if you use the 100 minus age rule, the percentage of your equity allocation would be 100 – 25 = 75 percent. Then Rs 7,500 should go to equities and Rs 2,500 in debt. Similarly, if you are 35 years old and want to invest Rs 10,000, then according to the 100 minus age rule the equity allocation would be 100 – 35 = 65 percent. That means, Rs 6,500 should go in equities and Rs 3,500 in debt.

  • 10 percent for retirement rule

When we start earning in our early or mid twenties, saving for retirement is the last thing in our mind. But starting to save from your first salary, no matter how little the amount is, you will be able to create a huge corpus for retirement. And ideally it should be 10 percent of your current salary which you should increase by another 10 percent every year.

For example let’s assume that you are 25 year old and earn Rs 30,000 a month. You have decided to invest 10 percent of your salary, i.e. Rs 3000, every month, and increase it by another 10 percent every year. Let’s calculate the retirement corpus you will be able create by investing in an instrument that provides 10 percent returns.

Calculating retirement corpus
Current age25
Investment amount every month₹3,000
Percentage of increase in investment amount every month10 percent
Average rate of return10 percent
Retirement age60
Tenure of investment35
Total retirement corpus₹3.4 crore

So, simply by investing Rs 3,000 every month, and stepping it up by another 10 percent every year, you would be able to create a corpus of Rs 3.4 crore.

A great way to build your retirement kitty is by investing inNPSfollowing the 10 percent rule.

  • The 4% withdrawal rule

If you want your retirement fund to outlast you, then you should follow the 4 percent withdrawal rule. As a retiree if you follow the 4 percent withdrawal rule, it will ensure that you have a steady income stream. At the same time, you have enough bank balance on which you earn enough returns.

For example, let’s suppose, you have a Rs 1 crore retirement corpus, and you should withdraw Rs 4 lakh from it every year, ie Rs 33,000 every month.

Now some retirees follow this rule for the entire retirement years, but the rule also allows you to increase the amount owing to inflation. For this you can increase the withdrawal rate by the inflation rate declared by the reserve bank. Let’s understand this with an example.

Suppose your retirement corpus is Rs 1 crore, and the inflation rate is 5 percent. So if you withdraw Rs 4 lakh in the first year, you should withdraw Rs 4 lakh 20 thousand in the second year and Rs 4 lakh 41 thousand in the third year. That is every year you should increase the withdrawal amount by another 5 percent (which is considered as the inflation rate).

Finally, if you want to know whether you are wealthy, then follow this rule

5. The Net worth rule

Even to know whether you can be called wealthy, there is a simple mathematical formula.

For this, multiply your age with your gross income and then divide it with 10.If your net worth is equal or more than the remainder, then you can be called wealthy.

In India, the experts say the divisor should be 20 instead of 10. So for example, if you are 30 years old and your gross income is Rs 12 lakh, then your net worth should be at least Rs 18 lakh to be called wealthy.

This formula was used by Thomas J Stanley and William D Danko in the book ‘The next door millionaire’ to determine how self made millionaires made their money.

Bottom Line:

Rule of thumb or popularly referred to as thumb rule is an easy way to learn or apply things. And these practices are based on practical experiences. So as much as you can apply these things in real life and get results from it, these rules should never be considered as absolute truth.

Top 10 Thumb Rules For Investing Every Investor Should Know (2024)

FAQs

What is the 10 rule of investment? ›

The 10,5,3 rule

Though there are no guaranteed returns for mutual funds, as per this rule, one should expect 10 percent returns from long term equity investment, 5 percent returns from debt instruments. And 3 percent is the average rate of return that one usually gets from savings bank accounts.

What are 3 things every investor should know? ›

10 Things Every Investor Should Know
  • Investing in a vacuum is never a good idea.
  • You have an advantage over the pros.
  • Asset allocation is THE most important part of investing.
  • Investing is risky!

What are the 4 golden rules of investing? ›

They are: (1) Use specialist products; (2) Diversify manager research risk; (3) Diversify investment styles; and, (4) Rebalance to asset mix policy.

What are the 5 golden rules of investing? ›

The golden rules of investing
  • If you can't afford to invest yet, don't. It's true that starting to invest early can give your investments more time to grow over the long term. ...
  • Set your investment expectations. ...
  • Understand your investment. ...
  • Diversify. ...
  • Take a long-term view. ...
  • Keep on top of your investments.

What is Warren Buffett's golden Rule? ›

1 – Never lose money. Let's kick it off with some timeless advice from legendary investor Warren Buffett, who said “Rule No. 1 is never lose money.

What is Rule 69 in investment? ›

The Rule of 69 is used to estimate the amount of time it will take for an investment to double, assuming continuously compounded interest. The calculation is to divide 69 by the rate of return for an investment and then add 0.35 to the result.

