Frequently Asked Questions
Although our structure is corporate, our spirit is that of true partnership.
“Partnership is not a legal contract between two equal individuals, it’s an emotional alliance between two people who are committed to each other’s success.” — Warren Buffett
At Digi-Finmart, we couldn’t agree more. We believe in win–win partnerships—when our clients succeed, we succeed. Nothing gives us more joy than seeing the peace and confidence on our clients’ faces when money is no longer a worry.
“If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk together.” — African Proverb
Wealth creation is a long-term journey, often filled with complexity and uncertainty. That’s why most people need a trusted companion—someone to guide, coach, and walk with them over decades.
If you feel we could be that companion for your financial journey, we’d love to start by understanding each other well. Shared values, mutual respect, and aligned expectations are at the heart of every successful relationship.
Below, you’ll find answers to the most important questions clients ask us before starting. We’ve tried to be as transparent and thorough as possible so you can fully understand how we think, work, and partner with you.
Take your time.
And if there’s still something unanswered, feel free to reach out to us anytime at wecare@digi-finmart.com
We specialize in co-creating a personalised, goal-based financial plan—designed to help you achieve your life’s most meaningful aspirations.
Our services include:
- Recommending the right Term & Health Insurance coverage for you and your family
- Helping you invest in Mutual Funds aligned with your goals, risk profile, and return expectations
- Assisting you in preparing a simple and effective Will, ensuring a lasting legacy for your loved ones
From protecting your present to planning your future—we walk with you at every step.
At Etica Wealth, we manage money for a wide spectrum of clients—business owners, salaried professionals, retirees, single women, and NRIs.
We believe in equal attention, not equal portfolios. That’s why we don’t discriminate based on the size of your initial investment.
Our sweet spot lies in serving the Middle Net-worth Individual (MNI)—as the legendary Parag Parikh once said,
“We don’t chase HNIs, we create them.”
We’re not the best fit for Ultra-HNIs bringing ₹10 crore+ on Day 1—not because of their wealth, but because they often prefer control over coaching.
We work best with those who value long-term thinking, simplicity, and staying the course.
We love working with individuals who:
If you value wisdom over hype, and coaching over shortcuts — we might just be the right fit for you.
We may not be the right fit for individuals who:
We don’t have a minimum investment amount.
But we do have a minimum philosophy requirement—our approach only works if you’re willing to stay the course.
Real results begin to show after 5 years. If that sounds like forever, we’re probably not for you.
At Etica Wealth, we believe in being upfront about what we don’t do—because great relationships are built on clear expectations.
Absolutely! We manage clients across India and in over 25 countries globally.
Thanks to Zoom, we’re always just an e-meeting away—at your convenience.
That said, if you’re ever in Mumbai or passing through, we’d love to host you for an in-person conversation—some discussions are just better face-to-face over a great cup of coffee.
Trust us, it’s magical.
We believe—and we are, and will always be—students of the market. Over the past 15 years of managing our own money, we’ve made mistakes, stayed humble, and kept learning. Mistakes are part of the journey, but the real growth lies in not repeating them.
Here are some timeless lessons we’ve learned firsthand:
While many clients were inspired by the One Idiot story and started strong, very few have fully followed our holistic, long-term approach. For most of our client, their mutual fund portfolios with us have generally performed well, but a lack of understanding of compounding and mistakes in managing their larger portfolios—across direct stocks, property, gold, or FDs—have often diluted the overall outcome.
We’ve consistently tried to implement the same principles that worked in our own family’s journey. But in today’s world, too many “advisors”—in the form of friends, relatives, colleagues, WhatsApp forwards, social media, and pink papers—lead to distraction, doubt, and deviation.
Wealth is created through clarity, conviction, and consistency.
Our approach works—but only when followed with patience and trust—just as we’ve done for our own family.
Our Head Office is located at Churchgate, Mumbai.
Beyond that, we have trusted representatives in key cities to stay connected and accessible:
- Bengaluru
- New Delhi
- Kolkata
- Ahmedabad
- Guwahati
- Jorhat (Assam)
And no matter where you are in India—or the world—we regularly connect with our clients through Zoom, calls, and virtual reviews, ensuring timely advice and seamless support.
