Oh, I invest the automated way too and figured that's the best way given I know this is important for nest egg and such and I want to spend as little time as reasonably possible managing investments .
For my Indian friends here (or people interested in investing in the Indian market), I'd suggest http://scripbox.com (no affiliation, just a happy customer).
I started a year ago when I was 25, and am glad I started this early(-ish).
Do you have any thoughts or sources on Indian micro-loan investments? It looks like a way to help people in need while gaining some profit off their success. I'm more interested in the former, but I do not wish to simply donate. I do not believe it to be the way to go about these things.
Do you mean something like Kiva or Zidisha? They're quite popular, but there's a very real chance that the borrower can default on your investment. Not a huge deal though, because if you're micro-lending then this is expected. I don't think the interest rates are good either.
Doing it for charitable reasons is fine, but it's not a great way to make money IMO.
