Category: Finance

In my previous post, I shared updates from more established investment platforms like Grip, Wint and Altgraaf. Today, I’m providing a six-month update on smaller, experimental platforms where I’ve invested smaller amounts to test the waters. If you’re considering these platforms, this review might help you understand how they perform in real-world conditions.

Platforms Covered

• Amplio (formerly Tyke Invest)
• Ultra (formerly Tap Invest)
• IndiaP2P
• Gullak Gold Plus
• BetterInvest
• Cryptocurrency (via CoinDCX)

Detailed Reviews

1. Ty Invest → Amplio

Platform Transition

• The platform underwent a rebranding from Tyke Invest to Amplio about a month ago. Initially, I was skeptical and considered withdrawing my investment, but I decided to continue as part of my experimental approach.
• The migration process was relatively smooth, with only minor disruptions. The website experienced downtime for a couple of days during the transition, but otherwise functioned normally.
• Overall, the rebranding experience has been acceptable, without major issues.

Performance

• The promised returns were originally advertised at 10%, but the actual returns have been noticeably lower at around 7.6%.
• One positive aspect is their transparency—they clearly display the actual returns rather than continuing to advertise the higher promised rate.
• I believe the return percentage may increase the longer I stay invested, though the timeframe and eventual rate remain uncertain.
• (Update: after digging deeper, I found that there was an error in their dashboard. The IRR achieved is around 9.8%, which is great in my opinion).

Liquidity & Functionality

• While Amplio claims to offer liquid investment options, withdrawals typically take 7–10 days to reach your account. This extended processing time is important to consider for cash flow planning.
• The platform continues to offer invoice discounting opportunities similar to the original Tyke Invest, though I haven’t personally explored these options (they feel very risky).
• Currently, I’ve only invested in their wealth instrument, which has delivered consistent weekly interest payments without delays.

2. IndiaP2P

Investment Details

• My first investment consisted of ₹5,000 with a target rate of 17% IRR, which translates to approximately 9% CAGR.
• The second investment was originally ₹10,000, though only ₹8,500 was actually deployed. The platform returned the remaining ₹1,500 and set a target rate of 18% IRR

Performance Issues

• Unfortunately, I’ve experienced payment delays with the first investment. The payment due in November had not been received at the time of recording this update.
• I tried to speak with the the platform, and they assured me these are temporary delays rather than permanent defaults. I am skeptical and this remains a concern worth monitoring.

My Perspective

• I approach this investment more as “social investing” rather than purely financial. The social impact component is significant to me.
• Given the relatively small investment amount, I’m comfortable with some level of risk unless my entire principal is lost.
• This approach aligns with other platforms like Rangde, which blend social impact with modest returns of around 8%, creating an interesting investment-philanthropy hybrid.

3. Tap Invest → Ultra

Platform Changes

• Similar to Ty Invest, Tap Invest has rebranded to become Ultra.
• The platform is now exclusively available as a mobile application, with no desktop website option. While this streamlines their offering, I personally find the lack of a desktop interface somewhat limiting.

Offerings

• Ultra has significantly expanded its investment options to include Pre-IPO deals, startup equity opportunities, asset leasing, and various other investment vehicles.
• Despite receiving a SEBI notice on the Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs) I had invested in, I haven’t experienced any defaults or payment delays with my investment.

Assessment

• Based on my experience, Ultra appears to be making meaningful progress in developing its investment ecosystem.
• The platform deserves consideration if you’re interested in alternative investments like invoice discounting, asset leasing, pre IPO, startup investing etc.

4. Gullak Gold Plus

Investment Details

• Using some discount coupon & offers, I purchased 10 grams of gold, valued at approximately ₹77,500.
• Since my purchase, I’ve observed substantial value appreciation, though this is primarily due to rising gold market prices rather than platform-specific benefits.
• I’m still evaluating the monthly and annual interest component of their gold investment product.

Personal Verdict

• Gullak Gold Plus has emerged as my current favorite among all platforms reviewed in this update. Their transparent approach and the inherent value of gold make this a compelling option.

5. Better Invest

Unique Offering

• Better Invest specializes in movie invoice discounting—a fascinating niche I was eager to explore.
• After waiting for a suitable opportunity, I invested ₹1 lakh in a Rusk Media project, a company I had previously encountered on other investment platforms.
• The platform charged a fee of ₹35 at the outset of the investment.

Observations

• I noticed that Better Invest didn’t require KYC verification, which seems somewhat concerning from a regulatory perspective.
• Despite this concern, their communication has been excellent through multiple channels—email, WhatsApp, and SMS—providing regular updates.
• The investment terms indicate that the 4-month period might conclude early if the underlying project performs well, offering potential for faster returns. Let’s see.

6. Cryptocurrency (Bonus)

Experience

• I’ve allocated approximately ₹35,000 to cryptocurrency investments using the CoinDCX platform.
• Despite limited knowledge about crypto markets and admittedly poor timing on Bitcoin purchases, I’ve surprisingly achieved returns of around 30%.
• My approach is deliberately cautious—investing small amounts with a long-term perspective.
• I’m only investing funds I can afford to lose entirely, ensuring this experimental investment won’t impact my overall financial stability.

