In the noisy world of finance where 10x crypto and next multibagger stock dominate the headlines Neeraj Arora’s story stands as a quiet disciplined counter narrative. He did not build a ₹34 Crore corpus by discovering the next Apple or Tesla. Instead he did it using the most boring tool in the shed: Mutual Funds.
This is the story of how a CA educator turned an ₹8,000 monthly investment into a ₹34 Crore empire by choosing simplicity over complexity.
The Humble Beginning: The ₹2,000 Mistake
Every great portfolio has a Day Zero. For Neeraj it was 2016. Like many beginners he did not start with a grand strategy. He started because a banker told him to. His first SIP? A mere ₹2,000.
At the time even Neeraj—a Chartered Accountant—admits he was committing the cardinal sin of personal finance: Overestimating Liquidity. He kept most of his money in low yield Fixed Deposits fearing he might need it just in case. He was earning well but his money was lazy. It took him years to realize that while he was teaching students how to count his own wealth was not truly growing.
The Turning Point: Discovering Plain Vanilla
Around 2017 to 2018 Neeraj stumbled upon a concept that would change his life: Index Funds.
While others were staying up late analyzing balance sheets of small cap companies Neeraj fell in love with what he calls Beautiful Simple and Durable investing. He realized that by simply betting on the Nifty 50 he was betting on the growth of India itself. He stopped trying to beat the market and decided to be the market.
The ₹34 Crore Blueprint: POMO Over FOMO
As his active income from teaching grew Neeraj did not upgrade his lifestyle to match. Instead he upgraded his SIPs. By early 2026 his portfolio reached ₹34 Crores but his strategy remained shockingly simple. He relies on four pillars:
1. The Power of POMO (Pleasure of Missing Out)
While the world suffers from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) during every IPO craze or crypto surge Neeraj practices POMO. He takes pleasure in missing out on hot trends. He avoids IPOs entirely calling them overpriced marketing events and refuses to touch complex derivatives.
2. The Core Holdings
Neeraj believes in a Lean Portfolio. Despite managing crores his core equity strategy revolves around just a few funds. He focuses on high quality businesses and India’s top 50 companies while using arbitrage as a tactical parking ground for cash.
3. High Active Income equals Massive Compounding
The secret sauce was not a magic fund it was his Active Income. Neeraj focused on his craft of teaching. He used the surplus from his business to fuel massive monthly investments. He proved that the best investment you can make is in your own ability to earn.
4. Systematic Patience
During the 2020 market crash while others were panic selling Neeraj was buying the dip in his mutual funds. He treats market corrections as clearance sales. By maintaining a long term horizon for every rupee invested he allowed compounding to do the heavy lifting.
Top Mutual Funds in Neeraj Arora’s Portfolio
The following table highlights the primary funds Neeraj Arora has disclosed as part of his ₹34 Crore journey along with their recent performance metrics as of February 2026.
| Fund Name | Category | 1Y Returns (%) | 3Y Returns (%) | 5Y Returns (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parag Parikh Flexi Cap Fund | Equity: Flexi Cap | 6.62% | 22.49% | 22.85% |
| ICICI Prudential Multi Asset Fund | Hybrid: Multi Asset | 18.04% | 19.90% | 20.30% |
| UTI Nifty 50 Index Fund | Equity: Large Cap (Index) | 11.60% | 13.82% | 12.00% |
| ICICI Prudential Equity Arbitrage Fund | Hybrid: Arbitrage | 6.46% | 7.06% | 5.85% |
The Lesson: Wealth is a Quiet Game
Neeraj Arora’s ₹34 Crore portfolio is proof that you do not need to be a Wolf of Wall Street to get rich. You do not need to find a multibagger. You just need high active income to fuel the engine low ego to accept that fund managers can manage money effectively and infinite patience to sit through the red days.
Today Neeraj is financially free but he hasn’t retired to a beach. He still teaches not because he has to but because he wants to. And that is the ultimate return on investment.
