Neil Parag Parikh, CEO of PPFAS Mutual Fund, stresses the importance of emergency funds and having a proper plan for investing taking into account short, medium, and long-term goals. He advises people not to invest based solely on past returns or recommendations, but rather to do proper research and get an asset allocation done in accordance with their risk profile. He also considers behavioural biases as a factor to take into account when making investment decisions.