Mutual funds offer a way for a group of investors to effectively pool their money so they can invest in a wider variety of investment vehicles and take advantage of professional money management through the purchase of one mutual fund share. Mutual fund companies essentially collect the money from their investors, or shareholders, and invest that pooled money into individual investment vehicles according to some risk profile, money management philosophy, or financial goal. The mutual fund then passes along the profits (and losses) of those investments to its shareholders.
More & more people are learning about mutual funds as a means of investment. From putting one's money into fixed deposits or investing in real estate, people are becoming aware of mutual funds as lucrative choice of savings & investments. It is becoming the most sought-after method of investing but having limited or no knowledge of it can hamper one's plan to go ahead with mutual funds completely. Here, we will give you a summarized info about all you need to know about mutual funds & the benefits it carries.
Why To Invest In Mutual Funds?
Let's glance at why should one consider investing in mutual funds over other options to achieve their financial goals:
Professional Managers
Mutual funds are managed by professional people who have years of experience handling different types of assets. They are a group of dedicated team that handles all financial decisions based on the performance & prospects available in the market.
Offers Convenience
If saving time & convenience is what you seek then mutual funds are an ideal choice for investment. Because of low investment amount options, multiple choices based on one's life & financial goals, offering the ability to redeem them on any business day, mutual funds are much sought after.
Diversification
Mutual funds help counter risks to a large extent by equally distributing your investments across diverse range of asset classes. Mutual funds work by the adage “Do Not Put All Your Eggs in One Basket”.
Counter Inflation
Investing in mutual fund is a smart way of beating inflation as it helps investors to generate inflation-adjusted returns, without spending much time or energy on it. This choice of investing makes sure that the purchasing power of your money doesn't go downhill over some years.
Less Expensive
As compared to investing directly in capital market, mutual funds offer investors the advantage of low cost investment. Most stock options require a huge capital to begin with, on the other hand mutual funds can be started with as low as Rs.500 per month & investors can derive benefit from the long-term equity investment.
Safe & Transparent
Since every mutual fund is managed & regulated by SEBI, you need not worry as your investments are safe. SEBI has several regulations & legal frameworks in place which ensures that your investments are managed in a disciplined manner. Now it's true that every investment is subject to certain risks, however, prudent selection based on strong market knowledge & fundamentally sound securities with diversification can help hedge such risks and generate high returns on your investments.
Advantages of mutual funds
Highly regulated sector. SEBI guidelines and regulations provide transparency and liquidity.
Small investments of just Rs. 500 every month in mutual funds can generate wealth amazing wealth.
Investor protection and education of retail investors are overseen by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
Under sec 80CC of IT, Act ELSS (certain tax saving Mutual Funds) enable investors to save tax.
Several risk mitigation tools like STP, SIP, SWP, Balanced Funds etc. are at the disposal of investors.
Availability of relevant information and negligible paperwork makes investors at ease.