Skip to main content

Mutual Fund MIP is a good starting point for the new investor

MIPs is a good starting point for the new investor

 

The equity rally has inspired many investors. Do you think it is a good idea to enter the markets now?

Retail investors tend to enter the markets at the peak and exit when it is at the bottom. When they burn their fingers, they vow to stay away from equities forever. We strongly advise that investors take the SIP route for investing in equities. The monthly investment not only inculcates discipline but also takes out the emotions from the investing decision. If they have a lump sum to invest, the money should be put in a debt fund. A systematic transfer plan can then be started to shift small amounts into an equity or balanced fund as per the risk appetite.

What is your advice to first-time investors?

They should take advantage of the expertise offered by mutual fund houses but not invest without understanding the product they are buying. Start with a fixed maturity plan (FMP), followed by debt fund, and then graduate to a hybrid fund. MIPs, which allocate around 85% to debt and only a small 15% to equities, can be a good stepping stone for a new investor. Once an investor gains comfort, he can move to equity funds.

The SBI Magnum MIP Floater has maintained an average 13.3% exposure to equities in the past five years. Do you think this is too conservative?

The fund has the mandate to invest a maximum 15% in equities. An average 13.3% exposure is in sync with the constraints. Very often, the right opportunity for investment in the right stock at the right price is not available, which leads to such aberrations vis-a-vis the mandate. It is not a reflection of a conservative allocation to equities.

Is an MIP taking too much risk if it allocates more than 20% of its corpus to equities?

MIPs are for the investors who have a low-risk appetite. To balance the risk appetite and optimisation of returns, we have imposed a cap of 15% on equities. Some other AMCs may put this at 20% or 25%. Such ceilings are a function of the assessment of the risk appetite of target investors. We also manage MIPs with a higher equity component.

The MIP category is very small, with just Rs 8,200 crore in 55 funds. Why are investors keeping away?

MIPs need to be showcased before the right segment of investors. As FMPS were available during all these years, MIP as a segment could not attract investors. With the improved flavour for long-term debt products, we expect improved inflows in MIPs.

Will the change in the tax rules for non-equity funds further weaken the inflows in MIPs?

Investors normally buy MIPs with a relatively longer time horizon. Though gains on withdrawals before three years will be taxed as short-term capital gains, I don't expect the flow to weaken as these funds will continue to offer better returns compared to bank deposits.

What are the basic things an investor should check before investing in an MIP fund?

Investors should look at the quality of debt papers in the portfolio, quality of equity portfolio and its composition in terms of allocation to asset classes. They should also consider the average portfolio yield and expense ratio.

For further information contact Prajna Capital on 94 8300 8300 by leaving a missed call

Leave a missed Call on 94 8300 8300

Leave your comment with mail ID and we will answer them

OR

You can write back to us at

PrajnaCapital [at] Gmail [dot] Com

---------------------------------------------

Invest Mutual Funds Online

Invest Any Mutual Fund Online

Download Mutual Fund Application Forms from all AMCs

Download Mutual Any Fund Application Forms

---------------------------------------------

Best Performing Mutual Funds

    1. Largecap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock Top 100 Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Focused Blue Chip Fund
      3. Franklin India Bluechip
      4. ICICI Prudential Top 100 Fund

B. Large and Midcap Funds Invest Online

      1. ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan
      2. HDFC Top 200 Fund
      3. UTI Dividend Yield Fund
      4. Birla Sun Life Front Line Equity Fund
      5. Franklin India Prima

C. Mid and SmallCap Funds Invest Online

      1. Reliance Equity Opportunities Fund
      2. DSP BlackRock Small & Midcap Fund
      3. Sundaram Select Midcap
      4. IDFC Premier Equity Fund
      5. Birla Sun Life Dividend Yield Plus
      6. SBI Emerging Businesses Fund
      7. HDFC Mid-Cap Opportunities Fund
      8. ICICI Prudential Discovery Fund

D. Small and MicroCap Funds Invest Online

      1. DSP BlackRock MicroCap Fund
      2. Franklin India Smaller Companies

E. Sector Funds Invest Online

      1. Reliance Banking Fund
      2. Reliance Banking Fund
      3. ICICI Prudential Banking and Financial Services Fund

F. Tax Saver Mutual Funds Invest Online

1. ICICI Prudential Tax Plan

2. HDFC Taxsaver

      1. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund
      2. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund

G. Gold Mutual Funds Invest Online

      1. Relaince Gold Savings Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Regular Gold Savings Fund
      3. HDFC Gold Fund
      4. Birla Sun Life Gold

H. International funds Invest Online

1. Birla Sun Life International Equity Plan A

2. DSP BlackRock US Flexible Equity

3. FT India Feeder Franklin US Opportunities

4. ICICI Prudential US Bluechip Equity

5. Motilal Oswal MOSt Shares NASDAQ-100 ETF

Popular posts from this blog

Gold: What Can Trigger the Inevitable?

