What is Mutual FundYou might have heard about companies like, Reliance Mutual Fund, Tata Mutual Fund, and SBI Mutual Fund etc. These are the companies collect money from you (the investor) and invest in stocks, bonds or any other securities. Return received from these funds is share with the investor as per agreement. The Company and Investor mutual agree to invest some fund and share return as per agreement. So the amount you invested in this method is called Mutual Fund.

Say you bought Mutual Fund of Rs 100,000.00 from Reliance mutual fund with a return assurance of Rs 200,000.00 after 3years. That means you gave Reliance Mutual Fund Rs 100,000.00 with an agreement that they will invest it some security and manage the money on an ongoing basis for you , and will give you a return of Rs 100,0000.00 and principal amount of Rs 100,000.00 after 3years. This return is not guaranteed since it will be invested in public market which is subjected to fluctuation.

What is Mutual FundThe executive managing funds is called Fund Manager. Some more example of these companies are Sharekhan, HDFC securities, ICICI direct, LIC (Life Insurance Corporation, India) etc.

A Mutual Fund is the most 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. In stocks the investors have to analyze and manage his fund, where as in Mutual Fund a professional fund manager manages it of behalf of the investor. The company managing Mutual Funds takes some charge for this (Details on charges will be explained in subsequent articles).

How does Mutual Fund workThe Mutual Fund Company collects from Individual investors as Mutual Fund and invests it in various securities ranging from shares to debentures & money market etc, depending upon the schemes' objectives. The income earned through these investments and the capital appreciation (rise in value of the stock) realized by the scheme are shared with the investors in proportion to their investment amount in line with the terms and conditions of the agreement between Investor & Mutual Fund company.

Mutual Fund Cycle

Advantages of Mutual FundsIt is clear that Mutual Fund gives relatively lower return than Stock, then why someone should go for Mutual Fund? The answer is very simple. If you invest in stock, you have to analyze the volatility, risk involvement, worthiness of the stock and decide your investment. You have to manage your fund. For becoming a good fund analyzer or fund manager you need considerable knowledge and experience. Risk is higher if you are not competent enough in taking investment decision.

On the other side by buying a mutual fund, you are assigning a professional fund manager to manage your fund, who is better than you in terms of fund management and investment decision making skill. Thus your risk for losing money is reduced and you needn't to run with Sensex or Nifty and various financial indexes and ratios. You are paying some charge to the fund manager for this.

Advantages of Mutual FundsMutual funds are supported by following advantages,

Management by Professionals

You avail of the services of experienced and skilled professionals who are backed by a dedicated investment research team who analyzes the performance and prospects of companies. With analyzed data given from research professionals they select suitable fund to meet investment objectives.

For doing all these research you may need full dedication on this subject, financial knowledge and enormous time with experience. This is the biggest advantage with Mutual Fund w.r.t other investment ideas.

Advantages of Mutual FundsDiversification of Investment

Mutual Fund managers invest in a number of companies across a broad cross section of industries and sectors. This diversification reduces the risk because very rarely do all stocks decline at the same time and in the same proportion. For you doing all these needs experience, knowledge & dedication. You achieve this diversification through a Mutual Fund company with far less money than you can do on your own.Easier AdministrationInvesting in a Mutual Fund reduces paperwork and helps you avoid many problems such as bad deliveries, delayed payments and unnecessary follow up with brokers and companies. Mutual Funds save your time and make investing easy, convenient & enjoyable. The amount they charge for this is far less than the result you get.

Advantages of Mutual FundsLiquidity flexibility

At any time you can buy or sell the mutual fund through your bank or Mutual Fund Company.

Well Regulated

Mutual Funds in India are registered with SEBI (Security and Exchange Board of India) and they function within the provisions of strict regulations designed to protect the interests of investors. The operations of Mutual Funds are regularly monitored by SEBI. In other countries also they are registered with respective regulatory act Higher return potentialOver a medium to long-term, Mutual Funds have the potential to provide a higher return as they invest in a diversified basket of selected securities.

Disadvantages of Mutual FundFees

This is a major disadvantage that ruins your income. Running a Mutual Fund organization is off course an expensive task. All expenses from Fund managers salary to Investors transaction statements is charged from investor’s income indirectly. Fee structures vary from fund to fund. You should give vigilant attention to the fee structure to avoid negative consequences at a later stage.

Professionalism in Fund Manager

The fund manager may be less capable than you. No one is more worried about your money than yourself. Capability of the Fund manager/Mutual Fund Company can be accessed from their past records. Carefully understand the Mutual Fund companies past records and the consistency of the positive or negative returns.

