Insights

The Returns You See vs. The Returns You Keep

The advice to "stay invested" is easy to give. It's also suspiciously convenient when it comes from a fund manager who benefits when you don't leave. So, we tested it. Eighteen flexi cap funds. Over a decade of data. A simulated investor who exits when their fund underperforms. The answer is uncomfortable for different reasons than we anticipated. Investor returns depend on two decisions. Which fund you pick, and what you do after you pick. Research suggests most investors get at least one wrong. The DALBAR Quantitative Analysis of Investor Behavior[i] estimates investors trail the very funds they invest in by nearly 2% annually. Morningstar's Mind the Gap 2025 report[ii] found a 1% gap over a decade.