New Delhi, Aug. 22 -- Investing advice often sounds deceptively simple: invest regularly, stay patient, avoid panic. Yet, when markets fall, many investors do precisely the opposite. Ripsy Bondia, assistant professor at IMI Delhi, explains why knowing what to do is often easier than actually doing it.

During the 2008-09 financial crisis, broader indices fell 60-65%. Equity mutual-fund flows moved from net inflows of Rs.12,700 crore in January 2008 to net outflows of Rs.2,100 crore in December 2009.

More recently, despite no major crash and near-zero market returns over the past two years, monthly equity mutual fund inflows fell by nearly 30%, from Rs.40,600 crore in June 2024 to Rs.29,000 crore in June 2026.

Understanding this behaviou...