Sunday, October 21, 2018

What is the Best Type of Mutual Fund to invest in?


Mutual funds have become the go-to investment scheme for most of the investors today. The reason behind it is that mutual funds are professionally managed which makes it a smart and less risky, market linked investment.  The person who is responsible for a particular mutual fund is called the Fund Manager. He/she is responsible for making alterations to avert the market risk and get maximum returns. Every fund has an objective and accordingly the investment is made that will fulfil the objective of the fund. The mutual fund units can be redeemed or purchased anytime as per the NAV (Net Asset Value) which is updated on daily basis. This article will help you understand the best type of mutual fund to invest in 2018.

To understand the best type of mutual fund to invest in, it is first necessary to understand different types of mutual funds. Every fund has their own objective and accordingly it offers the returns.  Depending on the objective of the fund, the investment is made into an appropriate type of financial instruments. For example – If the objective of the fund is long-term growth, then the investment from the mutual fund will be done in equity stock of companies. If the objective of the fund is to generate regular income, then the majority of the investment from the mutual fund will be done in debt instruments. Once you understand the types of the mutual fund out there, then you should make the investment in those types of mutual funds which will help you reach your personal financial goals. With the advent of the internet and technology, you can take help of online mutual fund calculator to compare and calculate returns

Types of mutual fund

Debt mutual funds
Debt funds are the type of mutual funds that predominately invest in fixed income securities.  The investment will be made in long-term bonds, short-term bonds, securitised funds, money market instruments, and floating rate debt.
Equity mutual funds
Equity mutual funds are the types of mutual funds that invests primarily in the stocks of the company. Equity mutual funds are managed actively and passively depending on their classification.
(ELSS) Equity-linked savings schemes Mutual funds
One of the main objectives of the equity mutual funds is to help save tax of the investor. Through ELSS, an investor is able to save tax under the provisions of Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

Diversified mutual funds



Diversified mutual funds basically invest money in various sectors or industries. This way the dependence on one single sector performance can be avoided and eventually risk factor in the investment can be lowered.

Gilt mutual funds

The investment in this mutual fund is basically made in state and central government. These funds are safe to invest.

Index mutual funds

Index mutual funds basically invest in the companies that are listed on the stock exchanges like BSE and NSE. The NAV of index mutual fund is dependent on the Sensex ratings of the stock exchanges.
Liquid Mutual Funds
As the name suggests, these mutual funds have a short-term objective of returns. The investment is done mostly in money market instruments like deposit certificates, commercial papers, treasury bills etc.

Debt-oriented hybrid funds

The term hybrid represents a mixture of investment. As it is a debt oriented hybrid fund, the majority of investment is done in debt instruments and the remaining is invested in equity. The objective of the fund is to maintain a fine balance of risk and income.

Arbitrage mutual funds

The investment of arbitrage mutual funds is done in both cash and derivatives market.
Dynamic bond mutual funds
The investment in dynamic bond and mutual funds are done in money market and debt instruments. The period of the investment varies as per the investment it makes.
The number of mutual funds has increased drastically over the past few years. This has resulted in a wide variety of options for the investors to choose. Today investors can further streamline their financial objectives and invest in the mutual funds best suited to reach their long term or short term financial goals.
Below are some of the TOP rated Mutual Funds as per different categories:
Top 10 Large Cap Oriented Equity Funds (Regular)
Fund Name
1-Year Returns
3-Year Returns
ICICI Prudential Top 100 Fund
7.46%
10.78%
UTI Top 100 Fund
9.03%
9.42%
SBI Blue Chip Fund
12.09%
12.17%
HSBC Equity Fund
13.39%
11.55%
Reliance Top 200 Fund
9.75%
14.26%
Reliance Vision Fund
6.40%
7.67%
HDFC Growth Fund
13.41%
12.74%
ICICI Prudential Focused Bluechip Equity Fund
14.86%
12.12%
Invesco India Dynamic Equity Fund
13.85%
11.63%
Sundaram Select Focus
16.28%
11.17%

Top Equity Linked Saving Schemes
Fund Name
1-Year Returns
3-Year Returns
DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund
9.68%
14.44%
HDFC Long Term Advantage Fund
13.84%
14.13%
Invesco India Tax Plan
18.32%
13.65%
Sundaram Diversified Equity
8.72%
13.59%
Principal Tax Saving Fund
14.68%
16.13%
L&T Tax Advantage Fund
14.95%
15.96%
Tata India Tax Savings Fund
13.31%
15.67%

Short Term Debt funds
Fund Name
1-Year Returns
HDFC Short Term Opportunities Fund
5.99%
UTI – Banking & PSU Debt Fund
5.89%
Kotak Corporate Bond Fund
6.60%
ICICI Prudential Ultra Short Term Plan
5.63%
L&T Short Term Opportunities Fund
5.36%
Reliance Banking and PSU Debt Fund
5.27%

Top Balanced (Hybrid) Funds
Fund Name
1-Year Returns
3-Year Returns
HDFC Balanced Fund
10.72%
12.18%
Reliance Regular Savings Fund – Balanced
12.72%
12.40%
ICICI Prudential Balanced Fund
9.91%
12.15%
DSP BlackRock Balanced Fund
7.28%
11.85%
L&T India Prudence Fund
10.14%
12.12%
Canara Robeco Balance
9.62%
10.98%
UTI Balanced Fund
8.15%
10.78%
HDFC Prudence Fund
4.87%
10.69%
SBI Magnum Balanced Fund
13.06%
10.18%


Top Income Funds
Fund Name
1-Year Returns
3-Year Returns
ICICI Prudential Long Term Plan
5.49%
9.03%
Kotak Flexi Debt
4.83%
8.50%
UTI – Dynamic Bond Fund
3.65%
8.28%
ICICI Prudential Dynamic Bond Fund
3.82%
8.01%
DHFL Pramerica Medium Term Income Fund
4.65%
8.00%
SBI Magnum Income Fund
3.72%
7.86%


Top 10 Liquid Funds
Fund Name
1-Year Returns
Indiabulls Liquid Fund
6.82%
DSP BlackRock Liquidity Fund
6.77%
Reliance Liquidity Fund
6.72%
Axis Liquid Fund
6.86%
BARODA PIONEER Liquid Fund
6.83%
UTI Liquid Cash Plan
6.82%
Invesco India Liquid Fund
6.81%
ICICI Prudential Liquid Plan
6.78%
Sundaram Money Fund
6.75%
HDFC Liquid Fund
6.62%

Conclusion
To invest in a mutual fund, you first will need a clear financial objective. Once the objective is clear, compare mutual funds using Online Mutual Fund Calculator. You can calculate the actual future returns on your investment using the mutual fund calculator to take a decision of investment in a particular mutual fund. Mutual funds are subject to market risk; so ensure you do your research properly before investing. An investor can gain high returns through mutual fund investment but only with the right investment strategy.

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