Conclusion

These alternative investment platforms offer interesting opportunities but come with varying degrees of risk. I have been happy to test these platforms with smaller amounts before considering larger investments.

If you know of other platforms worth exploring or would like to discuss your investment portfolio, startups, or capital raising, feel free to reach out. I’m always happy to discuss these topics, learn and help however I can.

We often focus on building wealth through earning, saving, and investing. But what happens to everything you’ve built after you’re gone?

If your family can’t access what you’ve built for them, without facing legal hurdles and bureaucratic nightmares, your life’s efforts are lost in oblivion. This is out family’s journey that turned a simple inheritance into a two-year ordeal.

1. The Loss That Started It All

Two years ago, my grandfather passed away at the age of 85. He is survived by two sons—my father and my chacha (uncle). We we fortunate that there were no family disputes. Both brothers trusted each other, and our extended family was cooperative in the hard times.

But like most Indian families, we didn’t have clear inheritance documents or a formal will. At first, we thought this wouldn’t be a big deal. We had family harmony and a straight forward procedure of what to do – surely that would be enough to navigate the process smoothly. We relied on scattered papers—an FD certificate here, a policy document there—as our only clues to his investments. It was only when we started working through the actual process that we understood what a significant challenge we were facing. Anything whose record was not found is lost forever.

And then there are systems – legal system, govt system – systems that test our patience and determination at every turn.

2. The Post Office Fixed Deposit: A Case Study in Bureaucratic Torture

One of my grandfather’s investments was a Post Office Fixed Deposit—something considered extremely safe and reliable, especially popular in smaller towns and villages.

To claim this FD, the Post Office requires a succession certificate from court. This seemingly simple requirement unleashed an avalanche of legal and procedural nightmares:

2.1 The Court Battle

• Courts & lawyers promised resolution in 4-5 months; reality was 24 months
• It took 25 separate court hearings spanning two years – each trip cost 3000.
• And 5 additional visits for various documentation needs

2.2 The Costs

• Court fees: 8% of the FD’s total value – the entire interest gone!
• Lawyer fees: 4-5% of the FD value/
• Unofficial “chai paani” expenses required to navigate the court ecosystem
• Countless hours of lost productivity and time
• It was a 5 year FD. At 7.5%, 100 becomes 145. After deducting all the costs, we were left with around 80 (that too after 7 years). With one of the safest investments possible.

2.3 The Never-Ending Process

Even after receiving the court order, the Post Office took another 2-3 months to process our claim, requiring four more visits. Most shocking of all? A Post Office executive mentioned that we were among the “fastest cases” he had seen. Most families wait 4-5 years for resolution.

3. The Harsh Reality of India’s Inheritance System

We realised several painful truths about India’s financial & judicial systems:

3.1 Overburdened & Inefficient Courts

Simple, uncontested cases like ours take years because courts are drowning in pending cases. I am not sure if it is corruption, apathy or something else. The bottom line is that court came out as extremely inefficient in this case. Judges dont seem to care and administrative inefficiencies cause endless delays.

3.2 Hidden Costs

The financial toll goes far beyond the visible expenses. Legal fees, travel costs, lost work hours, and unofficial payments add up quickly, draining both financial and emotional resources.

3.3 The Emotional Burden

The constant delays, repeated visits, and bureaucratic run-arounds create immense frustration and stress. This is especially cruel for senior citizens who must fight for what is rightfully theirs. If this is the experience for a harmonious family with no disputes, imagine the nightmare for those facing contested claims or family disagreements.

4. Why a Will Is No Longer Optional

Your investments mean nothing if your family can’t access them when you’re gone. The government doesn’t take your money, but the system makes it nearly impossible to retrieve without a long, painful process.

Here’s why creating a will is absolutely essential:

4.1 Protect Your Family’s Emotional Well-being

• Spare your loved ones from lengthy court battles during their time of grief
• Prevent unnecessary stress and emotional pain when they’re already coping with loss

4.2 Preserve Your Financial Legacy

• Save your family from paying exorbitant legal fees and other avoidable costs
• Ensure your hard-earned assets aren’t unnecessarily depleted by systemic inefficiencies

4.3 Prevent Your Assets from Getting Lost

• Over ₹2 lakh crore sits as unclaimed assets in India due to lack of proper estate planning
• A simple will ensures your wealth reaches your intended beneficiaries instead of getting lost in bureaucratic limbo

4.4 Streamline the Inheritance Process

• Naming nominees and creating a detailed asset list enables faster access to funds
• A registered will is treated as a legal directive by banks and institutions, simplifying the process

5. Taking Action Today

Your family deserves better than battling a system stacked against them. Make a will today. It’s one of the most valuable and loving legacies you can leave behind. These days there is a startup for everything and I have seen many startups working to solve this problem. While I haven’t personally used these services yet, our experience has convinced me of their essential value.

