All-equity play: Why Ashish Shanker shuns SIPs and FDs

Motilal Oswal PW CEO’s 25-year equity run spans ESOPs and MFs—covering all key life goals

- Sashind Ningthoukhongjam

Ashish Shanker, managing director and CEO of Motilal Oswal Private Wealth, has followed a simple asset allocation strategy for 25 years. He swears by equities and has no fixed-income investments.

The CEO, who oversees ₹1.3 trillion in advisory assets, says he's never done an SIP. He maintains 6-8 months of expenses in savings and invests the rest in equities via lump sum. He spoke to Mint for Guru Portfolio, a series on how finance leaders manage their money. Edited excerpts from the interview.

How has your portfolio changed over the past year?

Nothing much has changed. I have 100% of my portfolio in equities, and it's been like this for nearly 25 years. A bulk of it (roughly 75%) is in Motilal Oswal shares that I got through employee stock ownership plans (Esops). The rest is split between individual stocks, mutual funds and an alternative investment fund (AIF).

I still have a few stocks that I bought in the late 1990s and in 2000s, including ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel and Asian Paints. I have also invested in various mutual fund schemes in flexicap and mid-cap space. Apart from schemes run by Motilal Oswal AMC, I have schemes by other fund houses such as Old Bridge, Helios and WhiteOak.

Last year I added a Category 3 AIF, MO Wealth Delphi Equity Fund, to my portfolio. It was launched by our company (MOPW), and I put in the first cheque. It is a feeder fund that invests in boutique funds, which we think are underrated and undiscovered. It comprises roughly 4-5% of my portfolio.

How do you manage volatility?

Swearing by equities for the past 25 years has worked out well for me. That said, this is not a template that fits all.