Cricket and investing have few interesting Similarities

Cricket is the favourite game in India and also Indian’s saving is one of the highest percentages in the world.  While watching cricket we have noticed many similarities between Cricket and Investing. Let’s find out how they connect each other and what we can learn from cricket for our investments.

 

Physical Fitness is like Investor Awareness:

Be it cricket or any game Physical fitness is the basic thing because our performance depends on our fitness. Similarly for investments first we need to know about the basics of Investments. Our future wealth will depend on how much we are financially aware. It pays to do your research before making any decisions. An informed investor won’t follow the herd or be swayed by hearsay. And, when in doubt, always consult a professional on what course of action to take.

 

Proper Team Selection is like Asset Allocation

In a cricket team we need to have diverse players like fast and spin bowlers, batsmen, wicket keepers, fielders, etc. Similarly in our investment portfolio also we need a right mix of asset classes like equity, debt, real estate, cash and gold etc. A right mix of asset classes ensures that our portfolio won’t be affected by sudden fall in any one asset class.

 

Winning a Toss is like a Early Start

When a team wins the toss it has the advantage to start the game on it’s strength. Similarly when we start investing early we have enough time to accumulate wealth. Compounding is called as eight wonder of the world and the more we have time we will get much more.

 

Planning the Game is like Managing Risk

Every team has some core strength some are good in batting some in bowling and some are very good in fielding. They strategize their game accordingly. Similarly, every person has some strengths and weaknesses, we need to play on our strengths. For that first we should determine our risk profile and then invest based on our risk appetite (team strength), financial goals (score to win) and time horizon (number of overs left).

 

Taking Single like SIPs

There are time when we just need to keep adding something to scoreboard rather than trying to hit 4/6s in every ball. In Investing also doing regular investments (like monthly SIPs) makes a difference over a longer term. Occasional boundaries are like lumpsum investments but the discipline of systematic investing could result in a great score over time.

 

Falling Wickets is like Portfolio Review in Down Market

Sometimes it happens that few wickets fall quickly similarly in equity investments some time we may witness a substantial fall in the value of our holdings. However, this time is not to panic but have patience and play defensively. In that time we need to review our portfolio and seek professional help before making any changes to ensure long-term growth.

 

Powerplay is like maximising the returns

In cricket there are certain overs when there is field restrictions and every batsman wants to score maximum in those overs. Similarly in investing there is time when we may witness sharp correction in the market, this is time to increase the equity exposure to take maximum benefits of the market fall.

 

Coach is like your Financial Advisor

In crickets all the players are professional and very good in their area however still the team has a coach. He brings knowledge, experience, and expertise to the field who guides them based on the specific situations to make out most of it. Financial Advisor plays a similar role in investing. He plans strategies especially for you to achieve your goals by selecting different assets, allocating right proportion of asset mix, and other factors relevant to a person.

 

Finally, whether cricket or investing initial planning, right strategy and proper guidance is the keep to win the game and same applies for the game of wealth creation.