Hi Anu, I'm 39 years old. Ever since my childhood, I was always afraid of facing people. Was reading in front of class or reciting a poem, I always felt running away and avoiding it.

The problem further worsened as I grew up, as I started feeling difficult making friends. I get a feeling that people don't like me, and it’s evident whenever I'm part of a gathering usually people
ignore me.

Hence I tend to avoid interacting with people. I don't know how to handle this situation.

I don't have this issue while interacting with people whom I know, and am pretty confident with familiar people whom I interact with on day to day basis.

In front of people, or when I put on a spot I really feel awkward and anxious. The thought keeps on bothering me and I don't get sleep at times.

Please provide me suggestions/inputs on how I can get rid of this problem.

Ans: I would recommend Stephens. It is a better college than NIT. For MBA you need not pursue Engg.

Ans: Dear Anonymous,
A quick research would tell you which apps will work best for you. All you have to do is figure out if you want to date only or would you consider marriage after a period of dating. Different apps cater to different preferences and this segregation can help find the right partner.

Hope this helps.

Ans: you can invest in unlisted stocks but it is not recommended to do so as limited data is available for research and valuation is a big concern. i would suggest not to invest.

Ans: first you need to connect to kfintech and get the certificate changed as the name is new now, once you get the new certificate, fill in drf form from your broker and then submit it.

Ans: Do NOT keep C/O and Aadhaar as is because during JOSAA Counselling, document verification teams may flag it as a discrepancy. Getting it corrected now (either by removing C/O or correcting name) is the safest approach.?

Timeline: Since JEE Main 2026 registration begins this month, complete Aadhaar correction within the next 7-10 days to avoid last-minute issues.?

Ans: Which Status to Select: "12th Appearing" or "12th Pass"? Since you passed class 12 from UP Board in 2025, you should select "12th Pass" (not "12th Appearing") in both JEE Main 2026 and JEE Advanced 2026 forms.??

Year of Passing: Enter 2025 as your passing year since you completed your first 12th examination in 2025. When you retake 12th through NIOS in April 2026, it will be treated as an improvement/supplementary exam, not a new first attempt.?

Board Name & Roll Number - Board Name: Enter UP Board (your original passing board)?. Roll Number: Use your UP Board roll number from your 2025 marksheet??. Important Rule for Dual Board Exam: As per NTA guidelines, when a student appears in 12th from two different boards, the state code where they first passed the qualifying exam (UP Board) determines their eligibility. Your NIOS exam will be considered an improvement exam, and UP Board remains your official board.? JoSAA Counselling & JEE Advanced: No issues will arise during JoSAA counselling if you follow the above. However, JEE Advanced 2026 requires candidates to have passed class 12 in either 2025 or 2026. Your NIOS results (if taken in April 2026) should arrive before counseling.? Marksheet Upload in JEE Advanced: Upload your UP Board 2025 marksheet. Your NIOS marksheet (if obtained) should be kept as supplementary documentation for counselling. Value-added suggestion for you: In addition to JEE, please have 3-4 more back-ups by applying to your State Engineering Entrance Exams/Private Colleges and/or register with some more colleges which accept JEE Score. Avoid relying solely on JEE. All the BEST for a Prosperous Future!

Follow RediffGURUS to Know More on 'Careers | Money | Health | Relationships'.

Ans: Nandu, you cannot appear for 2026 JEE as you had passed your 12th in 2023 itself. The form error you are experiencing likely indicates a validation issue because their 12th-grade passing year (2023) falls outside the eligible range for JEE Main 2026.

Ans: You are looking at a 10-year time-frame, which is good for equity-oriented growth. Because you are willing to take risk, you can consider higher-growth categories rather than just safe, low-return ones. With a decade ahead, the potential for compounding is significant. However, risk means more volatility, so you must be comfortable with short-term ups and downs and remain invested for the full term.

» Assess risk tolerance and capacity
Since you said you can take risk, it’s important to examine both your emotional ability (how you would feel if your investment falls 20-30 % in a market downturn) and your financial capacity (can you afford not to withdraw for 10 years?). A higher-risk approach means expecting higher potential returns but also higher drawdowns. So ensure you have emergency savings and other safety-nets so the mutual funds can stay invested without needing funds prematurely.

