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INTRODUCTION
What is a Mutual fund? Mutual fund is an investment company that pools money from shareholders and invests in a variety of securities, such as stocks, bonds and money market instruments. Most open-end Mutual funds stand ready to buy back (redeem) its shares at their current net asset value, which depends on the total market value of the fund's investment portfolio at the time of redemption. Most open-end Mutual funds continuously offer new shares to investors. Also known as an open-end investment company, to differentiate it from a closed-end investment company. Mutual funds invest pooled cash of many investors to meet the fund's stated investment objective. Mutual funds stand ready to sell and redeem their shares at any time at the fund's current net asset value: total fund assets divided by shares outstanding.

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In Simple Words, Mutual fund is a mechanism for pooling the resources by issuing units to the investors and investing funds in securities in accordance with objectives as disclosed in offer document. Investments in securities are spread across a wide cross-section of industries and sectors and thus the risk is reduced. Diversification reduces the risk because all stocks may not move in the same direction in the same proportion at the same time. Mutual fund issues units to the investors in accordance with quantum of money invested by them. Investors of Mutual funds are known as unit holders. The profits or losses are shared by the investors in proportion to their investments. The Mutual funds normally come out with a number of schemes with different investment objectives which are launched from time to time. In India, A Mutual fund is required to be registered with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) which regulates securities markets before it can collect funds from the public. In Short, a Mutual fund is a common pool of money in to which investors with common investment objective place their contributions that are to be invested in accordance with the stated investment objective of the scheme. The investment manager would invest the money collected from the investor in to assets that are defined/ permitted by the stated objective of the scheme. For example, an equity fund would invest equity and equity related instruments and a debt fund would invest in bonds, debentures, gilts etc. Mutual fund is a suitable investment for the common man as it offers an opportunity to invest in a diversified, professionally managed basket of securities at a relatively low cost.

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ADVANTAGES OF MUTUAL FUNDS

Professional Management. The major advantage of investing in a mutual fund is that you get a professional money manager to manage your investments for a small fee. You can leave the investment decisions to him and only have to monitor the performance of the fund at regular intervals. Diversification. Considered the essential tool in risk management, mutual funds make it possible for even small investors to diversify their portfolio. A mutual fund can effectively diversify its portfolio because of the large corpus. However, a small investor cannot have a well-diversified portfolio because it calls for large investment. For example, a modest portfolio of 10 bluechip stocks calls for a few a few thousands.

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Convenient Administration. Mutual funds offer tailor-made solutions like systematic investment plans and systematic withdrawal plans to investors, which is very convenient to investors. Investors also do not have to worry about investment decisions, they do not have to deal with brokerage or depository, etc. for buying or selling of securities. Mutual funds also offer specialized schemes like retirement plans, childrens plans, industry specific schemes, etc. to suit personal preference of investors. These schemes also help small investors with asset allocation of their corpus. It also saves a lot of paper work. Costs Effectiveness A small investor will find that the mutual fund route is a cost-effective method (the AMC fee is normally 2.5%) and it also saves a lot of transaction cost as mutual funds get concession from brokerages. Also, the investor gets the service of a financial professional for a very small fee. If he were to seek a financial advisor's help directly, he will end up paying significantly more for investment advice. Also, he will need to have a sizeable corpus to offer for investment management to be eligible for an investment advisers services. Liquidity. You can liquidate your investments within 3 to 5 working days (mutual funds dispatch redemption cheques speedily and also offer direct credit facility into your bank account i.e. Electronic Clearing Services). Transparency. Mutual funds offer daily NAVs of schemes, which help you to monitor your investments on a regular basis. They also send quarterly newsletters, which give details of the portfolio, performance of schemes against

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various benchmarks, etc. They are also well regulated and Sebi monitors their actions closely. Tax benefits. You do not have to pay any taxes on dividends issued by mutual funds. You also have the advantage of capital gains taxation. Tax-saving schemes and pension schemes give you the added advantage of benefits under section 88. Affordability Mutual funds allow you to invest small sums. For instance, if you want to buy a portfolio of blue chips of modest size, you should at least have a few lakhs of rupees. A mutual fund gives you the same portfolio for meager investment of Rs.1,000-5,000. A mutual fund can do that because it collects money from many people and it has a large corpus.

