Gopinath's "ArTicKles": Are Investors Con-Prone?

Each passing day, newspapers and TV channels report how some unscrupulous business house offering miraculous money multiplying “opportunities” to the public vanish into thin air, leaving investors licking deep wallet-wounds. Some retired senior citizen even report to have lost all their hard-earned life-time savings, which they had invested in various get-rich-quick schemes. Reading such reports, one wonders what is it that makes such ‘scheming’ business houses successful, although the press has been time and again reporting Ponzi schemes which inevitably do the vanishing trick leaving investors in the lurch. Don’t such repeated acts of financial cheating make us investing folks all the more wary of tall promises and urge us to ask ourselves how these businesses can offer such high returns in such a challenging business environment and deteriorating domestic economic conditions?

The success of such schemes can be attributed several layers of urban and rural population which have been rising slowly but steadily from their hitherto hand-to-mouth existence up to a reasonable earnings and living standards due to changing economic fortunes. They do have investible surpluses (however meager), which they would want to put away for a better future, but do not have even the basic knowledge of investment, let alone financial prudence! This translates into thousands of lower middle class households eking out a living in Tier-III towns having small surpluses that are looking for a good return on their small savings. Private finance firms promoted by business houses exploit these conditions and plant ideas of how their schemes could help them beat inflation, whereas bank FDs offer interest rates lower than inflation, eating away into their savings!

Although every Indian is truly challenged on this count of inflation eating away into interest bearing relatively safe bank deposits, the fact remains that the more important aim of any investor - capital protection - is thrown to the winds, while attempting to beat inflation! Loss of capital is one aspect that every investor, big or small, needs to be concerned about. Return on investment is not the only criteria – return of investment is paramount. This is because while comparing investment options, a small investor takes this as a given and does not even think of such tragic eventualities as loss of capital. In reality, this question ought to prop up in the minds of small investors each time an offer with super-duper returns on their investment are offered to them! Another question that investors do not ask is: How come these business houses can offer such high returns in a competitive business environment? Obviously, overwhelming greed seems to pip investment rationale, even to those who are better equipped with the fundamentals of investment.

There is one important aspect that unscrupulous scheme offers bank on - that investors would not mind investing a small portion of their investible surpluses in such schemes. It is tempting to try it out with smaller amounts and then invest higher amounts in such schemes, if they taste success. Invariably, this trick seems to work for conmen! Several small investors trying out their hand at such get-rich-quick schemes (offering as high as 5%-10% per month at times), translates into cash-flows of several Crores of Rupees for such business houses! Most of the investors barely recover their invested amount, yet what is more intriguing is that once they find that the 2-3 months returns have indeed really been paid to them, their faith in the scheme soars sky high, prompting them to invest more!

A simple back-of-the-envelope calculation would tell us that even @10% per month, in 3 months they have got only 30% of their investment back – and although it is too early to judge them on return of capital, there is a mistaken sense of belief only because they did what investors least expected to be true – that they would give 10% per month, when banks cannot offer that even in the whole year! What is more, they even rope in other relatives and friends to invest in the scheme citing their own “success”. This is indeed a disastrous step, as, unwittingly one has now begun canvassing for the promoters of these schemes, while risking souring of relationships if the company defaults on payment of interest or principal repayments.

The basic problem is that most of us undergo education at schools and colleges, in which “investor education” is not a subject taught, as this is not part of the syllabus in any stream. Fundamental aspects of investment such as return on investment, safety of invested amount, liquidity and capital appreciation, investor rights etc. are least understood subjects and are learnt only the hard way – by losing money! The man who put in all his lifetime savings into such schemes had just to learn about the adage of financial prudence - “Do not putting all your eggs into the same basket” – and remembered it when it mattered most.

Several such small investors make fly-by-night financial product offers hugely successful by lending their small and big investments. Conmen regroup and form other financial syndicates to come back again and again to the public to raise monies, only to vanish again and reappear in different avatars. How long will this conning activities continue? Both widespread investor education and strong regulatory controls on raising public moneys are the need of the hour. Each and every one needs to know that “Too-good-to-be-true” Schemes are just that – Scams! One fervently wishes that enlightened members of the public ought to pledge not to support such schemes with even One Rupee of their hard-earned money. Instead one could donate that rupee saved for a good cause, if one would like to kiss it goodbye anyway!

Social entrepreneurs and activists have been educating the lay public by way of street skits, Magicians have been debunking fake religious heads for performing “miracles” that are nothing but a sleight of hand. They are spreading the word not to repose “blind faith” on those claiming supernatural powers. Similarly, some financial “wizards” seem to be offering “miracle financial products” to struggling masses and they too ought to be debunked in a similar manner. More recently ad campaigns on television channels on several social ills that one must guard against e.g. Consumer protection body has launched a series of successful “Jaago Grahak Jaago” ad campaigns on all TV channels. Investor protection campaigns need to be propagated on the same lines.

On one hand, tighter regulations are needed to ensure that any firm raising money from public gets his proposed scheme approved from the Government before embarking on the offer. Also, the Government through the various branches of the Public Sector Banks could also take up this cause of investor education and spread prudent financial decision-making skills to small investors so that the savings can be brought into the mainstream economy instead of losing it all to scam operators. The investment programs could be structured by SEBI, RBI and other regulatory bodies jointly. Instead of promoting complex financial products like mutual funds, investment-cum-insurance products which are all too confusing even to the financially savvy amongst us.

Jaago Niveshak Jaago!

Blogger's Post-Script: Editors of newspapers, magazines and online editions of publications are requested to feature this post for wider reach. The post has been written in public interest and the blogger would appreciate any effort to spread the word around in any manner that they deem fit. Thanks! Wishing everyone Happy and Safe investing!