Investing Insights

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Mutual Fund Investment Traps to Avoid Right Now

Vibrant markets tend to spawn many a self-advising ‘expert’, and that’s a phenomenon that proliferated widely in the years between 2012 and 2017. Equity markets rose (albeit with its share of jitters in between!) prolifically in this period, with the bellwether NIFTY index more than doubling from 4,800 to 11,000 levels. At the same time, bond markets delivered excellent returns in the 3 years between 2014 and 2017, on the back of multiple tailwinds such as low inflation, falling crude prices and global economic weakness.

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4 Basic Mutual Fund Investment Rules

Whether you’re a short-term investor or a long-term one, a high-risk taker or risk averse; there’s a Mutual Fund out there to suit your needs. Mutual Funds Sahi Hai, but only if you follow a few basic principles while investing in them. Here are four important rules for you to follow while making mutual fund investments.

How to invest into Mutual Funds using STP’s

Despite their widespread proliferation, many investors remain confused about how to invest in mutual funds using STPs or ‘Systematic Transfer Plans’. This article will present a few simple rules for you to make your STP-led mutual fund investments a whole lot more effective. But first – the basics.

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3 Debt Mutual Fund Investment Myths to watch out for

While debt funds offer a safer option compared to equities, it's important to debunk these myths before diving in. Remember, terms like 'income' or 'fixed' don’t guarantee what they may seem to promise. Always do your due diligence and be aware of the risks involved, especially with GILT funds and FMPs. Debt funds are about managing risk, not avoiding it entirely!

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Should you book profits in your Mutual Funds before March 31st?

Mutual Funds Sahi Hai”, says the impactful awareness campaign that has built up significant momentum in the past year.

Guide: How to invest in an ELSS

With barely a week left in the Financial Year, there will be many who will be engaged in a last-minute scramble to invest into tax saving investments. One some instrument of choice is a ‘tax saving mutual fund’, also known as an ELSS. If you’re one of them, here a simple ready reckoner on how to go about with investing in an ELSS.

A conceptual graphic of a man sitting on large save tax letters, illustrating key things to know about tax-saving mutual funds like ELSS.

Five things You Need to Know About Tax Saving Mutual Funds

As we enter the last month of the Fiscal Year, there’s bound to be an increased interest in tax saving investments. One such investment avenue which helps you save taxes under Section 80C is a tax saving mutual fund, or ELSS (Equity Linked Savings Scheme). If you’re thinking about investing into a tax saving mutual fund this year, here are five things for you to keep in mind.

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Liquid Funds vs Arbitrage Funds – Which of These Works Best for You

Arbitrage Funds, on account of their superior tax efficiency when compared to liquid mutual funds, gained quite a bit of popularity after the Union Budget 2014. It was during this budget that the minimum holding period for all debt oriented mutual fund investments to qualify for long-term capital gains was increased from 1 year to 3 years.

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5 Popular Child Education Planning Options – Compared

For most Indian parents, very few financial goals outrank planning for their child’s education. Over the years, this has led to the proliferation of numerous investment, savings and protection products aimed specifically at fulfilling this goal. However, not all of them are as efficient as they may come across, prima facie. Here’s a comparison between some popular child education goal planning options.

Why Mutual Fund SIP’s Work Best For Goal Planning

More and more people are beginning to make use of Mutual Fund SIP’s as a tool for saving for their Financial Goals. Retail investors in the year 2017 pumped in a record Rs 1.3 lakh crore in equity mutual funds. As of December 2017, the industry SIP book is close to Rs. 6,000 crores, with the industry adding over 9 lakh SIP accounts each month on an average, as compared to an SIP book value of Rs. 4,100 crores in January 2017. Here are three good reasons why Mutual Fund SIP’s work best when it comes to Goal Planning.

Long Term Capital Gain (LTCG) Tax – Simplified

If you’ve made a mutual fund investment recently, you may be confused about the recent Union Budget announcement that brought back long-term capital gains taxes on equity oriented mutual funds. Until the budget, any profits booked in equity oriented mutual funds after a year of holding the units, were deemed tax free. If you’re confused about how the new rules will impact the future post-tax profits from your mutual fund investments – read on.

A close-up of a hand dropping a coin into a pink piggy bank against a white background, symbolising saving or investing money in short-term liquid funds.

Liquid Funds 101 – Everything You Need To Know About Short Term Debt Funds

Liquid Funds are debt mutual funds that invest into debt securities with very short maturities. The residual maturities if bonds held by liquid funds cannot exceed 90 days, as per the rules defined by the regulator. In fact, most liquid mutual funds hold securities that are due to mature in the next 30 days or so. Bonds maturing within two months need not be ‘marked to market’ – only their interest component needs to be factored in while calculating NAV’s (net asset values). Hence, the NAVs of Liquid Funds remain relatively steady compared to other debt funds.