DISADVANTAGES OF MUTUAL FUNDS:

Professional Management- Did you notice how we qualified the advantage of professional management with the word "theoretically"? Many investors debate over whether or not the so-called professionals are any better than you or I at picking stocks. Management is by no means infallible, and, even if the fund loses money, the manager still takes his/her cut. We'll talk about this in detail in a later section.

Costs - Mutual funds don't exist solely to make your life easier--all funds are in it for a profit. The Mutual fund industry is masterful at burying costs under layers of jargon. These costs are so complicated that in this tutorial we have devoted an entire section to the subject.

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Dilution - It's possible to have too much diversification (this is explained in our article entitled "Are You Over-Diversified?"). Because funds have small holdings in so many different companies, high returns from a few investments often don't make much difference on the overall return. Dilution is also the result of a successful fund getting too big. When money pours into funds that have had strong success, the manager often has trouble finding a good investment for all the new money.

Taxes - When making decisions about your money, fund managers don't consider your personal tax situation. For example, when a fund manager sells a security, a capital-gain tax is triggered, which affects how profitable the individual is from the sale. It might have been more advantageous for the individual to defer the capital gains liability.

Equity funds, if selected in the right manner and in the right proportion, have the ability to play an important role in achieving most long-term objectives of investors in different segments. While the selection process becomes much easier if you get advice from professionals, it is equally important to know certain aspects of equity investing yourself to do justice to your hard earned money.

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TYPES OF MUTUAL FUND SCHEMES

1. BY STRUCTURE Open Ended Schemes. Close Ended Schemes. Interval Schemes.

2. BY INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE Growth Schemes. Income Schemes. Balanced Schemes.

3. OTHER SCHEMES Tax Saving Schemes. Special Schemes. Index Schemes. Sector Specific Schemes.

1.

OPEN ENDED SCHEMES

The units offered by these schemes are available for sale and repurchase on any business day at NAV based prices. Hence, the unit capital of the schemes keeps changing each day. Such schemes thus offer very high liquidity to investors and are becoming increasingly popular in India. Please note that an open-ended fund is NOT obliged to keep selling/issuing new units at all times, and may stop

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issuing further subscription to new investors. On the other hand, an open-ended fund rarely denies to its investor the facility to redeem existing units. 2. CLOSED ENDED SCHEMES

The unit capital of a close-ended product is fixed as it makes a one-time sale of fixed number of units. These schemes are launched with an initial public offer (IPO) with a stated maturity period after which the units are fully redeemed at NAV linked prices. In the interim, investors can buy or sell units on the stock exchanges where they are listed. Unlike open-ended schemes, the unit capital in closed-ended schemes usually remains unchanged. After an initial closed period, the scheme may offer direct repurchase facility to the investors. Closedended schemes are usually more illiquid as compared to open-ended schemes and hence trade at a discount to the NAV. This discount tends towards the NAV closer to the maturity date of the scheme. 3. INTERVAL SCHEMES

These schemes combine the features of open-ended and closed-ended schemes. They may be traded on the stock exchange or may be open for sale or redemption during pre-determined intervals at NAV based prices. 4. GROWTH SCHEMES

These schemes, also commonly called Equity Schemes, seek to invest a majority of their funds in equities and a small portion in money market instruments. Such schemes have the potential to deliver superior returns over the long term. However, because they invest in equities, these schemes are exposed to fluctuations in value especially in the short term.

5.

INCOME SCHEMES

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These schemes, also commonly called Debt Schemes, invest in debt securities such as corporate bonds, debentures and government securities. The prices of these schemes tend to be more stable compared with equity schemes and most of the returns to the investors are generated through dividends or steady capital appreciation. These schemes are ideal for conservative investors or those not in a position to take higher equity risks, such as retired individuals. However, as compared to the money market schemes they do have a higher price fluctuation risk and compared to a Gilt fund they have a higher credit risk. 6. BALANCED SCHEMES

These schemes are commonly known as Hybrid schemes. These schemes invest in both equities as well as debt. By investing in a mix of this nature, balanced schemes seek to attain the objective of income and moderate capital appreciation and are ideal for investors with a conservative, long-term orientation. 7. TAX SAVING SCHEMES Investors are being encouraged to invest in equity markets through Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS) by offering them a tax rebate. Units purchased cannot be assigned / transferred/ pledged / redeemed / switched out until completion of 3 years from the date of allotment of the respective Units. The Scheme is subject to Securities & Exchange Board of India (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996 and the notifications issued by the Ministry of Finance (Department of Economic Affairs), Government of India regarding ELSS. Subject to such conditions and limitations, as prescribed under Section 88 of the Income-tax Act, 1961.