Disadvantages of Mutual FundTaxes

Everywhere taxes are imposed. You have to pay taxes for your incomes unless the investment is recognized as tax benefit investment under govt. rules. Selecting a proper plan taking care to tax benefit rules can minimize the taxes.

Lower return

Return is lower than stocks. Because of the fees charged by your mutual fund company for doing all analysis on behalf of you.

Irrespective all these disadvantages Mutual Funds always take considerable part in good investors' portfolio due to lower risk and good return

Types of Mutual Funds

There is variety of Mutual Funds to suit everyone’s investment style. Always there is Mutual Fund to cater your needs irrespective of your age, financial position, risk tolerance, investment style, return expectations etc.

We are going to discuss different types of mutual funds available. It is suggested that you discuss with your Mutual Fund Company or bank regarding details about types of Mutual Fund with amount risk & return, before investing. Because always theories are different than practical. Ask as many questions as possible to the bank executive so that you get a clear picture about where you are going to invest your money. Don't hesitate to ask doubts, because they are paid from your money to answer you.

Types of Mutual FundsGrowth Funds

These investments aim to provide capital appreciation over the medium to long term. These schemes normally invest a majority of their funds in equities and are willing to bear short term decline in value for possible future appreciation.Suitable for: Investors seeking for growth of their fund over long terms.Income Funds

These investments aim to provide regular and steady income to investors. These schemes generally invest in fixed income securities such as bonds and corporate debentures.Suitable for: Investors seeking regular income. Like Retired people & someone seeking supplementary income.

Types of Mutual FundsBalance FundsThese investments aim to provide both growth and income by periodically distributing a part of the income and capital gains they earn. These funds are invested in both shares and fixed income securities in the proportion indicated in their offer documents.Suitable for: Investors seeking for income with growth at the same time.Money Market FundsThese investments provide moderate income but your capital is relatively safe. Here funds are invested in short term instruments such as treasury bills, certificates of deposit, commercial paper and interbank call money.Returns on these schemes may be affected by fluctuation of interest rates prevailing in the market.Suitable for: Investors as a means to park their surplus funds for short periods or awaiting a more favorable investment alternative.

Types of Mutual FundsTax saving Schemes (Equity Linked Saving Scheme - ELSS)

These schemes offer tax incentives to the investors under tax laws as prescribed by government from time to time and promote long term investments in equities through Mutual Funds.Suitable for: Investors seeking for tax savings.

Fixed Maturity PlansThe objective of such investment is to emphasize on steady returns over a fixed-maturity period with protection to the investors against market fluctuations. Your fund is locked for certain period depending on scheme, during the lock period you are not allowed to withdraw. Even though a good return is expected in this investment but it is not guaranteed.Suitable for: Investors seeking for growth of their fund in course of time.

Earnings in Mutual Fund

You must be clear in what way you are going to earn in Mutual Funds. Basically there are three ways to earn money from Mutual Funds.

Dividends and InterestBonds pay interest & some stocks pay dividends. These interest and dividends are passed on to the investors in proportion to their investments. You will be taxed yearly on this income unless the investment is tax free as per Govt. rules.

Earnings in Mutual FundAppreciation value

Increase in stock price is called appreciation or opposite is depreciation. When market price of stocks increases to expected value fund managers sell it. Value earned due to increase in price is called Capital gain and the opposite is Capital loss. At the yearend difference in capital gain and loss, if higher is paid to the investors in proportion to their investment. Here also you will be taxed yearly on this income unless the investment is tax free as per Govt. rules.

Net Asset Value (NAV) of the Mutual Fund.

If the company does not sell but holds securities that have increased in value, the value of the shares of the mutual fund (called as NAV) increase and there is a profit. This also is a capital gain. However, you will not be taxed on this capital gain until the year you sell the fund

Risk & Volatility in Mutual FundAlways there is risk in every investment. Risk is high or low depending on market condition & expected gain. Risk can never be eliminated; however it can be minimized with effective fund management by diversification & application of experience & expertise in the fund management. Mutual Funds suffer less risk factor than stock since these are managed by professionals. But enough risk is involved depending on capability of the fund manager.

Following steps may help you to understanding risk factors underlying the investment,

1. Find out the tract record in return of the Mutual Fund Company you are going to invest in. Comparative higher return tract record can give a positive signal to your investment.