Distance has never been a barrier to disciplined investing.
Sorry, we don’t deal in direct stocks.
Our approach is centered around long-term investing through Mutual Funds and Managed Portfolios, and we’ve seen consistent success with it.
In fact, our entire family’s wealth has been built using the same strategy—we’ve personally earned 15–18% annualised returns over the long term by staying disciplined, diversified, and focused on the big picture.
We believe in keeping it simple and goal-oriented—not chasing short-term stock tips.
Sorry, we don’t offer one-time portfolio reviews unless you are an existing client.
More importantly, we believe such reviews are rarely helpful in isolation.
Goal-based planning is a lifelong process, not a one-time activity.
It’s not just about reviewing what you hold—it’s about understanding why you hold it, how it fits into your goals, and whether you’re on the right path.
We’re here for those who want to walk the full journey—not just take a pit stop.
It truly depends on who you are and how you behave.
While we guide every client based on their individual risk–return profile, the actual outcomes vary depending on how consistently they follow the recommendations.
As Bill Bonner once said:
“People do not get what they want or what they expect from the markets; they get what they deserve.”
Historically, over a 10-year horizon, most of our investors have earned between 10%–15% per annum.
But of course, past performance is not a guarantee of future returns.
We focus on long-term, goal-based investing—not predicting numbers, but helping you stay the course to achieve them.
Your money is completely safe in terms of process and platform.
At Etica Wealth, we do not hold or handle your money directly, nor are your investments held in our name.
All mutual fund investments are made in your name, and the money flows directly from your bank account to NSE (National Stock Exchange) or MFU (Mutual Fund Utility)—two among the largest and most secure mutual fund platforms in India.
We do not collect or deposit funds on your behalf.
Every financial or non-financial transaction requires your explicit approval via email or mobile OTP.
While we can initiate transactions on your request, the final control always stays with you.
Your investments are subject to market risks— Market volatility can affect the value of your investments, but with mutual funds being diversified and tightly regulated, the risk of losing everything is extremely low.
In the past 15 years, we’ve never encountered a single case of fraud.
Thanks to strict regulation by SEBI and AMFI, mutual fund investments remain one of the safest options in the Indian financial system.
No, you don’t need a demat account to invest in mutual funds through Digi-Finmart.
The process is completely online in 95% of the cases and typically takes 1–5 working days, depending on your KYC status.
Here’s how it works:
- We help you open your investment account digitally
- A One-Time Bank Mandate (OTBM) is registered for your bank account
- Once that’s done, you’re all set to start investing—whether it’s lumpsum, SIPs, or redemptions, it’s all just a click away
It’s a seamless, secure, and paperless experience, designed to make your investing journey smooth and hassle-free.
At Etica Wealth, our persistency ratio is over 98%, and we hope to be with you for life.
But if you ever choose to move on, you are completely free to do so—no questions asked.
We do not hold your assets, and your mutual fund investments are always in your name.
You can:
- Switch to another distributor
- Continue managing it yourself, or
- Redeem your investments independently
—without needing our permission.
We usually don’t recommend lock-in funds, so your portfolio is fully liquid and always in your control.
Even in the unlikely event that Digi-Finmart shuts down, your money stays safe.
Your investments remain with the respective AMCs (mutual fund companies), regulated by SEBI and AMFI, and are never affected by the status of any distributor.
At Digi-Finmart, we have a dedicated team to support you—both in terms of guidance and service.
You’ll be assigned a Personal Finance Professional who will be your go-to person for all your financial needs. In most cases, our leadership team is also directly or indirectly involved in your journey to ensure high-quality advice and oversight.
To keep things seamless and responsive, we create a dedicated WhatsApp group with each investor—so you’re always in touch with Team Digi-Finmart.
We’re a boutique personal finance firm with complete skin in the game.
Unlike large institutions, we don’t work on sales targets or short-term incentives. Our only goal is your long-term financial success.
At Digi-Finmart, we believe that perceptive, thoughtful guidance can only come from someone who genuinely knows and cares about your family— not just your finances.
We’re in it for the long haul, and we’re accountable to you for years to come.