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8.

INDEX SCHEMES

The primary purpose of an Index is to serve as a measure of the performance of the market as a whole, or a specific sector of the market. An Index also serves as a relevant benchmark to evaluate the performance of mutual funds. Some investors are interested in investing in the market in general rather than investing in any specific fund. Such investors are happy to receive the returns posted by the markets. As it is not practical to invest in each and every stock in the market in proportion to its size, these investors are comfortable investing in a fund that they believe is a good representative of the entire market. Index Funds are launched and managed for such investors. 9. SECTOR SPECIFIC SCHEMES.

Sector Specific Schemes generally invests money in some specified sectors for example: Real Estate Specialized real estate funds would invest in real estates directly, or may fund real estate developers or lend to them directly or buy shares of housing finance companies or may even buy their securitized assets.

What is the procedure for registering a mutual fund with SEBI ? An applicant proposing to sponsor a mutual fund in India must submit an application in Form A along with a fee of Rs.25,000. The application is examined and once the sponsor satisfies certain conditions such as being in the financial services business and possessing positive net worth for the last five years, having net profit in three out of the last five years and possessing the general reputation of fairness and integrity in all business transactions, it is required to complete the remaining formalities for setting up a mutual fund. These include inter alia, executing the trust deed and investment management agreement, setting up a trustee company/board of trustees comprising two-

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thirds independent trustees, incorporating the asset management company (AMC), contributing to at least 40% of the net worth of the AMC and appointing a custodian. Upon satisfying these conditions, the registration certificate is issued subject to the payment of registration fees of Rs.25.00 lacs For details, see the SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996. How can the investors redress their complaints? Investors would find the name of contact person in the offer document of the mutual fund scheme whomthey may approach in case of any query, complaints or grievances. Trustees of a mutual fund monitor the activities of the mutual fund. The names of the directors of asset management company and trustees are also given in the offer documents. Investors should approach the concerned Mutual Fund / Investor Service Centre of the Mutual Fund with their complaints, If the complaints remain unresolved, the investors may approach SEBI for facilitating redressal of their complaints. On receipt of complaints, SEBI takes up the matter with the concerned mutual fund and follows up with it regularly. Investors may send their complaints to: Securities and Exchange Board of India Office of Investor Assistance and Education (OIAE) Plot No.C4-A , G Block, 1st Floor, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra (E), Mumbai 400 051. Phone: 26449199-88-77

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Where can an investor look out for information on mutual funds? Almost all the mutual funds have their own web sites. Investors can also access the NAVs, half-yearly results and portfolios of all mutual funds at the web site of Association of mutual funds in India (AMFI) www.amfiindia.com. AMFI has also published useful literature for the investors. Investors can log on to the web site of SEBI www.sebi.gov.in and go to "Mutual Funds" section for information on SEBI regulations and guidelines, data on mutual funds, draft offer documents filed by mutual funds, addresses of mutual funds, etc. Also, in the annual reports of SEBI available on the web site, a lot of information on mutual funds is given. There are a number of other web sites which give a lot of information of various schemes of mutual funds including yields over a period of time. Many newspapers also publish useful information on mutual funds on daily and weekly basis. Investors may approach their agents and distributors to guide them in this regard. Can an investor appoint a nominee for his investment in units of a mutual fund? Yes. The nomination can be made by individuals applying for / holding units on their own behalf singly or jointly. Non-individuals including society, trust, body corporate, partnership firm, Karta of Hindu Undivided Family, holder of Power of Attorney cannot nominate. If mutual fund scheme is wound up, what happens to money invested? In case of winding up of a scheme, the mutual funds pay a sum based on prevailing NAV after adjustment of expenses. Unitholders are entitled to

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receive a report on winding up from the mutual funds which gives all necessary details.