What are the 7 qualities a good investor must possess? ›

Below are seven qualities of great property investors:
  • Good money management skills. ...
  • Good analytical skills. ...
  • Laser focus. ...
  • The ability to develop a solid network. ...
  • Being a good negotiator. ...
  • Long-term thinking. ...
  • Knowing how to be patient. ...
  • 5 Tips For Launching a Business While Keeping Your Day Job.
May 26, 2022

What are 5 tips to beginner investors? ›

Before you dive in, here are 5 helpful tips.
  • Make sure you're on solid ground financially. Before you start investing, build a solid financial foundation. ...
  • Determine goals. ...
  • Learn the basics. ...
  • Don't worry about starting small. ...
  • Don't be afraid to ask for help.

What is the 500 investor rule? ›

The 500 shareholder threshold was a rule mandated by the SEC that required companies to publicly disclose financial statements and other information if they achieved 500 or more distinct shareholders.

What is Rule #1 investing basics? ›

So, what exactly is Rule #1? It all started with Warren Buffett, who said "there are really just two rules of investing: Rule 1: Don't lose money; Rule 2: Don't forget rule number one." Today, you'll learn how to use Rule #1 to help you become financially independent. You're Investing In. Must Have A Good "Moat."

What is rule 6 in investing? ›

Action Alerts Plus portfolio manager and TheStreet's founder Jim Cramer says that if you don't do your stock homework you should not be investing your own money.

What is the 7 percent rule investing? ›

Let's say you have an investment balance of $100,000, and you want to know how long it will take to get it to $200,000 without adding any more funds. With an estimated annual return of 7%, you'd divide 72 by 7 to see that your investment will double every 10.29 years.

What is the 3 6 9 rule investing? ›

Those general saving targets are often called the “3-6-9 rule”: savings of 3, 6, or 9 months of take-home pay. Here are some guidelines to help you decide what total savings fits your needs.

What is the 90 10 rule investing? ›

A typical 90/10 principle is applied when an investor leverages short-term treasury bills to build a fixed income component portfolio using 10% of their earnings. The investor then channels the remaining 90% into higher risk but relatively affordable index funds.

What is Rule 25 in investing? ›

The Rule of 25 is a potentially useful way for you to get a sense of how much money you will need to save to have a financially secure retirement. The rule states that if you save 25 times of what you want your annual salary to be in retirement, that you can stretch that money for 30 years.

What is the 5 25 rule Buffett? ›

The 5/25 rule's popularity came from a story about Warren Buffett having given Mike Flint, his pilot for 10 years, advice about his career priorities. The advice is to list out his top 25 career goals, and from those 25, encircle the top 5. Buffett then advised Flint to focus on these 5 and let go of the others.

What is William Buffett investment strategy? ›

Warren Buffett's investment strategy has remained relatively consistent over the decades, centered around the principle of value investing. This approach involves finding undervalued companies with strong potential for growth and investing in them for the long term.

What are the 3 simple rules of investing Warren Buffett? ›

These are: invest within your circle of competence, think like a business owner when buying equities, and buy at inexpensive prices to provide a margin of safety. From 1965 through 2017, CNBC calculates that shares of Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

What is the rule of 12 in investing? ›

By using the Rule of 72 formula, your calculation will look like this: 72/6 = 12. This tells you that, at a 6% annual rate of return, you can expect your investment to double in value — to be worth $100,000 — in roughly 12 years.

What is the rule of 42? ›

The so-called Rule of 42 is one example of a philosophy that focuses on a large distribution of holdings, calling for a portfolio to include at least 42 choices while owning only a small amount of most of those choices.

What is the 363 investment rule? ›

The 3-6-3 rule describes how bankers would supposedly give 3% interest on their depositors' accounts, lend the depositors money at 6% interest, and then be playing golf by 3 p.m. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, a huge part of a bank's business was lending out money at a higher interest rate than what it was paying out ...

What is a good portfolio? ›

A diversified portfolio should have a broad mix of investments. For years, many financial advisors recommended building a 60/40 portfolio, allocating 60% of capital to stocks and 40% to fixed-income investments such as bonds. Meanwhile, others have argued for more stock exposure, especially for younger investors.

What are investors 5 personality traits? ›

They examined the Big 5 personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Openness and neuroticism have the most influence on stock investing – with opposite effects.

What are the habits of successful investors? ›

Good habits can help you be a better investor, and these five good habits can help you successfully invest for retirement.
  • Start early. ...
  • Invest regularly. ...
  • Establish a target asset allocation and rebalance regularly. ...
  • Hold diverse investments. ...
  • Check your emotions.