A stronger dollar or rising interest rates could derail the epic yellow metal mania   Before you sell that last piece of jewellery, keep in mind that the gold price will not go up indefinitely. There are number of reasons why it might crash. If you're over weighted in gold or commodities, the warning is the same: A stronger dollar, strengthening US economy or rising interest rates could derail the epic yellow metal mania. Who knows? Congress could even reach an agreement to clear up its balance sheet and pay down its debt. What are the chances of any of this happening? It's beyond the limits of my minuscule, clouded crystal ball, which is about the size of a pin-head.   Nevertheless, you should prepare your portfolio for any number of eventualities, which can be easily accomplished with exchange-traded funds. Gold is troublesome in my book because it really isn't an investment. It's a reserve currency of sorts that's heavily traded by institutional investor...
Read more

What is Statutory Liquidity Ratio - SLR?

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online Buy Gold Mutual Funds Leave a missed Call on 94 8300 8300 What is Statutory Liquidity Ratio - SLR ?   Last week, the RBI cut statutory liquidity ratio ( SLR ) by half a percentage point to 22.5%, effective June 14. By this, the central bank intends to release additional money into the banking system. SLR is the amount of funds that every commercial bank should have either through its holdings in government approved bonds and securities, gold or a combination of these assets. This is another way of ensuring enough liquidity for each bank before they lend to customers. By reducing SLR, the RBI released another half a percentage point of commercial banks' total deposits (in banking parlance, total demand and time liabilities that include FDs, savings and current accounts) to be free ...
Read more

7 Things You Should Look for in a Financial Planner

Recently, a new breed of professionals has emerged who are making financial plans for everyone and are not restricting themselves to investment planning. A financial plan includes planning for your taxes, retirement, kids' education and marriage, buying a home, estate planning or any other goals you may have. This new breed of professionals, known as financial planners, writes a plan for you with all your goals specifically laid down and then provides you with a road map on how to achieve these goals. They always give you a holistic account of all your finances, taking into account all your assets and liabilities, besides taking care of all the risks associated with you and your family and also the assets owned by you. These financial planners will first collect all the data related to your finances and the goals you have for future. These goals may be anything ranging from buying a home, to planning for your child's education to going on a vacation. After this exercise of d...
Read more

ASBA Option for Initial Public Offer (IPO)

IPO (initial public offering) applicants, particularly the unsuccessful ones, often have to face a double whammy of sorts. On the one hand they fail to get allotment of shares and on the other, they lose out on the interest during the period their money is locked —that is, if they have opted for the traditional method of issuing cheques for depositing the application money. However, if they choose the ASBA (Application Supported by Blocked Amount) facility, they can circumvent this problem. But do note that you cannot decide to make two applications – one by way of cheque payment and the other through ASBA. If you do so, it could be rejected on the grounds that it constitutes multiple applications. Introduced by Securities and Exchange Board of India ( Sebi ) in 2008, using ASBA has become mandatory for all non-retail investors. Retail investors, though, continue to have the option of choosing between the old and new mechanisms. However, it is in your interest to opt for ASBA. He...
Read more

Mutual Fund Review: Kotak Opportunities

    DESPITE a portfolio of around 57 stocks, a large-cap tilt and exposure to derivatives, debt and cash, it is not a fund for the cautious. True to its calling, it scouts for opportunities and doesn't hesitate in taking concentrated sector and stock bets. This leads to extreme returns. In the bull phase (June 15, 2006 to January 8, 2008), it delivered 91.26 per cent against the 81.29 per cent average of other opportunity funds. Unsurprisingly, it shed higher in the bear hug of 2008. While in the recent run up (March 9, 2009 to June 30, 2010) it delivered 85 per cent against its peers 87 per cent. Its charm lies in its capability to identify sector trends ahead of time. In 2005, it rode the FMCG wave and the move paid off. In the first quarter of 2006, it focused on metals. In 2007, its exposure to construction and metals that resulted in a superb performance. In 2008, it was overweight on the least-hit FMCG sector, which helped it get away with an average fall. More recently...
Read more
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds Download Any Applications
Transact Mutual Funds Online Invest Online
Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Now