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Why comparing your portfolio with someone else's misleads you

Two portfolios almost never answer the same question. Products, return calculations, contribution consistency, fund objectives and goal timelines all differ — so the comparison measures the wrong thing before it measures anything.

Nandini Jhamb·Investment Manager·19 December 2025·2 minutes 02 seconds

What this covers

The video works through five specific reasons a comparison breaks down. Different products serve different purposes; returns are frequently calculated on different bases; one investor contributed consistently while the other did not; the funds were built for different objectives; and the goals sit at different distances in time.

The practical consequence is that a comparison usually triggers a switch rather than a review. The useful question is not whether someone else did better, but whether your own plan is still on track for the goal it was built for.

Compare your portfolio with your own goal requirement, not with someone else's number.