As we often say: either we swim together, or sink together.
In the words of our mentor, Nick Murray: We are here
- To do good
- To do well by doing good
- And to be happy doing well by doing good
That’s what truly sets us apart.
Our value lies in helping you define your financial goals, create a goal-based plan, and then back it up with the right asset allocation.
In our experience, 90% of your lifetime investment return comes from just three things: goal clarity, asset allocation, and diversification—not fund selection or market timing.
But more importantly, our biggest value addition is helping you avoid costly financial mistakes—mistakes that can set you back years.
By guiding you with clarity and consistency, we aim to bring lasting financial peace to you and your family.
Let’s assume good help costs around 1% per year of your portfolio.
If a high-quality personal finance professional helps you:
- Earn more than that over the long run,
- Avoid mistakes that could cost far more,
- Or simply save you time, stress, and decision fatigue…
Then that 1% is not a cost—it’s an investment.
If someone can do all three—and we believe we can—then it’s a no-brainer.
At Digi-Finmart, we walk the talk.
We invest our own family’s money using the same philosophy, and we believe we’ve earned the right to earn ~1% p.a. (Including GST) as commission through the regular plan structure.
Professional guidance comes at a price.
Without it, you may pay a much bigger one.
If you’re happy with your existing advisor or MFD, we sincerely believe you should continue with them. There’s no reason to switch what’s already working well.
However, if you’re unhappy or uncertain, we’d be happy to have a conversation to understand why.
In our experience, dissatisfaction usually stems from a mismatch between expectations and reality—and we want to make sure you don’t go through that again.
We strongly believe in working with clarity and focus—not in a multi-advisor setup.
Having too many people managing your money often leads to confusion, overlapping strategies, and poor outcomes.
That’s also why we’re not the best fit for Ultra HNIs who prefer working with multiple advisors.
If you value simplicity, transparency, and long-term thinking, we might be a great fit for each other.
At Etica Wealth, our research approach is rooted in clarity, context, and conviction—not noise.
- We focus on understanding the big picture—what truly drives long-term outcomes.
- Our strength lies in identifying the right asset classes and themes to invest in at different points in time.
- We often lean towards contrarian ideas—funds, sectors, or factors that may be out of favour currently but show long-term potential.
- We learn constantly by engaging with fund managers, industry peers, team members, and by reading extensively to refine our thinking.
- That said, we avoid micro-level or day-to-day market research, as it rarely contributes to long-term wealth creation.
Our goal is not to react—but to stay ahead by thinking differently and staying disciplined.
We believe long-term wealth creation is not about picking the “best” fund—in fact, fund selection contributes only about 5% to portfolio success.
What truly matters is:
- The right asset allocation based on your goals and risk profile
- Timely rebalancing to stay on track
- And focusing on the performance of the overall portfolio, not just individual funds
We’re here to help you build a disciplined, goal-based investment strategy—not chase top-performing funds that may change every year.
You have two options:
- Continue with your existing Direct Plans
You can retain your current investments in Direct Plans and start fresh investments in Regular Plans under our guidance.
However, please note—we won’t be able to track or support your existing Direct Plan investments, as they don’t appear on our platform.
- Switch entirely to Regular Plans
You may choose to redeem your Direct Plan investments and reinvest in Regular Plans.
This option allows us to guide and service your entire portfolio in one place, enabling more holistic and coordinated decision-making.
Important: Redeeming Direct Plan units may trigger capital gains tax.
We recommend consulting your tax advisor before making this switch.
If you’re already in Regular Plans and are unhappy with your current Mutual Fund Distributor, you don’t need to redeem or sell anything.
With your consent, we can transfer your portfolio under our ARN code, allowing you to:
- Retain all your existing holdings
- Get your portfolio tracked and reviewed by us
- Receive goal-based guidance and service from Team Digi-Finmart
Once the portfolio reflects on our dashboard, we can help you with consolidation, suitability checks, and portfolio improvements if needed.
If you’re already in Regular Plans and are unhappy with your current Mutual Fund Distributor, you don’t need to redeem or sell anything.
