CANARA HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life has come up with three unit-linked products — Stay Smart Plan, Retire Smart Plan and Saral Bima Plus. These products conform to IRDA’s strictures capping ULIP charges at 3% of the gross yield for 10-year policies, and 2.25% for those with a term of over 10 years. Fund management charges cannot exceed 1.35% for all policies. The Stay Smart Plan, which offers life cover till the age of 99 years, specifies a minimum premium of Rs 25,000, while the death benefit will be higher of the fund value or the sum assured. The second plan, catering to retirement needs, comes with two options – pure pension or pension with life cover. Under the Saral Bima Plus, targeted at the semi-urban and rural segment, life cover is offered on the basis of a ‘Declaration of Good Health’. The minimum premium payable is Rs 6,000, while the maximum is Rs 1 lakh p.a. The sum assured is five times the annual premium.
ICICI Prudential Balanced Fund scheme seeks to generate long-term capital appreciation and current income by investing in a portfolio that is investing in equities and related securities as well as fixed income and money market securities. The approximate allocation to equity would be in the range of 60-80 per cent with a minimum of 51 per cent, and the approximate debt allocation is 40-49 per cent, with a minimum of 20 per cent. An impressive show in the last couple of years has propelled this fund from a three-star to a four-star rating. The fund has traditionally featured a high equity allocation, hovering at well over 70 per cent, which is higher than the allocations of the peers. But in the last one year, the allocation has been moderated from 78-79 per cent levels to 66-67 per cent of the portfolio. ICICI Prudential Balanced Fund appears to practise some degree of tactical allocation based on market valuations. Within equities, well over two-thirds of the allocation is parked i...
