Top 10 Mutual Funds for SIP to Invest in 2018 | Image Resource: freepik.com
It is true that investment is a key part of acquiring and accumulating wealth, but it is not the whole truth. Investing in securities in a haphazard manner, investing in one security or any such move is far more likely to end up costing you more money than earning it. The whole truth is that investments need to be made prudently. The problem with that is understanding market trends and applying that knowledge is a long drawn and tedious process. But if you still want to invest safely, your best options are Mutual Funds or the SIP plans to gain long-term profit.
What Are Mutual Funds?
A mutual fund is a fund made up of a pool of money that has been collected from various investors. The Mutual fund further invests this collected money in various forms of securities such as shares, stocks, bonds, and other instruments of the money market. These funds are managed by experienced mutual fund managers, who use the resources of the fund to create either capital gains or income for their investors. Mutual funds generally invest in a manner that is stated in their prospectus or in a manner that is likely to meet the objectives set forth in the prospectus.
Systematic Investment Plans
Having understood what a mutual fund is, the next question which must probably arise in your mind must be how to invest in them? The most obvious answer is to invest a lump sum in the fund and wait for it to generate wealth. But a better way to invest is mutual funds is through Systematic Investment Plans or SIPs. These are tools which enable you to invest a sum at a regular interval instead of investing a lump sum at once. The benefit of SIP is that you can invest without eating into your savings. Further, as you can invest small amounts, your monthly budgets will not be hit either.
SIP is an attractive investment vehicle and having discovered its benefits, you might be interested in investing in any SIP. So here is a brief guide outlining the simple steps to invest in SIP.
- The first thing you must do is outline your goals. This includes short terms goals like going on a vacation or medium-term goals like buying a car and long-term goals like acquiring enough wealth for a comfortable retirement. No matter what your goals are, write them down to make a wise investment.
- Next is giving yourself a timeframe. Be clear about when you want to achieve the goals you have written down in the above step.
- After that, use the SIP Calculator to calculate how much you should invest every month to achieve your goals. You will get a rough idea of the return of your investments.
- Lastly, select a Mutual Fund that suits your needs and start investing!
The last step might be a little challenging, as there are many funds which are considered the best Mutual Funds for SIP to invest. But the reality is that only you can decide the best fund for yourself. To help you make that decision, here are the top 10 Mutual Funds for SIP to invest in 2018:
1. Kotak Standard Multicap Fund: It is highly recommended Kotak Mutual Fund which aims to generate long term capital gains. The portfolio is mainly composed of equity and equity related options, mainly in small cap companies.
2. Kotak Equity Opportunities: It is similar to the previous fund but it aims to generate long-term capital appreciation with a diversified portfolio. The difference between the funds however is that this one invests in large cap companies, medium cap companies, and small cap companies; whereas the previous fund invested only in small cap companies.
3. Kotak Tax Saver: This fund too is similar to the previously mentioned funds in that it seeks to create long term capital appreciation with a portfolio that consists of diversified investments. The difference however is in the objective. This fund invests in such a manner that you can avail the tax rebate whenever applicable. So, if you are looking to invest in SIPs as a form of tax reduction, this fund might be perfect for you.
4. Kotak Balanced Advantage Fund: This is a Kotak Mutual Fund that aims to create capital appreciation by investing in a dynamically balanced portfolio that consists both of equity and equity related securities also debt and money market securities at the same time.
5. Kotak Debt Hybrid: This is a scheme that does not guarantee monthly returns, as they are subject to distributable surplus. However, it seeks to enhance returns by investing largely in the debt and money market with minimal exposure to equity and equity related instruments. This fund will use derivative and hedging products occasionally in a manner only permitted by SEBI.
6. Kotak Mahindra Liquid Scheme: It is an open ended scheme, the object of which is to provide reasonable returns and high amount of liquidity. It does so by investing in the money market on instruments with various maturities to distribute the risk involved.
7. Kotak Gold Fund: This is what is known as a fund of fund scheme. This fund specifically invests in the units of the Kotak Gold Exchange Traded Fund and by doing so, they aim to generate returns.
8. Kotak US Equity Fund: This too is a Fund of Fund Scheme. This fund aims to create long term capital appreciation by investing in equity and equity related instruments with products, assets, or operation in the United States. It does not guarantee that its objectives will be realized.
9. Kotak SENSEX ETF: This is an Exchange Traded Fund. This fund aims to generate returns before expenses that closely correspond to the total returns of the BSE SENSEX.
10. Kotak Bond: This is a debt fund that invests mostly in bonds, debentures, and government securities. It also invests in Repos in permitted markets.
It must also be noted that there are various Mutual Funds other than these top 10 mutual funds to invest in 2018 offered by other players such as ICICI SIP Mutual Funds and HDFC SIP MF and are not limited to Kotak Mutual Fund. As such, it is prudent to research all your options before investing.