SEBI - Introduction
In 1988 the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) was established by the Government of India through an executive resolution, and was subsequently upgraded as a fully autonomous body (a statutory Board) in the year 1992 with the passing of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act (SEBI Act) on 30th January 1992. In place of Government Control, a statutory and autonomous regulatory board with defined responsibilities, to cover both development & regulation of the market, and independent powers have been set up. Paradoxically this is a positive outcome of the Securities Scam of 1990-91. The basic objectives of the Board were identified as:

to protect the interests of investors in securities; to promote the development of Securities Market; to regulate the securities market and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Since its inception SEBI has been working targetting the securities and is attending to the fulfillment of its objectives with commendable zeal and dexterity. The improvements in the securities markets like capitalization requirements, margining, establishment of clearing corporations etc. reduced the risk of credit and also reduced the market. SEBI has introduced the comprehensive regulatory measures, prescribed

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registration norms, the eligibility criteria, the code of obligations and the code of conduct for different intermediaries like, bankers to issue, merchant bankers, brokers and sub-brokers, registrars, portfolio managers, credit rating agencies, underwriters and others. It has framed bye-laws, risk identification and risk management systems for Clearing houses of stock exchanges, surveillance system etc. which has made dealing in securities both safe and transparent to the end investor. Another significant event is the approval of trading in stock indices (like S&P CNX Nifty & Sensex) in 2000. A market Index is a convenient and effective product because of the following reasons:

It acts as a barometer for market behavior; It is used to benchmark portfolio performance; It is used in derivative instruments like index futures and index options; It can be used for passive fund management as in case of Index Funds.

Two broad approaches of SEBI is to integrate the securities market at the national level, and also to diversify the trading products, so that there is an increase in number of traders including banks, financial institutions, insurance companies, mutual funds, primary dealers etc. to transact through the Exchanges. In this context the introduction of derivatives trading through Indian Stock Exchanges permitted by SEBI in 2000 AD is a real landmark. SEBI appointed the L. C. Gupta Committee in 1998 to recommend the regulatory framework for derivatives trading and suggest bye-laws for Regulation and Control of Trading and Settlement of Derivatives Contracts. The Board of SEBI in its meeting held on May 11, 1998 accepted the recommendations of the committee and approved the phased introduction of derivatives trading in India beginning with Stock Index Futures. The Board also

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approved the "Suggestive Bye-laws" as recommended by the Dr LC Gupta Committee for Regulation and Control of Trading and Settlement of Derivatives Contracts. SEBI then appointed the J. R. Verma Committee to recommend Risk Containment Measures (RCM) in the Indian Stock Index Futures Market. The report was submitted in november 1998. However the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (SCRA) required amendment to include "derivatives" in the definition of securities to enable SEBI to introduce trading in derivatives. The necessary amendment was then carried out by the Government in 1999. The Securities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 1999 was introduced. In December 1999 the new framework was approved. Derivatives have been accorded the status of `Securities'. The ban imposed on trading in derivatives in 1969 under a notification issued by the Central Government was revoked. Thereafter SEBI formulated the necessary regulations/bye-laws and intimated the Stock Exchanges in the year 2000. The derivative trading started in India at NSE in 2000 and BSE started trading in the year 2001.

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What is the history of Mutual Funds in India and role of SEBI in mutual funds industry? Unit Trust of India was the first mutual fund set up in India in the year 1963. In early 1990s, Government allowed public sector banks and institutions to set up mutual funds. In the year 1992, Securities and exchange Board of India (SEBI) Act was passed. The objectives of SEBI are to protect the interest of investors in securities and to promote the development of and to regulate the securities market. As far as mutual funds are concerned, SEBI formulates policies and regulates the mutual funds to protect the interest of the investors. SEBI notified regulations for the mutual funds in 1993. Thereafter, mutual funds sponsored by private sector entities were allowed to enter the capital market. The regulations were fully revised in 1996 and have been amended thereafter from time to time. SEBI has also issued guidelines to the mutual funds from time to time to protect the interests of investors. All mutual funds whether promoted by public sector or private sector entities including those promoted by foreign entities are governed by the same set of Regulations. There is no distinction in regulatory requirements for these mutual funds and all are subject to monitoring and inspections by SEBI. The risks associated with the schemes launched by the mutual funds sponsored by these entities are of similar type.

