Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Prajna Capital

Prajna Capital


Gilt mutual funds are opportunistic

Posted: 09 Apr 2013 12:09 AM PDT

Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

Gilts funds are high risk high return proposition...

 

Gilt funds are not meant to be the core of any portfolio, but should be used opportunistically. Funds in this category are high risk high return propositions. Unlike corporate bonds, G-secs are frequently traded. These funds are hence highly sensitive to interest rate changes.

 

If the interest rate falls, these funds do well. However, they are also the first ones to get hit with a hike in interest rates. There is a possibility of losing gains in a short time. For instance, majority of funds in this category delivered their worst returns ranging between 7 and 11 per cent in the first month of 2009.

Happy Investing!!

We can help. Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

Leave your comment with mail ID and we will answer them

OR

You can write back to us at PrajnaCapital [at] Gmail [dot] Com

---------------------------------------------

Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds ( ELSS Mutual Funds ) to upto Rs 1 lakh and Save tax under Section 80C.

Invest Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

These links can be used to Purchase Mutual Funds Online that are regular also (Investment, non-tax saving)

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms from all AMCs

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Applications

These Application Forms can be used for buying regular mutual funds also

Some of the best Tax Saving Mutual Funds available ( ELSS Mutual Funds )

  1. ICICI Prudential Tax PlanInvest Online
  2. HDFC TaxSaverInvest Online
  3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver FundInvest Online
  4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) FundInvest Online
  5. Birla Sun Life Tax Relief '96 Invest Online
  6. IDFC Tax Advantage (ELSS) FundInvest Online
  7. SBI Magnum Tax Gain Scheme 1993Invest Online
  8. Sundaram Tax SaverInvest Online
  9. Edelweiss ELSS Invest Online

------------------

Best Performing Mutual Funds

    1. Largecap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock Top 100 Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Focused Blue Chip Fund
      3. Birla Sun Life Front Line Equity Fund
    2. Large and Midcap Funds Invest Online
      1. ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan
      2. HDFC Top 200 Fund
      3. UTI Dividend Yield Fund
    1. Mid and SmallCap Funds Invest Online
      1. Reliance Equity Opportunities Fund
      2. DSP BlackRock Small & Midcap Fund
      3. Sundaram Select Midcap
      4. IDFC Premier Equity Fund
    1. Small and MicroCap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock MicroCap Fund
    1. Sector Funds Invest Online
      1. Reliance Banking Fund
      2. Reliance Banking Fund
    1. Tax Saver MutualFundsInvest Online
      1. ICICI Prudential Tax Plan
      2. HDFC Taxsaver
      3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund
      4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund
    2. Gold Mutual Funds Invest Online
      1. Relaince Gold Savings Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Regular Gold Savings Fund
      3. HDFC Gold Fund

Switch to Mutual Fund SWP for low tax

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:21 PM PDT

Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

If you're worried about the hike in the dividend distribution tax for non-equity mutual funds, switch to the growth option of the scheme and then start a systematic withdrawal plan



After the recent Union Budget, the dividend distribution tax (
DDT) on all non-equity funds has been doubled from 12.5% to 25%. These include income funds, monthly income plans, gilt funds, ultra short-term funds, etc. Once you consider the additional surcharge, which has also been increased from 5% to 10%, and education cess (3%), the final tax liability will work out to 28.33%. This is significantly high for any investor who falls in the first two tax brackets, with applicable tax rates of 10.3% or 20.6%. As is evident from the table (Mutual funds more...), the benefit is minimal even for investors who fall in the next tax bracket with a rate of 30.9%. This means that the dividend option has now become nonviable for all investor classes.


Why did the finance minister raise the DDT? To mobilise deposits, banks had asked the finance minister to provide better tax treatment to bank fixed deposits (ie, increase the limit of TDS from 10,000, make bank interest tax-free in the hands of investors, etc). Instead, the finance minister has increased the DDT on all non-equity funds.


Though this move seems to have reduced the tax efficiency of mutual funds to a large extent, there are still ways in which investors can benefit from it. The strategy is to shift from the dividend to the growth option. This will not help if your holding period is less than a year since short-term capital gains are taxed at marginal rates, as in the case of bank FDs. However, there is a substantial tax advantage for the long term (if the units are held for more than a year). This is because the long-term capital gains are taxed at preferential rates (10.3% without indexation, or 20.6% with indexation), not at the marginal tax rates. This means that the growth option of income funds continues to remain the best bet for anyone who wants to accumulate wealth to meet long-term goals.


What happens to the investors who want a regular income from their investments? As the dividend option is no longer feasible, such investors can first choose the growth option and, after a year, switch to a systematic withdrawal plan (
SWP). These plans allow you to withdraw money on a regular basis (monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually, etc) to meet your needs. Several mutual funds offer two alternatives—fixed withdrawal option, wherein you get a fixed amount periodically; and appreciation withdrawal option, where you can restrict your withdrawals to the appreciation in the holding. If you're not satisfied with your first choice, you could reduce or increase the withdrawal amount, or the periodicity, or even terminate the SWP later on.


