ETMarkets Smart Talk: Too many funds, too many switches? The real cost of over-managing your portfolio, Kaustubh Belapurkar decodes

Investors often underperform mutual funds due to poorly timed decisions like frequent switching and chasing trends, creating a "return gap." Kaustubh Belapurkar advises diversifying, automating tasks, and avoiding volatile funds to improve returns. Despite recent dips in equity inflows, strong market performance and continued SIP investments signal resilience, though thematic fund popularity raises concerns about timing risk.