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How is a mutual fund set up? A mutual fund is set up in the form of a trust, which has sponsor, trustees, asset management company (AMC) and custodian. The trust is established by a sponsor or more than one sponsor who is like promoter of a company. The trustees of the mutual fund hold its property for the benefit of theunitholders. Asset Management Company (AMC) approved by SEBI manages the funds by making investments in various types of securities. Custodian, who is registered with SEBI, holds the securities of various schemes of the fund in its custody. The trustees are vested with the general power of superintendence and direction over AMC. They monitor the performance and compliance of SEBI Regulations by the mutual fund. SEBI Regulations require that at least two thirds of the directors of trustee company or board of trustees must be independent i.e. they should not be associated with the sponsors. Also, 50% of the directors of AMC must be independent. All mutual funds are required to be registered with SEBI before they launch any scheme. What is Net Asset Value (NAV) of a scheme? The performance of a particular scheme of a mutual fund is denoted by Net Asset Value (NAV). Mutual funds invest the money collected from the investors in securities markets. In simple words, Net Asset Value is the market value of the securities held by the scheme. Since market value of securities changes every day, NAV

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of a scheme also varies on day to day basis. The NAV per unit is the market value of securities of a scheme divided by the total number of units of the scheme on any particular date. For example, if the market value of securities of a mutual fund scheme is Rs 200 lakhs and the mutual fund has issued 10 lakhs units of Rs. 10 each to the investors, then the NAV per unit of the fund is Rs.20. NAV is required to be disclosed by the mutual funds on a regular basis - daily or weekly - depending on the type of scheme.

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SEBI REGISTERED MUTUAL FUND:

1. FORTIS Mutual fund 2. Alliance Capital Mutual fund, 3. AIG Global Investment Group Mutual fund 4. Benchmark Mutual fund, 5. Baroda Pioneer Mutual fund 6. Birla Mutual fund 7. Bharti AXA Mutual fund 8. Canara Robeco Mutual fund 9. CRB Mutual fund (Suspended) 10. DBS Chola Mutual fund, 11. Deutsche Mutual fund 12. DSP Blackrock Mutual fund, 13. Edelweiss Mutual fund 14. Escorts Mutual fund, 15. Franklin Templeton Mutual fund 16. Fidelity Mutual fund 17. Goldman Sachs Mutual fund

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18. HDFC Mutual fund, 19. HSBC Mutual fund, 20. ICICI Securities Fund, 21. IL & FS Mutual fund, 22. ING Mutual fund, 23. ICICI Prudential Mutual fund 24. IDFC Mutual fund, 25. JM Financial Mutual fund 26. JP Morgan Mutual fund 27. Kotak Mahindra Mutual fund, 29. LIC Mutual fund 31. Morgan Stanley Mutual fund 32. Mirae Asset Mutual fund 33. Principal Mutual fund 34. Quantum Mutual fund, 35. Reliance Mutual fund 36. Religare AEGON Mutual fund 37. Sahara Mutual fund, 38. SBI Mutual fund 39. Shriram Mutual fund

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40. Sundaram BNP Paribas Mutual fund, 41. Taurus Mutual fund 42. Tata Mutual fund,

HISTORY OF MUTUAL FUND

The mutual fund industry in India started in 1963 with the formation of Unit Trust of India, at the initiative of the Government of India and Reserve Bank. The history of mutual funds in India can be broadly divided into four distinct phases: -

First Phase 1964-87 An Act of Parliament established Unit Trust of India (UTI) on 1963. It was set up by the Reserve Bank of India and functioned under the Regulatory and administrative control of the Reserve Bank of India. In 1978 UTI was de-linked from the RBI and the Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) took over the regulatory and administrative control in place of RBI. The first scheme launched by UTI was Unit Scheme 1964. At the end of 1988 UTI had Rs.6,700 crores of assets under management.

Second Phase 1987-1993 (Entry of Public Sector Funds) 1987 marked the entry of non- UTI, public sector mutual funds set up by public sector banks and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC). SBI Mutual Fund was the first non- UTI Mutual Fund established in June 1987 followed by Can bank Mutual Fund (Dec 87), Punjab National Bank Mutual Fund (Aug 89), Indian Bank Mutual Fund