» Asset-mix orientation
In a 10-year horizon with risk appetite, you will likely lean heavily towards equities (i.e., equity mutual funds) but still consider having some portion in lesser-risk assets or diversified strategies for smoothing. For example:

A dominant allocation in equity-oriented mutual fund categories (say 70-90 %)

The remainder in “hybrid” or “multi-asset” or equity + debt balanced funds to reduce pure equity risk.
This mix gives growth but also cushions downturns.

» Mutual fund categories to consider
Given your risk appetite and horizon, you might focus on the following categories of mutual funds:

Equity “growth” oriented funds such as large-cap oriented aggressive funds.

Mid-cap and small-cap oriented funds (higher risk/higher return) – since you are comfortable with risk.

Multi-cap or flexi-cap funds (funds that can invest across market-caps) to give flexibility.

The hybrid or balanced funds mentioned earlier, for the smaller portion of your portfolio.
You should pick funds with strong fund houses, experienced fund managers, consistent track records, and clear alignment with your goals.

» Why favour actively managed funds (not index funds)
Since you are willing to take risk and have a 10-year horizon, actively managed funds make more sense than index funds for these reasons:

Active funds have the ambition to outperform the market benchmark through research, stock-selection and market-cycle timing. Index funds just track the benchmark and do not aim to beat it.

Even though index funds have lower fees, they are limited in scope: they cannot take advantage of manager insight, thematic shifts, undervalued opportunities or agile rebalancing in changing market phases.

In India’s context, some research shows certain active equity funds (especially mid/small/flexi-cap) have managed to provide alpha when chosen carefully. But this requires discipline.

If you rely purely on index funds, you give up possibility of significant outperformance. Since you are in a growth-seeking frame and risk tolerant, you might accept the higher cost for potential higher return.
That said: do understand active funds also come with higher cost (expense ratio), higher manager risk (the fund manager’s decisions matter) and possibly higher volatility.
Hence, carefully select which active funds, how many and monitor them – you should understand what you are investing in rather than blindly going passive.

» Implementation: Regular vs Direct fund route
Because you are investing a sizeable amount (Rs. 10 lakh), you might wonder whether to invest in “direct” mutual fund schemes (no distributor commission) or “regular” schemes via a mutual fund distributor (MFD). Here is how I see it as your Certified Financial Planner:

The direct route has lower costs (no distributor commission) and slightly higher net returns. But it places full burden of fund-selection, monitoring, switching and behavioural discipline on you.

The regular route (via MFD) offers you the benefit of a distributor’s expertise, periodic reviews, reminding you of rebalancing or switching when required, behavioural coaching, and help in navigating tax or scheme changes. For a 10-year horizon and risk approach, having a professional intermediary (MFD working with CFP) adds value beyond just cost difference.

Considering you want a 360-degree solution (covering fund-selection, monitoring, rebalancing, tax planning, discipline), I would lean toward using a regular scheme with a reputed MFD advised by a CFP.

If you are very savvy about mutual funds, keep track, and comfortable making data-based decisions, you could go direct, but ensure you have the time and commitment.
Thus, benefit of regular funds (via MFD + CFP) is in the overall service, advice, risk-management and discipline for the long term.

» Taxation and exit-planning
Since you are planning a 10-year term, it’s critical to understand tax on mutual fund exits. For equity oriented funds, remember: Long-term capital gains (LTCG) above Rs. 1.25 lakh are taxed at 12.5 %. Short-term gains (STCG) are taxed at 20 %. If a fund is classified as debt-oriented, gains are taxed as per your income-tax slab.
While you may intend to stay invested for 10 years (thus aiming for LTCG), you must still monitor: if you exit within a short period, STCG tax will apply. Plan exit strategy carefully—whether you redeem, switch, or do partial withdrawals.

» Risk-factors and things to watch
Your 10-year risk profile means you should be alert to the following:

Market downturns: Equity funds can fall 30-50 % in a sharp bear market. You must be psychologically ready to hold through.

Fund manager risk: Active funds rely on the manager’s skill and fund house processes. Past performance is not guarantee of future returns.

Liquidity and fund category bias: Very aggressive small-cap or thematic funds may shine but also fail or underperform.