What are the 5 best practices of investment? ›

  • Invest early. Starting early is one of the best ways to build wealth. ...
  • Invest regularly. Investing often is just as important as starting early. ...
  • Invest enough. Achieving your long-term financial goals begins with saving enough today. ...
  • Have a plan. ...
  • Diversify your portfolio.

What is the simplest investment strategy? ›

Buying and holding investments is perhaps the simplest strategy for achieving growth, and over time it can also be one of the most effective. Those investors who simply buy stocks or other growth investments and keep them in their portfolios with only minor monitoring are often pleasantly surprised with the results.

What is the smartest way to start investing? ›

Best investments for beginners
  1. High-yield savings accounts. This can be one of the simplest ways to boost the return on your money above what you're earning in a typical checking account. ...
  2. Certificates of deposit (CDs) ...
  3. 401(k) or another workplace retirement plan. ...
  4. Mutual funds. ...
  5. ETFs. ...
  6. Individual stocks.
Feb 20, 2023

What is the 120 Rule in investing? ›

The Rule of 120 (previously known as the Rule of 100) says that subtracting your age from 120 will give you an idea of the weight percentage for equities in your portfolio. The remaining percentage should be in more conservative, fixed-income products like bonds.

What is 114 Rule of investment? ›

The formula to determine the Rule of 114 is, to divide 114 by the interest rate equal to the number of years it will take to triple your money. For instance, if you deploy Rs 1,00,000 into an investment with a 12% annual expected return, then the time to triple is 114/12, or 9.5 years.

What is the 3 1 Rule investing? ›

In many cases, market strategists find the ideal risk/reward ratio for their investments to be approximately 1:3, or three units of expected return for every one unit of additional risk.

What are the 4 M's rule 1? ›

The Four M's: Meaning, Moat, Management, Margin of Safety

It's understandable, we call that the meaning of the business. It's durable, we call that the moat. Like the water around a castle protects it from attack. The CEO is honest, passionate, and owner-oriented, we call that management.

What are the 4 M's of rule 1 of investing? ›

Determining the value of a company is critical to investing the Rule #1 way and making wise investments. The first step to determining a company's value is researching its core business practices – and that process is made SIMPLE with the 4 M's (Meaning, Management, Moat, and Margin of Safety) reviewed in this chapter.

What is the 110 rule investing? ›

Age-Based Asset Allocation

For example, there's the rule of 110. This rule says to subtract your age from 110, then use that number as a guideline for investing in stocks. So if you're 30 years old you'd invest 80% of your portfolio in stocks (110 – 30 = 80).

What is the 50 50 rule investing? ›

The 50% rule or 50 rule in real estate says that half of the gross income generated by a rental property should be allocated to operating expenses when determining profitability. The rule is designed to help investors avoid the mistake of underestimating expenses and overestimating profits.

What is the 50 investor rule? ›

The 50-shareholder limit does not just apply to a company at the registration stage. On the contrary, a proprietary company must not exceed the 50-shareholder limit if it is to retain its status as a proprietary company and avoid a range of regulatory and legal consequences.

What is the 5 stock rule? ›

In investment, the five percent rule is a philosophy that says an investor should not allocate more than five percent of their portfolio funds into one security or investment. The rule also referred to as FINRA 5% policy, applies to transactions like riskless transactions and proceed sales.

What is the 80% investment rule? ›

The 80/20 rule can be effectively used to guard against risk when individuals put 80% of their money into safer investments, like savings bonds and CDs, and the remaining 20% into riskier growth stocks.

What is the 80 20 rule investing? ›

In investing, the 80-20 rule generally holds that 20% of the holdings in a portfolio are responsible for 80% of the portfolio's growth. On the flip side, 20% of a portfolio's holdings could be responsible for 80% of its losses.

What is the 50 30 20 rule investing? ›

The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals.

What is 4 3 2 1 investment strategy? ›

THE 4-3-2-1 APPROACH

This ratio allocates 40% of your income towards expenses, 30% towards housing, 20% towards savings and investments and 10% towards insurance.

What is the 3% rule stock? ›

This is often used as a guideline to determine if a breakout or breakdown is valid. The price should move at least 3% above or below the respective level for the move to be regarded as valid.

What is the best Rule of 72? ›

The Rule of 72 is a calculation that estimates the number of years it takes to double your money at a specified rate of return. If, for example, your account earns 4 percent, divide 72 by 4 to get the number of years it will take for your money to double. In this case, 18 years.

What is the 40 40 20 rule investing? ›

▣ 40/40/20 rule You can also accelerate the process of wealth creation with this rule 40% you can save & invest for your future. Another 40% can be used for essential expenses. 20% for everything else.

