Free, and built for India

Learn investing in simple English. Then decide for yourself.

Forty two lessons that start from what a share is and explain every financial word as it appears. Written for people who have never invested, and for people who want to understand what they already own.

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No account, no card, no email
No stock tips, ever
No ads, no affiliate links

lessons

About 90,000 words

glossary terms

One plain sentence each

calculators

SIP, EMI, tax and more

questions answered

Across 8 categories

Start here

Wherever you are, there is a first page

You do not have to read in order. Pick the one that sounds like you.

Never invested before

Start with what a share actually is, why prices move, and what the market is for.

Stock market basics

Ready to begin

The order that matters: emergency fund, debt, then an account, then a first purchase.

How to start investing

Want to run the numbers

What a monthly amount could grow to, with the assumed return stated plainly.

SIP calculator

Already investing

The errors almost everyone makes, grouped by when they happen, with the fixes.

Common mistakes

Why this exists

Most people are told what to buy. Almost nobody is told why.

In India, most people start investing from a friend, a tip group, or a short video. All three skip the same thing, which is the reasoning. You are given a name and a target price, and when the price falls you have no basis for any decision, because you were never told what the idea depended on.

The material that does explain reasoning usually assumes you already know the vocabulary. It says valuation, free cash flow and asset allocation without stopping, which quietly excludes the people who need it most.

This site is the unglamorous middle: explain the words, explain the reasoning, and be honest about what nobody knows. More about who makes this.

Real questions

The things people are actually stuck on

Every dotted word below opens its plain English meaning. Try one.

What actually is a share?

A piece of a real business, not a number on a screen. Everything else follows from that, including why prices move and why valuation matters.

Should I buy a stock or a fund?

For most beginners a broad index fund through a monthly SIP is the more sensible start. It spreads your money across many companies at a very low fee.

How much tax will I pay?

For FY 2026-27, listed shares held over twelve months are taxed at 12.5% above a combined ₹1.25 lakh exemption, and 20% under twelve months. There is no exemption on short term gains.

My SIP is showing a loss. What now?

After two years that is common and says almost nothing. The useful question is whether the fund lagged its own benchmark, or whether the market simply fell.

Is intraday trading worth trying?

SEBI found 65% to 71% of individual intraday traders lost money every year from FY20 to FY24. That is the base rate you would be betting against.

How much do I need to start?

A SIP can start from around ₹500. But the order matters more than the amount: emergency savings first, then expensive debt, then investing.

42 lessons

Start at zero. Every word explained where it appears.

From what a share is to how capital gains tax works, in the order a beginner actually needs them.

Start here

Stock market basics

What a share is, what an exchange does, and how money actually moves.

11 min read

Start here

How to start investing

The order that actually protects you, from emergency fund to first order.

13 min read

Start here

Investing vs trading

Two completely different activities that use the same screen.

8 min read

Start here

Equity

Owning a piece of a company, what that gives you and what it costs you.

9 min read

Start here

Demat and trading account

One holds your shares, the other places your orders. How both work.

8 min read

Start here

Choosing a broker

Discount or full service, what the fees really are, and what to check.

10 min read

All 42 lessons 93 glossary terms

Free tools

Run the numbers honestly

Every calculator states the return it assumed and shows how much of the answer is your own money rather than growth. That distinction is the whole point, and it is the one most calculators hide.

SIP calculator

Monthly amount to future value

What a fixed monthly investment could grow to over time.

EMI calculator

Loan to monthly payment

The monthly payment on a loan, and the total interest.

Capital gains tax calculator

Sale to tax payable

Tax on selling listed shares or equity funds, at FY 2026-27 rates.

Retirement calculator

Expenses to corpus needed

How large a corpus your expenses would actually need.

SWP calculator

Corpus to monthly income

How long a corpus lasts while you withdraw from it.

Inflation calculator

What money will be worth

What today money will cost you in future.

All 12 calculators What a SIP actually is

Said out loud

What this site will never do

Promise a return, guarantee a price, or call anything about the future certain.
Take payment to feature, recommend or rank a broker, fund or company.
Run advertising, sponsored content or affiliate links.
Ask for a credential that could place an order in your account.
Put the lessons, glossary or calculators behind a paywall.

Safety and limits Editorial policy

In development

What is being built next

Labelled honestly, including the parts nobody can use yet. None of this is needed to use anything above.

Investment memory

Your reason for buying, saved the day you buy, then checked against reality later.

Private beta

A daily market update

One piece a day on what actually happened, with sources and timestamps.

Private beta

A clear view on every holding

Buy, Add, Hold, Watch, Reduce, Sell or Sell now, each with its reasoning and risks.

Not yet available

Allocation suggestions

Where new money and returned capital could go, given what you already hold.

Not yet available

Not available yet. Investment views, ratings and allocation suggestions are built but switched off. They stay off until the relevant compliance clearance is complete in India. Nothing on this page is available today.

A large private bank you already ownWorked example. Invented figures, not a live holding, not a real companyExample AlphaVik review

Hold

The reasons you first bought this still hold, but the price has run ahead of them.

Why
- You bought it for low and steady growth. Both are still true today.
- Nothing has changed inside the business. What changed is the price the market is willing to pay for it.
Evidence
- Profit has grown in each of the last eight quarterly results.
- The is now above its own five year average, so it is less of a bargain than when you bought.
Risks
- A slowdown in lending would hit profit growth before anything else shows.
- This is one company. If it is a big part of your , one bad year matters much more.
Would change it
Two weak quarters in a row, rising bad loans, or the price falling back near its long run average. Any of those would move this view.

The shape a view is designed to take: a stance, the reasoning, the evidence, the risks, and what would change it. Invented figures for an unnamed company, shown only to explain the format. How this would work

Pricing

₹0

Everything published today is free and stays free. No subscription, no card, no trial to cancel. There is no paid plan to buy, because the features it would cover are not available.

Start learning Why there is no price

Questions

Straight answers, including the uncomfortable ones

Is AlphaVik free?

Yes. The learning hub, the glossary, the calculators, the FAQ and the blog are free, need no account, and stay free. There is nothing to subscribe to and no card to enter.

Do I need to know anything about investing to start?

No. The lessons begin with what a share actually is and explain every financial word the moment it appears. Nothing assumes you already know the vocabulary.

Does AlphaVik tell me when to buy or sell?

Not today. Investment views on a seven step scale from Sell now to Buy are built but switched off, and they stay off until the relevant compliance clearance is complete in India. What is available now is the learning material, and it is free.

Does AlphaVik guarantee returns?

No, and it never will. Nobody can guarantee future market movement. Any service promising a guaranteed return on a market linked product is either mistaken or dishonest.

Is AlphaVik registered with SEBI?

The educational content published here does not require registration. AlphaVik is not a registered investment adviser or research analyst, does not manage money, and does not give advice tailored to your personal circumstances.

How does AlphaVik make money?

Today it does not. There is no advertising, no sponsored content, no affiliate links and no referral commissions anywhere on this site.

All 88 questions

Start with one lesson, not one stock.

Free, no account, and every word explained where it appears.

Open the learning hub