Expense ratios and hidden costs: Even active funds need to manage cost so that your net return is maximised.

Behavioural risk: With large lumpsum, switching at wrong times or chasing recent winners can erode your return. Discipline is key.

Rebalancing: Over a 10-year period, you may need to rebalance (move profits from high-growth funds to balanced ones, or shift as goals change).

Tax changes: Regulatory/taxation changes may occur and impact your net returns.

Exit plan: At the end of 10 years you may need to plan whether to redeem entire amount, move to lower-risk funds, or maintain some equity.

» Suggested allocation (example only)
While not prescribing specific schemes, here is an illustrative allocation given your risk tolerance:
– Large-cap and core growth equity funds: say ~ 40-50 % of your Rs. 10 lakh. These offer relatively lower risk among equity funds, yet growth.
– Mid-cap/small-cap/flexi-cap funds: say ~ 30-40 % of the corpus. This captures higher growth opportunity, but with higher volatility.
– Hybrid/balanced funds: say ~ 10-20 %. This portion gives some cushioning and diversification away from pure equity risk.
Over time (say every 2-3 years), you could review whether to shift some gains from higher-growth to balanced or conservative funds as you approach the 10-year mark.

» Monitoring & review
Given the active fund approach, you must monitor your portfolio:

Check fund performance relative to category and benchmark (but don’t react to every short-term dip).

Review fund-house stability, manager changes.

Ensure the fund still matches your original objective (risk, horizon, category).

At around year 7-8, you may start reducing risk (i.e., shifting into balanced funds) if you want to protect accumulated gains.

Don’t chase recent winners without checking fundamentals and costs.

Maintain discipline – stay invested through market cycles.

» Other considerations (360-degree view)
• Emergency fund / Liquidity: Ensure you have 6-12 months of expenses in safe liquid assets before locking Rs. 10 lakh into equity growth funds.
• Insurance / Protection: While investing for growth, make sure you have adequate life, health and personal insurance. This reduces risk of needing to withdraw investments prematurely.
• Financial goals: Clarify what you will do with the corpus after 10 years (e.g., children’s education, retirement top-up, big purchase). That clarity helps choose funds with right risk profile.
• Tax planning beyond funds: Consider your overall income tax, other investments (PF, superannuation, etc.) and how mutual fund exit fits into your tax bracket.
• Behaviour & emotion: Stay away from making investment decisions based purely on market noise or short-term hype. Commit to the 10-year horizon and strategy.
• Inflation: Over 10 years, inflation in India can erode value. Equity-oriented growth funds aim to beat inflation plus deliver real wealth.
• Exit strategy: At the end of 10 years you may not want to redeem all at once; you might stagger redemption or move part into more conservative funds depending on your needs at that time.

» Final Insights
You have taken a smart step by planning ahead and being open to risk for potentially higher returns. Over a 10-year horizon with Rs. 10 lakh invested, choosing the right mix of equity-oriented active mutual funds via a regular route (with an MFD under guidance of a CFP) can offer substantial growth potential. You must live with volatility, monitor periodically, rebalance, and keep your emotions in check. Avoid simply picking the scheme of the month; focus instead on categories, fund house strength, clear track record, and alignment with your risk and goal. Remember: tax matters, costs matter, and staying invested matters. With discipline and the right strategy, you are well-placed to build meaningful wealth.

Best Regards,
K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,
Chief Financial Planner,
www.holisticinvestment.in

https://www.youtube.com/@HolisticInvestment

Ans: Hi Amit
Official Rule (NTA / JEE Advanced ke guidelines se):
“A candidate can appear in JEE Main for three consecutive years from the year of passing Class 12 or equivalent examination.”
“If a candidate appears in Class 12 again in a later year with a recognized board (like NIOS) and passes, the latest passing year will be treated as the qualifying year.”

Matlab Simple Bhasha Mein:

Agar aap NIOS se April 2026 me 12th exam dete ho (as a fresh candidate, not improvement),
to aapka Class 12 passing year = 2026 maana jayega.

Then you will be eligible for:

JEE Main 2026, 2027, 2028

JEE Advanced 2026 & 2027 (because Advanced sirf 2 saal ke liye valid hota hai)