More importantly, these SWPs are tax-efficient. Firstly, no tax is deducted at source on these withdrawals. Secondly, the actual tax liability will be much lower than the interest earned from bank FDs. Let us consider a person who has 10 lakh to invest and wants regular income. For simplicity, we will assume that both the FDs and the non-equity mutual fund generate 10% yield. The income generated from the bank FD ( 1 lakh) will be taxed at the marginal rate. So, if the investor is in the 30.9% tax bracket, his tax outflow on the interest earned will be 30,900.


In the case of the non-equity mutual fund, while the investor will receive 1 lakh from the SWP, the entire money will be nontaxable. This is because a part of it will be the investor's principal. Assuming that the fund's net asset value (
NAV) was 10 at the time of investment, it would have grown to 11 after a year at 10% growth rate. So, the investor will have to redeem only 9090.9 units to get the required 1 lakh. The bulk of the value (that is, 90,909 = 9090.9 x 10) will be the principal component in the first year. This means that the capital gains for the first year will be only 9,091 ( 1 lakh - 90,909) and 10.3% tax on this will be just 936.


At 10% growth rate, the NAV would grow to 12.1 after two years and the investor will need to withdraw only 8,264.46 units to get 1 lakh. Here, the principal and capital gains will be 82,645 and 17,355, respectively. Due to the increase in the NAV, the principal component keeps reducing over the years. However, the tax on the SWP will be significantly lower than that on bank FDs for a long time. For instance, even after 10 years, the net tax on the SWP will be only 6,329 compared with 30,900 that you will have to pay on the bank FD interest.


There are two options available to the SWP investors—enjoy the higher post-tax income in the initial years or use the tax efficiency benefit received in the initial years to redeem less. So, if you only need 69,100 (post tax returns), you will have to redeem units worth 69,750 after one year (of which 650 will be the tax), and keep on increasing it a bit in the coming years ( 70,360 needed in the second year, and so on). Since the second method allows the investment to compound, your investments will continue to grow over the years as is clear from the chart, Dual benefits of SWP.

Happy Investing!!

We can help. Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

Leave your comment with mail ID and we will answer them

OR

You can write back to us at PrajnaCapital [at] Gmail [dot] Com

---------------------------------------------

Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds ( ELSS Mutual Funds ) to upto Rs 1 lakh and Save tax under Section 80C.

Invest Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

These links can be used to Purchase Mutual Funds Online that are regular also (Investment, non-tax saving)

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms from all AMCs

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Applications

These Application Forms can be used for buying regular mutual funds also

Some of the best Tax Saving Mutual Funds available ( ELSS Mutual Funds )

  1. ICICI Prudential Tax PlanInvest Online
  2. HDFC TaxSaverInvest Online
  3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver FundInvest Online
  4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) FundInvest Online
  5. Birla Sun Life Tax Relief '96 Invest Online
  6. IDFC Tax Advantage (ELSS) FundInvest Online
  7. SBI Magnum Tax Gain Scheme 1993Invest Online
  8. Sundaram Tax SaverInvest Online
  9. Edelweiss ELSS Invest Online

------------------

Best Performing Mutual Funds

    1. Largecap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock Top 100 Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Focused Blue Chip Fund
      3. Birla Sun Life Front Line Equity Fund
    2. Large and Midcap Funds Invest Online
      1. ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan
      2. HDFC Top 200 Fund
      3. UTI Dividend Yield Fund
    1. Mid and SmallCap Funds Invest Online
      1. Reliance Equity Opportunities Fund
      2. DSP BlackRock Small & Midcap Fund
      3. Sundaram Select Midcap
      4. IDFC Premier Equity Fund
    1. Small and MicroCap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock MicroCap Fund
    1. Sector Funds Invest Online
      1. Reliance Banking Fund
      2. Reliance Banking Fund
    1. Tax Saver MutualFundsInvest Online
      1. ICICI Prudential Tax Plan
      2. HDFC Taxsaver
      3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund
      4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund
    2. Gold Mutual Funds Invest Online
      1. Relaince Gold Savings Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Regular Gold Savings Fund
      3. HDFC Gold Fund

Things you should know about PPF

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 06:42 PM PDT

Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

1. PPF - a government backed long term small savings scheme

Public Provident Fund (PPF) is a scheme of the Central Government, framed under the PPF Act of 1968. Briefly, the PPF is a government backed, long term small savings scheme which was initially started by the Government because it wanted to provide retirement security to self-employed individuals and workers in the unorganized sector.

It is today the most popular investment made by Indian citizens. If you are keen on a safe investment, a decent rate of return, tax benefits (deduction and tax free interest) and have a long term investment horizon, then the PPF is for you. It is a disciplined investment avenue as your money is blocked for 15 years.

2. How do I open a PPF account? What should I keep in mind when opening my PPF account?

Head over to your nearest State Bank of India branch, or a branch of any of State Bank's subsidiaries. You can also open an account in select nationalized banks, and the post office. Fill in the form, attach a photograph, state your PAN Number, and you're done. Once your formalities are completed, you will receive a pass book which will record all your PPF transactions.