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(Nov 89), Bank of India (Jun 90), Bank of Baroda Mutual Fund (Oct 92). LIC established its mutual fund in June 1989 while GIC had set up its mutual fund in December 1990. At the end of 1993, the mutual fund industry had assets under management of Rs.47,004 crores. Third Phase 1993-2003 (Entry of Private Sector Funds) With the entry of private sector funds in 1993, a new era started in the Indian mutual fund industry, giving the Indian investors a wider choice of fund families. Also, 1993 was the year in which the first Mutual Fund Regulations came into being, under which all mutual funds, except UTI were to be registered and governed. The erstwhile Kothari Pioneer (now merged with Franklin Templeton) was the first private sector mutual fund registered in July 1993. The 1993 SEBI (Mutual Fund) Regulations were substituted by a more comprehensive and revised Mutual Fund Regulations in 1996. The industry now functions under the SEBI (Mutual Fund) Regulations 1996. The number of mutual fund houses went on increasing, with many foreign mutual funds setting up funds in India and also the industry has witnessed several mergers and acquisitions. As at the end of January 2003, there were 33 mutual funds with total assets of Rs. 1,21,805 crores. The Unit Trust of India with Rs.44,541 crores of assets under management was way ahead of other mutual funds. Fourth Phase since February 2003

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In February 2003, following the repeal of the Unit Trust of India Act 1963 UTI was bifurcated into two separate entities. One is the Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India with assets under management of Rs.29,835 crores as at the end of January 2003, representing broadly, the assets of US 64 scheme, assured return and certain other schemes. The Specified Undertaking of Unit Trust of India, functioning under an administrator and under the rules framed by Government of India and does not come under the purview of the Mutual Fund Regulations. The second is the UTI Mutual Fund Ltd, sponsored by SBI, PNB, BOB and LIC. It is registered with SEBI and functions under the Mutual Fund Regulations. With the bifurcation of the erstwhile UTI which had in March 2000 more than Rs.76,000 crores of assets under management and with the setting up of a UTI Mutual Fund, conforming to the SEBI Mutual Fund Regulations, and with recent mergers taking place among different private sector funds, the mutual fund industry has entered its current phase of consolidation and growth. As at the end of September, 2004, there were 29 funds, which manage assets of Rs.153108 crores under 421 schemes.

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WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE FOR REGISTERING A MUTUAL FUND WITH SEBI? An applicant proposing to sponsor a Mutual fund in India must submit an application in Form A along with a fee of Rs.25, 000. The application is examined and once the sponsor satisfies certain conditions such as being in the financial services business and possessing positive net worth for the last five years, having net profit in three out of the last five years and possessing the general reputation of fairness and integrity in all business transactions, it is required to complete the remaining formalities for setting up a Mutual fund.

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These include inter alia, executing the trust deed and investment management agreement, setting up a trustee company/board of trustees comprising twothirds independent trustees, incorporating the asset management company (AMC), contributing to at least 40% of the net worth of the AMC and appointing a custodian. Upon satisfying these conditions, the registration certificate is issued subject to the payment of registration fees of Rs.25.00 lacs for details; see the SEBI (Mutual funds) Regulations, 1996. EVALUATING PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE

It is important to evaluate the performance of the portfolio on an ongoing basis. The following factors are important in this process: Consider long-term track record rather than short-term performance. It is important because long-term track record moderates the effects which unusually good or bad short-term performance can have on a fund's track record. Besides, longer-term track record compensates for the effects of a fund manager's particular investment style. Evaluate the track record against similar funds. Success in managing a small or in a fund focusing on a particular segment of the market cannot be relied upon as an evidence of anticipated performance in managing a large or a broad based fund. Discipline in investment approach is an important factor as the pressure to perform can make a fund manager susceptible to have an urge to change tracks in terms of stock selection as well as investment strategy. The objective should be to differentiate investment skill of the fund manager from luck and to identify those funds with the greatest potential of future success.

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INVESTOR'S FINANCIAL PLANNING AND ITS RESULTS. Planning for long term objectives Many people get overwhelmed by the thought of retirement and they think how they will ever save the huge money that is required to lead a peaceful and happy retired life. However, the fact is that if we save and invest regularly over a period of time, even a small sum of money can be adequate. It is a proven fact that the real power of compounding comes with time. Albert Einstein called compounding "the eighth wonder of the world" because of its amazing abilities. Essentially, compounding is the idea that one can make money on the money one has already earned. That's why, the earlier one starts saving, the more time money gets to grow. Through Mutual funds, one can set up an investment programme to build capital for retirement years. Besides, it is an ideal vehicle to practice asset allocation and rebalancing thereby maintaining the right level of risk at all times. It is important to know that determination and maintaining the right level of risk tolerance can go a long way in ensuring the success of an investment plan. Besides, it helps in customizing fund category allocations and suitable fund selections. There are certain broad guidelines to determine the risk tolerance. These are: Be realistic with regard to volatility. One needs to seriously consider the effect of potential downside loss as well as potential upside gain. Determine a "comfort level" i.e. If one is not confident with a particular level of risk tolerance, and then select a different level. Regardless of the level of risk tolerance, one should adhere to the principles of effective diversification i.e. The allocation of investment assets among different