With your consent, we can transfer your portfolio under our ARN code, allowing you to:
- Retain all your existing holdings
- Get your portfolio tracked and reviewed by us
- Receive goal-based guidance and service from Team Digi-Finmart
Once the portfolio reflects on our dashboard, we can help you with consolidation, suitability checks, and portfolio improvements if needed.
No, we don’t invest our clients’ money in Direct Plans.
As an AMFI-registered Mutual Fund Distributor, we operate through Regular Plans, where we earn a commission for the services, guidance, and long-term support we provide.
We focus on goal-based planning, fund suitability, and long-term portfolio management—and our earnings come from the trail commissions paid by the mutual fund companies, not from charging clients separately.
If you’re looking for a Direct Plan option, that typically involves do-it-yourself investing or working with a SEBI-registered Investment Advisor who charges a separate fee.
Every mutual fund scheme offers two options: Direct Plan and Regular Plan.
Direct Plan:
When you invest through a Direct Plan, you invest directly with the Asset Management Company (AMC)—there are no intermediaries, and hence, no commission is paid.
This option comes with a lower expense ratio, but also requires you to take full responsibility for your investment decisions.
If needed, you can hire a SEBI Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) separately and pay a fee for their services.
Regular Plan:
In a Regular Plan, you invest through an AMFI-registered Mutual Fund Distributor who offers personalized, goal-based investment planning and ongoing support.
A good distributor does more than just recommend funds—they act as a Personal Finance Coach for your entire family, helping you:
- Align investments with life goals like children’s education, retirement, and financial freedom
- Select suitable funds based on your risk profile and return expectations
- Stay disciplined through market ups and downs
- Educate you and your family about key concepts like asset allocation, compounding, insurance, and estate planning
The expense ratio is slightly higher in a Regular Plan, as a part of it is paid as commission to the distributor for providing these ongoing services.
The following is the cost difference between the Regular Plans vs Direct plans of a Mutual Fund
In wealth creation, more activity doesn’t lead to better outcomes.
We don’t believe in monthly or quarterly reviews just for the sake of it—an annual review is more than enough in most cases.
You should reach out to us when:
- You want to invest more money
- You need to withdraw or redeem money
- There’s been a change in your personal situation that may require adjustments to your goal-based plan
As for market movements, we’ll reach out only if there’s something important to act on—and trust us, those moments are rare.
As Warren Buffett puts it:
“We don’t get paid for activity, we get paid for being right. As to how long we’ll wait, we’ll wait indefinitely.”
And whenever you do reach out, our team is prompt, accessible, and committed to supporting you at every step.
We are an AMFI-registered Mutual Fund Distributor (ARN-79003).
We earn commissions from mutual fund companies when we invest client money in regular plans. On average, we earn around 0.8% to 1% per annum (including GST) on the overall portfolio across equity, hybrid, and debt funds—for as long as the investments remain with us.
We may also earn commissions from other financial products, but only if you choose to invest through us—and we’re always happy to disclose that information upfront, before proceeding.
That said, commissions never influence our fund selection.
We typically invest our own family money in the same funds we recommend to clients (subject to suitability), ensuring complete alignment of interest.
We believe in full transparency. You are always welcome to:
- Request a broad summary of our earnings across fund categories
- Ask your Wealth / Relationship Manager for scheme-level commission details
- View the Total Expense Ratio (TER) of each fund on your investment dashboard
At Etica Wealth, our goal is simple: to grow with you—fairly, honestly, and transparently.
At Digi-Finmart, we manage your money the same way we manage our own—with care, conviction, and complete alignment.
- Skin in the Game: We invest your money in the same type of investments where we’ve put our own hard-earned savings.
- We prefer simple yet effective investments—not fancy products, just sound choices we believe in.
- We stick to the basics of long-term investing—it may not sound fashionable, but it works.
- Our focus is on helping you achieve your financial goals, not just chasing short-term returns.
- Chasing outperformance often leads to poor decisions. Our focus is on helping you achieve your goals—not on beating the market every year.
- The two traits we value most? Discipline and Patience. Buy right, sit tight. The third ingredient—luck—is out of our control.
- We aim to harness the real power of compounding by staying invested through market ups and downs.
In short, we practice what we preach—and we walk the journey with you.
