In today’s world, people are more focused on achieving their dreams and moving up the social ladder. This has increased the importance of investments as a means for creating wealth. One such investment avenue that is popular among people is mutual funds. The term ‘mutual fund’ is used to describe a type of investment fund that pools money from multiple investors and invests it in a diversified range of securities like stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments. This investment avenue has become popular in recent years as it is considered a safer option than directly buying stocks and shares. In this article, we will discuss how mutual funds can be used to shape and achieve your goals.
What are Index Funds?
Before we dive into the benefits of mutual funds, let us briefly understand what index funds are. An index fund is a type of mutual fund that tracks a particular index in the stock market. It is a passive investment option that follows the investment moves of a particular stock exchange. This means that the fund managers do not actively manage the stocks in the portfolio and only tweak it based on the changes in the index.
The benefit of investing in index funds is that it has low management fees and is easy to manage, unlike actively managed funds. It also offers diversification, minimizing the risk of losses, and comes with a high level of transparency. Moreover, index funds are a popular choice among long-term investors.
Benefits of Mutual Funds for Goal Achievement
1. Diversification
Mutual funds offer diversification, which means that your money is not invested in a single stock or bond. Instead, the fund invests in multiple securities. This reduces the risk of losses, and if one stock performs poorly, the other well-performing stocks can offset that loss. The diversification strategy is more beneficial for investors with long-term goals.
2. Professional Fund Management
One of the benefits of investing in mutual funds is that you get the services of professional fund managers. The fund managers have years of experience in managing money in the stock market, and they are equipped to handle market volatility. They use their expertise to ensure that the portfolio is invested in stocks and bonds that align with the fund’s investment objective.
3. Flexibility
Bajaj Mutual funds offer investors flexibility in choosing their investment amount, the frequency of investment, and the mode of investment. This is beneficial for investors with varied goals and financial backgrounds. You can invest in mutual funds with a small amount of money and gradually increase the investment as your financial standing improves.
4. Goal-based Investing
Mutual funds offer goal-based investment options that allow you to choose the fund that aligns with your objectives. For instance, if you’re saving for retirement, you can choose retirement mutual funds that focus on long-term investment strategies. Similarly, if you have short-term goals, you can choose mutual funds that focus on short-term investments.
5. Tax Benefits
Investing in mutual funds also comes with tax benefits. Under section 80C of the Income Tax Act, you can claim up to INR 1.5 lakh as a deduction for investing in equity-linked saving scheme (ELSS) mutual funds, which are equity-based mutual funds with tax saving benefits. This means that you can invest in mutual funds and save on tax at the same time.
Conclusion
Investing in mutual funds can be beneficial for achieving your life goals. The diversification strategy, professional management, flexibility, goal-based investing, and tax benefits make mutual funds a preferred investment option for many investors. However, investors must understand that mutual funds come with associated risks, and they should gauge all the pros and cons of trading in the Indian financial market before investing. Additionally, one should be disciplined in their investment approach and avoid making rash decisions during market volatility, which can negatively impact the investment portfolio.