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fund categories to achieve a variety of distinct risk/reward objectives and a reduction in overall portfolio risk. It helps to reassess risk tolerance every year. The risk tolerance may change due to either major adjustment in return objectives or to a realization that an existing risk tolerance is inappropriate for one's current situation. Market cap of a company signifies its market value, which is equal to the total number of shares outstanding multiplied by the current stock price. The market cap has a role to play in the kind of returns the stock might deliver and the risk or volatility that one may have to encounter while achieving those returns.For example, large companies are usually more stable during the turbulent periods and the mid cap and small cap companies are more vulnerable. As regards the allocation to each segment, there cannot be a standard combination applicable to all kinds of investors. Each one of us has different risk profile, time horizon and investment objectives. Besides, while deciding on the allocation, one has to keep in mind the fact whether the allocation is being done for an existing investor or for a new investor. While for an existing investor, the allocation that already exists has to be considered, for a new investor the right way to begin is by considering funds that invest predominantly in large cap stocks. The exposure to mid and small caps can be enhanced over a period of time. It is always advisable to take help of professionals to decide the allocation as well as select the appropriate funds. However, investors themselves have an important role to play in this process.

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7 INVESTMENT TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR RETURNS 1. Know your risk profile Before you take a decision to invest in equity funds, it is important to assess your risk tolerance. Risk tolerance depends on certain factors like emotional temperament, attitude and investment experience. Remember, Vwhile ascertaining the risk tolerance, it is crucial to consider one's desire to assume risk as the capacity to assume the risk. It helps to understand different categories of overall risk tolerance, i.e. Conservative, moderate or aggressive. While a conservative investor will accept lower returns to minimise price volatility, a moderate investor would be all right with greater price volatility than conservative risk tolerances to pursue higher returns. An aggressive investor wouldn't mind large swings in the NAVs to seek the highest returns. Though identifying the desire for risk is a tough job, it can be made easy by defining one's comfort zone. 2. Don't have too many schemes in your portfolio While it is true that diversification helps in earning better returns with a lower level of fluctuations, it becomes counterproductive when one has too many funds in the portfolio. For example, if you have 15 funds in your portfolio, it does not necessarily mean that your portfolio is adequately diversified. To determine the right level of diversification, one has to consider factors like size of the portfolio, type of funds and allocation to different asset classes. Therefore, it is possible that a portfolio having 5 schemes may be adequately diversified whereas another one with 10 schemes may have very little diversification. Remember, to have a well-balanced equity portfolio, it is important to have the right level of exposure to different segments of the equity

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market like large cap, mid-cap and small cap. In addition, for a decent portfolio size, it is all right to have some exposure in the sector and specialty funds. 3. Longer time horizon provides protection from volatility As an equity fund investor, you need to understand that volatility is an integral part of the stock market. However, if you remain focused on the long-term objectives and follow a disciplined approach to investing, you can not only handle volatility properly but also turn it to your advantage. 4. Understand and analyze 'Good Performance' 'Good performance' is a subjective thing. Ideally, to analyze performance, one should consider returns as well as the risk taken to achieve those returns. Besides, consistency in terms of performance as well as portfolio selection is another factor that should play an important part while analyzing the performance. Therefore, if an investment in a Mutual fund scheme takes you past your risk tolerance while providing you decent returns; it cannot always be termed as good performance. In fact, at times to ensure that your investment remains within the parameters defined in the investment plan, you may to be forced to exit from that scheme. In other words, you need to assess as to how much risk did the fund manger subject you to, and did he give you an adequate reward for taking that risk. Besides, you also need to consider whether own risk profile allows you to accept the revised level of risk 5. Sell your fund, if you need to There is no standard formula to determine the right time to sell an investment in Mutual fund or for that matter any investment. However, you can definitely

