Introduction to Mutual Funds
For first-time investors, investing in a mutual fund may appear challenging since it can be perplexing sometimes. The first step in your financial journey must be to understand how these mutual funds function.
Mutual funds are profit-oriented portfolios that combine money from a number of participants to purchase stock, bonds, and other assets. Most mutual funds have an initial investment requirement, while no-minimum-investment funds are becoming more common.
When a person buys or sells a mutual fund, they are dealing directly with the fund, whereas it is on the secondary market when you’re dealing with ETFs and equities. Unlike stocks and ETFs, mutual funds only trade once a day after the markets close. The trade will be performed at the next available net asset value, which is computed after the market closes if you initiate a trade to buy or sell mutual fund shares. This price might be greater or lower than the closing NAV from the previous day.
India has one of the world’s highest savings rates. Because of this desire to accumulate money, Indian investors must turn beyond the traditional safe havens of bank FDs and gold to mutual funds. On the other hand, mutual funds are a less popular investment option due to a lack of understanding.
Read More About What is Mutual Fund?
SEBI and Mutual Funds
A mutual fund is a trust that integrates the money of a group of individuals with similar financial goals. The funds raised are subsequently invested in capital market instruments such as stocks, bonds, and other assets. Depending on the maturity time, a mutual fund scheme can be characterised as open-ended or closed-ended. The SEBI (Mutual Fund) Regulations 1996, as revised from time to time, govern mutual funds in India. In the capital market division of the Exchange, SEBI regulated mutual funds are listed and available for trade. The National Stock Exchange maintains a list of such units that are currently listed on the Exchange and available for trade (NSE)
The fund house receives a minimal fee in exchange, which is taken from the investment. The fees imposed by mutual funds are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India and are subject to specific restrictions.
How to Invest in Mutual Funds
Unlike stocks and ETFs, mutual funds are not freely traded on the open market. They are, nonetheless, simple to obtain straight from the financial firm that oversees the money. They can also be acquired through a full-service broker or an internet bargain brokerage.
Many funds have a minimum contribution requirement. Some funds have greater minimums than others, and not all funds have any.
SIP allows a person to invest as less as Rs 500 in a mutual fund, which is not available in many other investment options. There are a wide variety of mutual funds to pick from, and the person can choose to invest in the ones that have financial objectives and risk levels that match your risk profile.
It’s also possible that certain mutual funds are no longer accepting new investors. The most popular funds draw so much money from investors that they become unmanageable, and the business in charge of them decides to cease taking new investors.
Where to buy Mutual Funds??
Few mutual funds can be purchased directly from the fund companies by investors. Other funds can only be obtained through brokers, insurance agents, or a client’s bank. If you go via a third party, you may be charged extra costs – brokers frequently charge additional fees such as sales commissions, and a financial planner may do the same.
Investors should take full use of the benefits of these tax sheltered retirement accounts by investing in mutual funds. Due to capital gain distributions and/or dividends, certain mutual funds might produce significant tax bills in a conventional brokerage account due to capital gain distributions and/or dividends. The more active funds, such as corporate bond funds or actively managed stock funds, fall within this category.
Buying a Mutual Fund
Front-end sales loads or marketing costs paid ahead at the time of purchase may apply when purchasing a mutual fund. The drawback of front-end sales loads is that the charge is deducted from the beginning, implying that there is little amount of money available to provide a return on investment. If an investor invests Rs 1,000 in a mutual fund with a 5% sales load, Rs 50 is removed from their investment to pay the broker and other distributors.
It’s vital to know that the way mutual funds are traded differs depending on whether they’re open-end or closed-end. They trade at the end of the particular day with open-end funds because mutual funds are exchanged based on their net asset value (NAV), which is different from equities, which may be traded at any hour during market hours.
Selling a Mutual Fund
Back-end sales loads, which are effectively marketing costs paid when selling a mutual fund through a broker, can also be charged when selling a mutual fund. When compared to the front-end load, this fee structure allows for more money in the investing account, which means more compounding and more money down the road; the cost is only collected when the mutual fund is sold. On the other hand, some mutual funds do not incur sales loads but may levy additional fees to compensate.
Selling a mutual fund is similar to purchasing one in that you must employ a broker if it is a closed-end fund, but you may deal directly with the fund through your trading account if it is an open-end fund. In open-end funds, mutual fund shares are purchased from the mutual fund and then sold back to the fund.