At any point in your life, you are allowed to have only 1 PPF account in your name. You can also have an account in the name of a minor child of whom you are the parent / guardian. However that will be the child's account, you will simply be the guardian. You can never have a joint account.

If at any time it is seen that you have more than 1 account in your own name, the second account will be deactivated, and only your principal will be returned to you.

If you have a General provident Fund account, or an Employees Provident Fund account, you can still have a PPF account – there is no restriction.

3. Can an NRI open a PPF account?

The rule of 25th July, 2003 states that 'Non Resident Indians are not eligible to open an account under the PPF Scheme'. However 'Provided that if a resident who subsequently becomes a Non Resident during the currency of the maturity period prescribed under the PPF scheme may continue to subscribe to the Fund till its maturity, on a Non Repatriation Basis.'


So if you open it as an RI, and during the 15 year tenure become an NRI, you can continue to invest, but on a non-repatriable basis.

4. When is the best time to invest in PPF account?

The best time to invest is between the 1st and the 5th of any month, preferably April each year. Interest is calculated for the calendar month on the lowest balance at credit of your account, between the close of the 5th day and the end of the month, and is credited at the end of every year.

5. Is a Loan against PPF account allowed?

Yes loan facility is available against a PPF account. The first loan can be taken in the third year of opening the account i.e., if the account is opened during the year 2010-11, the first loan can be taken during the year 2012-2013. The loan amount will be restricted to 25% of the balance including interest for the year 2010-11 in the account as on 31/3/2011. The loan must be repaid in a maximum of 36 EMIs. You can take a second loan against your PPF account before the end of your sixth financial year, but your second loan can be taken only once your first loan is fully settled.

6. Are withdrawals from PPF account allowed?

Any time after the expiry of the 5th year from the date that the initial subscription is made, you become eligible to withdraw an amount of not more than 50% of the previous year's balance or of the 4th year immediately preceding the year of withdrawal, whichever is less. If you have taken any loan on your PPF, this also gets factored in and reduces your balance. You cannot make more than a single withdrawal in the year. You need to apply with Form C for any withdrawals.

7. What happens after PPF account matures?

You have 3 choices.


Either you can withdraw your maturity amount, or you can extend your account by a 5 year block, as many times as you want and make fresh contributions, or you can extend the account without making any further contributions, and continue to earn interest on it every year.

If you decide to withdraw your money, your maturity value is exempt from tax.

If you decide to extend your account and continue making fresh contributions, you can extend it for a block of 5 years at a time, as many times as you want, you can also make withdrawals from the account, up to 60% of the account balance that was there at the beginning of the extended period. Just remember, if you choose to extend your account, submit the necessary documentation for extension before one year passes from the maturity date.

If you choose to extend your account without making any fresh contributions, you can do so. In this case, any amount can be withdrawn without any restriction; however you can only withdraw once per year. The balance will continue to earn interest till it is withdrawn.

Happy Investing!!

We can help. Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

Leave your comment with mail ID and we will answer them

OR

You can write back to us at PrajnaCapital [at] Gmail [dot] Com

---------------------------------------------

Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds ( ELSS Mutual Funds ) to upto Rs 1 lakh and Save tax under Section 80C.

Invest Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

These links can be used to Purchase Mutual Funds Online that are regular also (Investment, non-tax saving)

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms from all AMCs

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Applications

These Application Forms can be used for buying regular mutual funds also

Some of the best Tax Saving Mutual Funds available ( ELSS Mutual Funds )

  1. ICICI Prudential Tax PlanInvest Online
  2. HDFC TaxSaverInvest Online
  3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver FundInvest Online
  4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) FundInvest Online
  5. Birla Sun Life Tax Relief '96 Invest Online
  6. IDFC Tax Advantage (ELSS) FundInvest Online
  7. SBI Magnum Tax Gain Scheme 1993Invest Online
  8. Sundaram Tax SaverInvest Online
  9. Edelweiss ELSS Invest Online

------------------

Best Performing Mutual Funds

    1. Largecap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock Top 100 Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Focused Blue Chip Fund
      3. Birla Sun Life Front Line Equity Fund
    2. Large and Midcap Funds Invest Online
      1. ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan
      2. HDFC Top 200 Fund
      3. UTI Dividend Yield Fund
    1. Mid and SmallCap Funds Invest Online
      1. Reliance Equity Opportunities Fund
      2. DSP BlackRock Small & Midcap Fund
      3. Sundaram Select Midcap
      4. IDFC Premier Equity Fund
    1. Small and MicroCap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock MicroCap Fund
    1. Sector Funds Invest Online
      1. Reliance Banking Fund
      2. Reliance Banking Fund
    1. Tax Saver MutualFundsInvest Online
      1. ICICI Prudential Tax Plan
      2. HDFC Taxsaver
      3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund
      4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund
    2. Gold Mutual Funds Invest Online
      1. Relaince Gold Savings Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Regular Gold Savings Fund
      3. HDFC Gold Fund

No comments:

Post a Comment