A Mutual Fund is a body corporate registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), that pools up the money from individual / corporate investors and invests the same on behalf of the investors /unit holders, in equity shares, Government securities, Bonds, Call money markets etc., and distributes the profits. In other words, a mutual fund allows an investor to indirectly take a position in a basket of assets
What is the total size of the mutual fund sector in India?
Currently the total funds under mutual fund management in India are a little over Rs.100,000 crore. Out of this UTI accounts for nearly 70 percent while the private funds account for around 22 percent. The balance 8 percent is managed by mutual funds floated by public sector banks and financial institutions.
What is the Regulatory Body for Mutual Funds?
Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is the regulatory body for all the mutual funds mentioned above. All the mutual funds must get registered with SEBI. The only exception is the UTI, since it is a corporation formed under a separate Act of Parliament.
How do mutual funds diversify their risks?
Financial theory states that an investor can reduce his total risk by holding a portfolio of assets instead of only one asset. This is because by holding all your money in just one asset, the entire fortunes of your portfolio depend on this one asset. By creating a portfolio of a variety of assets, this risk is substantially reduced.
Can mutual funds be viewed as risk-free investments?
No. Mutual fund investments are not totally risk free. In fact, investing in mutual funds contains the same risk as investing in the markets, the only difference being that due to professional management of funds the controllable risks are substantially reduced.
What are the risks involved in investing in mutual funds?
A very important risk involved in mutual fund investments is the market risk. When the market is in doldrums, most of the equity funds will also experience a downturn. However, the company specific risks are largely eliminated due to professional fund management.
How do I invest money in Mutual Funds?
One can invest by approaching a registered broker of Mutual funds or the respective offices of the Mutual funds in that particular town/city. An application form has to be filled up giving all the particulars along with the cheque or Demand Draft for the amount to be invested.
What are the parameters on which a Mutual Fund scheme should be evaluated?
Performance indicators like total returns given by the fund on different schemes, the returns on competing funds, the objective of the fund and the promoters image are some of the key factors to be considered while taking an investment decision regarding mutual funds.
What are the different types of plans that any mutual fund scheme offers?
That depends on the strategy of the concerned scheme. But generally there are 3 broad categories. A dividend plan entails a regular payment of dividend to the investors. A reinvestment plan is a plan where these dividends are reinvested in the scheme itself. A growth plan is one where no dividends are declared and the investor only gains through capital appreciation in the NAV of the fund.
How much return can I expect by investing in mutual funds?
Investors need to be clear that mutual funds are essentially medium to long term investments. Hence, short-term abnormal profits will not be sustainable in the long run. But in the medium to long run the mutual funds tend to outperform most other avenues of investments at the same time avoiding the risk of direct investment accompanied with professional fund management.
Do investments in mutual funds offer tax benefit on capital gains?
Yes. If the capital gains earned by you during a financial year is invested in specified mutual funds then such capital gains are exempt from capital gains tax under Section 54EA and Section 54EB of the Income Tax Act
Can I claim tax exemption under Section 88 and Section 54 for the same investment?
No. You cannot. You can either exempt your income from tax under Section 88 or exempt your capital gains from tax under Section 54.
Do mutual fund investments attract wealth tax?
No. Under the Wealth Tax Act, all financial assets, including mutual fund units are exempt totally from Wealth Tax.
What are my major rights as a unitholder in a mutual fund?
Some important rights are mentioned below:
- Unit holders have a proportionate right in the beneficial ownership of the assets of the scheme and to the dividend declared.
- They are entitled to receive dividend warrants within 42 days of the date of declaration of the dividend.
- They are entitled to receive redemption cheques within 10 working days from the date of redemption.
- 75% of the unit holders with the prior approval of SEBI can terminate AMC of the fund.
- 75% of the unit holders can pass a resolution to wind-up the scheme.
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