If you’ve used any of these services, I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments. But whatever path you choose—don’t delay this critical decision.

If this story resonated with you, please share it with your friends and family. You might save someone from experiencing the same nightmare we did. Because the true cost of not having a will isn’t measured in rupees—it’s measured in years of stress, countless sleepless nights, and unnecessary suffering for those you love most.

Investing in fixed-income platforms has been an eye-opening experience. Over the past six months, I’ve invested over ₹40 lakh across platforms like Grip Invest, AltGraaf, and Wint — and I’ve learned a lot along the way. In this blog, I’ll share my portfolio performance, repayment experiences, emerging issues, and what I plan to do next. If you’re exploring these platforms, this might save you some time (and headaches)!

📊 My Investment Breakdown

I spread my investments across three platforms, each offering unique fixed-income opportunities:

• Grip Invest: Corporate Listed Bonds, SDIs and Asset Leasing.
• AltGraaf: Invoice discounting (secured & unsecured)
• Wint: Corporate Listed bonds  (though my allocation here is smaller due to slightly lower yields compared to Grip)

Here’s how my investments look:

• Grip Invest: ₹25 lakh+ across 3 accounts, average IRR: 12–13.3%.
• AltGraaf: ₹25 lakh across family accounts, 11.5–14% returns.
• Wint: ₹2–3 lakh (lower allocation due to better yields with Grip)

Across all platforms, I’ve experienced zero defaults and on-time repayments!

🟩 Portfolio Performance & Returns

In Grip Invest, I have invested mainly in SDIs because the Yields are better there and as per Grip’s team the safety of SDI is better than similar rated Bond (i am trusting them on this).

In Altgraaf, majority of my allocation is to secured Invoice Discounting. When I started, I invested in high yield unsecured deals, but now I know better. I was lucky that none of deals had delay or defaults. My target here is 70% secured with target IRR of 11% and 30% unsecured with target IRR of 13%.

On Grip, I also experimented with high-risk asset leasing — like ₹5 lakh in BlueSmart at 21.5% IRR. While the returns look enticing, these carry significant risk, so I tread carefully.

🔑 Detailed Platform Comparison

By breaking down the numbers like this, it’s easier to see where returns are concentrated and which platforms might suit different risk appetites.

🚩 Emerging Issues: The Hidden Drag on Returns

Despite the positive performance, I’ve noticed a crucial issue: repayment reinvestment. Fixed-income platforms return repayments in chunks, sometimes as small as ₹10,000. If you don’t reinvest these amounts quickly and efficiently, your effective returns drop sharply.

For example, a fellow investor shared his calculations: Without timely reinvestments, net returns can fall to 7–8% — far below the advertised 12–14%.

The challenge is time. Manually monitoring repayments and finding new opportunities eats up hours, especially as your corpus grows.

⏳ Reinvestment Example

Imagine you invest ₹10 lakh at a 12% IRR, expecting ₹1.2 lakh in annual returns. But if repayments of ₹10,000 each trickle back and sit idle for months, your actual return might drop to 8–9%. Over 5 years, that’s ₹1.5–2 lakh lost in potential gains on an investment of 10lakhs.

🧠 My Plan to Maximize Returns (Without Losing Time)

I’m exploring ways to automate or streamline the reinvestment process, like:

• Setting Calendar Alerts: Tracking repayment dates to reinvest promptly.
• Platform Tools: Investing more in auto-reinvestment options (Altgraaf)
• Batch Investing: Pooling repayments and reinvesting in larger chunks to avoid fragmentation.

I aim to balance minimizing time spent with consistently achieving 11–12% net returns.

Additionally, I’m experimenting with laddering investments — spreading maturity dates to align repayments, making it easier to reinvest in bulk.

📝 Final Thoughts

I’m still refining my strategy, but fixed-income platforms remain a promising part of my portfolio. If you’re considering these, go in with realistic expectations, stay proactive with repayments, and continually assess risk-reward tradeoffs. Remember, every investment has risks. Higher the returns, higher will be the risks. Invest knowing your risk appetite & only after proper due diligence.

If you’ve tried similar platforms or discovered new investment opportunities, drop a comment or message me — I’d love to learn from your experience!

Stay early, invest well, and have a great day! 🚀

While opening a new account, consider using my affiliate link. It keeps me motivated to make honest unbiased videos & does not affect your returns.

1. GRIP: https://www.gripinvest.in/?partner_id=BHI00037IFA
2. ALTGRAAF: https://www.altgraaf.com/signup?referrer=BH8922 or code BH8922
3. GULLAK: https://gullakapp.page.link/8gko2fEsizExNmUa8 or code 30Y99M
4. STABLE MONEY: https://stablemoney.onelink.me/rkWL/gna3l51v

DISCLAIMER: This blog is not an investment recommendation. Its purpose is not to promote or demote any company or investment. Its purpose to share personal experience in unbiased form so other fellow investors can learn & take better informed decision for themselves. I am not a registered financial professional. For any investment advise, please take help from a registered Financial Professional.