BIO: Manish Kumar Tyagi used to be a Commander in the Indian Navy before he decided to become a standup comic sometime in 2014 and goes by the name “The Knotty Commander.”
STORY: Manish relied upon his investment agent to invest his money. The agent invested in several options that lost him money over and over.
LEARNING: Don’t blindly trust anybody with your money. Don’t rely on one investment agent.
“Don’t be a blind investor; read a little about investing.”
Manish Kumar Tyagi
Guest profile
Manish Kumar Tyagi used to be a Commander in the Indian Navy before he decided to become a standup comic sometime in 2014 and goes by the name “The Knotty Commander.” An Officer and a Gentleman, he has some very funny tales to tell from his life experience. His style is full of unprecedented stories blended with wit and humor. His Facebook page and YouTube channel have over a quarter-million followers, with multiple videos having over 3 million organic viewers. He has performed across multiple cities in India and overseas. As a Motivational Speaker, he has also spoken at Josh Talks, 14 TEDx conclaves and is also a regular with corporate assignments.
Worst investment ever
When Manish quit the army in 2012, he got his retirement benefits and invested in real estate. The market took a downturn, and Manish lost about 25% of his investment. He took what remained and invested it in a mutual fund, and it was doing well until the pandemic hit in 2020. One morning, Manish learned that Franklin Templeton had frozen six of their funds, and he had quite a substantial amount there. He spoke to his agent, who assured him that everything was going to bounce back. He told him that he would reshuffle his portfolio, but Manish wanted a long-term plan because he had money in another fund he didn’t want to lose.
Manish asked to have his money back and kept it in the bank. In the process, he lost 15% of his investment, but at this point, all he wanted was to see his money in the bank. A friend then advised him to buy gold which he did. Then he purchased gold bonds to diversify his portfolio. The price of gold went down 30%.
Manish’s greatest regret is leaving his money at the hands of his agent and taking blind advice from friends. He never took the time to understand the investments his agent was putting his money in.
Lessons learned
- Don’t blindly trust anybody with your money. You need to keep reading up about whatever you invest your money in.
- Don’t put all your eggs in the same basket. When engaging an investment agent, always get a second opinion.
Andrew’s takeaways
- Always know that there’s a lot of volatility in the stock market.
- Our emotions are really against us when it comes to the stock market.
- There are many investment instruments today where an amateur who knows nothing and doesn’t want to spend all their time doing the market research can invest in.
Actionable advice
Don’t be a blind investor; read a little about it, speak to people, and keep checking on your investments from time to time and see how the market is doing.
No. 1 goal for the next 12 months
Manish’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to consolidate his investments and wait for the opportunity to re-enter the market.
Parting words
“At this point in time, stay low. Stay safe.”
Manish Kumar Tyagi
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