Risk & Volatility in Mutual Fund2. Understand the volatility of the Mutual Fund you are investing in, through various financial research reports. What are the financial reports are how to read them will be discussed later in this section.

3. You can seek advice from your friends & relatives in choosing Mutual Fund Company and stocks (Strictly from those who know about Mutual Fund and have some experience & expertise).

Try to avoid free tips from various un-trusted websites over internet. Also free advices from friends & relatives who don't about the reality.

Which Mutual Fund to BuyVarious technical aspects are there to be considered while selecting a Mutual Fund. But we will emphasis on certain general criteria to be considered while selecting a Mutual Fund. Please consider the following points while stepping out for buying a Mutual Fund,

Determine your goal. What for you are going to invest in Mutual Fund? Be clear on your goal. Determine what type of fund you should choose for achieving your goal. Consider risk factors involved in the fund and risk factor that you can manage. You may need funds giving higher return to meet your goal, but higher return comes with higher risk, ask yourself whether you can manage with that much risk.

How to select a Fund Manager or Broker

Most important step is choosing a good fund manager. That is, to which company you are going to give your money. In India there are no of companies offering Mutual Fund. For example, HDFC Securities, ICICI Direct, India Bull, Sharekhan ltd. etc. Please find time and analyze about the following details of the Fund Managers,

1. How old the company is? If the company is nearly 5years old you can trust on. There is no defined rule; new company also can be trusted.2. Get performance details about these companies over last at least 5 years. These details you can find from various websites like www.moneycontrol.com, www.moneycentral.com etc. A little search on Goggle or Yahoo can give you enormous data. You can ready various financial research reports available on the above mentioned sites, News papers etc

How to select a Fund Manager or Broker

3. Consider reliability of the Fund Manager. They should be approved by local approving authority. In India SEBI (Security and Exchange Board of India) is the approving authority. Normally they are approved4. Consider their features for easy trading and accessibility. Whether they are available over phone, email etc. easily. Also there office should be nearer for better communication

Now you have selected a Fund Manager (Or Broker), your goal is clear.

Discuss about your goals with the Mutual Fund Company. What types of fund they have to meet your goal. They will suggest many schemes, you can analyze and scrutinize. All of them or none of them may or may not meet your requirement, but you should find a fund that meets most of your requirement. If you feel that this company is not at all meeting your requirement, you can go to some other company. Roads are always open. It is your money and you have to decide the best way to invest.

How to select a Fund Manager or Broker

All of them or none of them may or may not meet your requirement, but you should find a fund that meets most of your requirement. If you feel that this company is not at all meeting your requirement, you can go to some other company. Roads are always open. It is your money and you have to decide the best way to invest.

Always be clear about risk involved in the fund you are investing in. Some technical aspect you may consider which will be discussed in Analysis of Mutual Fund articles in the subsequent articles.

Fees & Taxes attracted in Mutual Fund

Understanding various fees attracted in Mutual Fund is very important. Most of the people don't know what are the fees killing their income. Unless you know this it is difficult to be successful Mutual Fund investor.

Your broker can give you clear picture in fees & taxes applicable, since it varies Fund manager to Fund manager. Read their terms & conditions carefully, ask them about fee structures, ask all the doubts you have and be clear.

Your rights as a Mutual Fund holder As a Mutual fund holder coming under the SEBI (Securities Exchange Board of India/Mutual Funds) Regulations, you have the following rights,

1. Receive unit certificates or statements of accounts confirming your title within 30 days from the date of closure of the subscription under open-ended schemes or within 6 weeks from the date your request for a unit certificate is received by the Mutual Fund

2. Receive information about the investment policies, investment objectives, financial position and general affairs of the scheme.

3. Receive dividend within 30 days of their declaration and receive the redemption or repurchase proceeds within 10 working days from the date of redemption or repurchase

4. Inspect the documents of the Mutual Funds specified in the scheme’s offer document.

Your rights as a Mutual Fund holder 5. Receive communication from the Trustees about change in the fundamental attributes of any scheme or any other changes which would modify the scheme and affect the interest of the unit holders and to have option to exit at prevailing Net Asset Value without any exit load in such cases and other rights as per SEBI guidelines.

Above rights are typical only. You can get full details from your local legal adviser or from your broker. In other countries rules are almost same but get cleared from your broker or any legal adviser.

Please read & understand the terms and conditions carefully during purchasing a Mutual Fund from your company. Most of the people don't read this and many who read doesn’t understand. Take your own time and understand the jargons involved in it. The above stated rules may vary with respect to your agreement with Mutual Fund Company.