What is the 10 20 rule for investment? ›

The 20% is allocated towards savings; you could carve out emergency funds from this percentage. The last 10% goes towards investments, i.e., stocks, bonds, or any desired investment. The 20/10 rule of thumb helps to manage your debts and the 70/20/10 rule is a guideline used to help manage your entire spending.

What is the 40 60 rule investing? ›

With a 60/40 portfolio, investors put 60% of their money in stocks and 40% in bonds. This diversification of both growth and income has generally provided a safe, mundane way for investors to grow their money without taking on too much risk.

What is the $1000 a month rule? ›

The math behind the $1000-a-month rule is simple. If you take 5% of a $240,000 retirement nest egg each year, that works out to $12,000/year, which, divided into 12 months, gives you $1000 each month.

What is rule 21 in stock market? ›

The relationship can be referred to as the “Rule of 21,” which says that the sum of the P/E ratio and CPI inflation should equal 21. It's not a perfect relationship, but holds true generally.

What is the 7 8 sell rule? ›

To make money in stocks, you must protect the money you have. Live to invest another day by following this simple rule: Always sell a stock it if falls 7%-8% below what you paid for it.

What is the 10 Rule in simple terms? ›

Lesson Summary. The 10% Rule means that when energy is passed in an ecosystem from one trophic level to the next, only ten percent of the energy will be passed on. An energy pyramid shows the feeding levels of organisms in an ecosystem and gives a visual representation of energy loss at each level.

How does the 10 Rule work? ›

On average, only about 10 percent of energy stored as biomass in a trophic level is passed from one level to the next. This is known as “the 10 percent rule” and it limits the number of trophic levels an ecosystem can support.

What is the 10 20 Rule for investment? ›

The 20% is allocated towards savings; you could carve out emergency funds from this percentage. The last 10% goes towards investments, i.e., stocks, bonds, or any desired investment. The 20/10 rule of thumb helps to manage your debts and the 70/20/10 rule is a guideline used to help manage your entire spending.

What is the rule #1 in investing according to Warren Buffett? ›

Rule 1: Never lose money.

This is considered by many to be Buffett's most important rule and is the foundation of his investment philosophy.

What are the 5 to 10 rules? ›

The 10 and 5 rule is a simple guideline that is widely used in the hospitality industry. The rule dictates that when a staff member is 10 feet from a guest, the staff smiles and makes direct eye contact, and when they are within five feet, the staff verbally greets the guest.

What is the 10 10 10 strategy? ›

The 10-10-10 strategy

It's a simple philosophy that goes like this: When you are making any decision, whether in your personal or business life, consider how the course of action you want to take will make you feel ten minutes from now, ten months from now and, finally, ten years from now.

What is 10 10 10 investment rule? ›

By asking yourself how you would feel about the decision in 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years is exactly what can force you to think how you would personally respond, given the timeline.

What is the 50 30 20 rule? ›

One of the most common types of percentage-based budgets is the 50/30/20 rule. The idea is to divide your income into three categories, spending 50% on needs, 30% on wants, and 20% on savings. Learn more about the 50/30/20 budget rule and if it's right for you.

What is an example of the 20 10 rule? ›

Example of How to Use the 20/10 Rule

In this example, 20% of Tom's $50,000 income is $10,000. According to the 20/10 rule, Tom's total debt should fall below $10,000. Dividing Tom's annual income into 12 months, we see that his take-home pay is about $4,167 a month.

What is the rule of 10 decision making? ›

The framework is simple: before you make a decision, ask yourself three questions: 10 minutes from now, how will I feel about this decision? 10 months from now, how will I feel about this decision?

What is the 80% investment Rule? ›

The 80/20 rule can be effectively used to guard against risk when individuals put 80% of their money into safer investments, like savings bonds and CDs, and the remaining 20% into riskier growth stocks.

What is the 70% Rule investing? ›

Basically, the rule says real estate investors should pay no more than 70% of a property's after-repair value (ARV) minus the cost of the repairs necessary to renovate the home. The ARV of a property is the amount a home could sell for after flippers renovate it.

What is the 25% investment Rule? ›

In public finance, the 25% rule prescribes that a public entity's total debt should not exceed one-quarter of its annual budget.

What is the 1% stock Rule? ›

The 1% rule for day traders limits the risk on any given trade to no more than 1% of a trader's total account value. Traders can risk 1% of their account by trading either large positions with tight stop-losses or small positions with stop-losses placed far away from the entry price.

What is the Rule of 12 in investing? ›

By using the Rule of 72 formula, your calculation will look like this: 72/6 = 12. This tells you that, at a 6% annual rate of return, you can expect your investment to double in value — to be worth $100,000 — in roughly 12 years.

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