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benefit by following certain guidelines while deciding to sell an investment in a Mutual fund scheme. Here are some of them: You may consider selling a fund when your investment plan calls for a sale rather than doing so for emotional reasons. You need to hold a fund long enough to evaluate its performance over a complete market cycle, i.e. around three years or so. Many of us make the mistake of either holding on to funds for too long or exit in a hurry. It is important to do a thorough analysis before taking a decision to sell. In other words, if you take a wrong decision, there is always a risk of missing out on good rallies in the market or getting out too early thus missing out on potential gains. You should consider coming out of a fund if its performance has consistently lagged its peers for a period of one year or so. It doesn't make sense to hold a fund when it no longer meets your needs. If you have made a proper selection, you would generally be required to make changes only if the fund changes its objective or investment style, or if your needs change. 6. Diversified vs. Concentrated Portfolio The choice between funds that have a diversified and a concentrated portfolio largely depends upon your risk profile. As discussed earlier, a well - diversified portfolio helps in spreading the investments across different sectors and segments of the market. The idea is that if one or more stocks do badly, the portfolio won't be affected as much. At the same time, if one stock does very well, the portfolio won't reap all the benefits. A diversified fund, therefore, is an ideal choice for someone who is looking for steady returns over the longer term. A concentrated portfolio works exactly in the opposite manner. While a fund with a concentrated portfolio has a better chance of providing higher returns, it also increases your chances of underperforming or losing a large portion of your

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portfolio in a market downturn. Thus, a concentrated portfolio is ideally suited for those investors who have the capacity to shoulder higher risk in order to improve the chances of getting better returns. 7. Review your portfolio periodically It is always a good idea to review your portfolio periodically. For example, you may begin reviewing your portfolio on a half-yearly basis. Besides, you may be required to review your portfolio in greater detail when your investments goals or financial circumstances change. HOW TO REDUCE RISK WHILE INVESTING: Any kind of investment we make is subject to risk. In fact we get return on our investment purely and solely because at the very beginning we take the risk of parting with our funds, for getting higher value back at a later date. Partition itself is a risk. Well known economist and Nobel Prize recipient William Sharpe tried to segregate the total risk faced in any kind of investment into two parts systematic (Systemic) risk and unsystematic (Unsystemic) risk. Systematic risk is that risk which exists in the system. Some of the biggest examples of systematic risk are inflation, recession, war, political situation etc. Inflation erodes returns generated from all investments e.g. If return from fixed deposit is 8 per cent and if inflation is 6 per cent then real rate of return from fixed deposit is reduced by 6 per cent.

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Similarly if returns generated from equity market is 18 per cent and inflation is still 6 per cent then equity returns will be lesser by the rate of inflation. Since inflation exists in the system there is no way one can stay away from the risk of inflation. Economic cycles, war and political situations have effects on all forms of investments. Also these exist in the system and there is no way to stay away from them. It is like learning to walk. Anyone who wants to learn to walk has to first fall; you cannot learn to walk without falling. Similarly anyone who wants to invest has to first face systematic risk; there can never make any kind of investment without systematic risk. Another form of risk is unsystematic risk. This risk does not exist in the system and hence is not applicable to all forms of investment. Unsystematic risk is associated with particular form of investment. Suppose we invest in stock market and the market falls, then only our investment in equity gets affected OR if we have placed a fixed deposit in particular bank and bank goes bankrupt, than we only lose money placed in that bank. While there is no way to keep away from risk, we can always reduce the impact of risk. Diversification helps in reducing the impact of unsystematic risk. If our investment is distributed across various asset classes the impact of unsystematic risk is reduced.

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If we have placed fixed deposit in several banks, then even if one of the banks goes bankrupt our entire fixed deposit investment is not lost. Similarly if our equity investment is in Tata Motors, HLL, Infosys, adverse news about Infosys will only impact investment in Infosys, all other stocks will not have any impact. To reduce the impact of systematic risk, we should invest regularly. By investing regularly we average out the impact of risk. Mutual fund, as an investment vehicle gives us benefit of both diversification and averaging. Portfolio of mutual funds consists of multiple securities and hence adverse news about single security will have nominal impact on overall portfolio. By systematically investing in mutual fund we get benefit of rupee cost averaging. Mutual fund as an investment vehicle helps reduce, both, systematic as well as unsystematic risk.

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