Mutual Funds Basics

Here is a simple quiz question. “What do you need to meet life’s major financial goals like children’s higher education and retirement?” You have got it right if your answer is ample savings. But that was the easier part. Here’s the challenging question, “How do you create ample savings for these needs that require substantial sums?” For an individual investor, getting the right answer involves quite some doing as this involves making the right investments over long periods.

Back in my school days I used to mug up reams and reams of chemical formulas, not knowing if I would ever use them in the future. In the investing world those esoteric formulas, now seem rather meaningless. However, one concept that is still stuck in my head is that of an Isotope which I likely encountered in Class IX or X. The concept of ‘elements’ is the very foundation of Chemistry. An Isotope of an element is a similar atom with same number of protons but different neutrons.

New Fund Offer (NFO) refers to the new mutual fund schemes being offered to the investors. This is akin to Initial Public Offering (IPO) made by the unlisted companies for their equity shares, wherein the companies offer shares to the public for the first time. NFOs aim to attract household savings by offering new mutual fund schemes to the investors. 

Raksha Bandhan signifies the strong bond between brothers and sisters. Sisters tie Rakhi and wish for the wellbeing of their brothers, and in return, brothers promise to keep their sisters protected throughout their life under every circumstance. Brothers also present a gift as a token of their love for the sister. 

When investing in mutual funds, one must choose the mutual fund schemes that best suit their financial goals and risk appetite. In addition, selecting the equity investments basis their market capitalisation is one of the selection criteria, as different market cap segments carry different risk-reward trade-offs.

Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) is a facility offered by the mutual funds to investors. Here one can opt to invest in a mutual fund scheme on regular basis by registering a standing instruction, wherein mandated amount by the investor is deducted automatically from the bank account and invested in the mutual fund scheme as specified in the registration process.

It is always advised, "one should not have all eggs in the same basket." This advice works well in the investment world too, as no single asset class has always been a winner for investors. As such, the investors tend to prefer having a diversified investment portfolio across different asset classes.

Mutual funds are increasingly becoming the preferred option for retail investors, thanks to the growing awareness of this most transparent and professional money manager. The consistent monthly SIP inflows is a reflection of investor’s changing preference towards mutual funds. The data released by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) shows that investors channelised Rs. 10,351 crores in mutual funds through Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) in September 2021 alone and Rs.

With a wide range of mutual fund schemes are available for investments, it becomes imperative for the investors to carefully review the available options and then select the mutual fund schemes best suiting the risk profile, financial goals, and investment horizon. Different mutual fund schemes may be suitable for financial goals with varied investment horizons.