Monday, February 3, 2014

Prajna Capital

Prajna Capital


Stock Investing vs Mutual Funds Investing

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:31 AM PST

Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

 

Difference between Stock Investing & Mutual Funds Investing

 

When we say Equity, what comes to your mind – Stock or Equity Mutual Fund? While a single stock or a mutual fund both comes under the category of Equity and they are good option for long-term investment and needs periodic review. There are some differences between stock investing and mutual fund investing that is done by a common man. It’s a good idea to know where they differ and in which situation they differ, so that one can take better investing decisions. Let’s look at the main differences

Volatility

When you invest in a single stock or bunch of stocks (3-5 scrips), the change in it’s value is very high. On a given day it can be extremely volatile. It can give you 20% return and sometimes -10% loss also depending on the environment. This can be very exciting and at the same time very disheartening and gives you a feeling that you need to “act fast”.

 

Mutual fund on the other hand is not that much volatile by nature, as the diversification is very large and at a time 50-100 stocks are covered. Different kinds of stocks from different sectors and market capitalization are involved in mutual fund and the over all change in value is thus less volatile (other than extreme days).

 

Return Potential

This is very much in line with the above point but still let’s look at it separately. There are lot of success stories where someone got quick rich by investing in equities directly and it can happen, but those are rare happenings and require lot of work and analysis, patience and belief in what you have picked. If you want superb returns in short time and you believe you can research well, you can go for stock investing directly but then risk is also more.

 

Mutual funds are known to deliver good returns (not in line with stocks, but still very good). So you can expect handsome returns from mutual funds but not unbelievable like stocks return. This is mainly because the money is diversified across different stocks (read ideas) and chances of all of them becoming a super success in short time is impossible.

 

Monitoring Required

Stock investing is a personal affair and you are doing it on your own the decision of what to sell and what to buy is on you. Even in case of long-term investing, you might have to keep an eye every quarter or yearly unless you have really spent some good time in picking the good stock. You need to also keep an eye on news and sector specific developments.

 

Monitoring in mutual funds is relatively low because the job of monitoring is anyways done by the fund manager who is paid SALARY to filter through the fluctuations. He constantly adds and removes the stocks from the portfolio. This can be a positive point, but sometimes it can be a negative point also if there is too much of churning.

 

SIP Investment

Mutual funds are known for possibility of SIP (monthly investment). SIP in mutual fund works and is recommended as a great way for a salaried person to invest in equity markets for long-term basis without understanding the working of equity markets.

 

However SIP in stocks do not work. Yes, some companies provide you the facility of SIP in stocks, but it’s a terrible concept. There is no diversification and SIP in a particular stock does not make sense because the risk is with single stock. A stock can be in a bad phase for years and decades, whereas in a mutual fund the bad performing stock is weeded out.

 

Asset Class Restriction

Stocks investing is restricted to Stocks only. You can choose a large cap stock, mid cap stock or small cap stock, but finally it will be equity asset class. However, mutual funds can invest in mix of asset classes. There are equity funds, debt funds, gold funds, Mix of Equity and debt also. To top up, even balanced funds are there which can adjust the asset allocation on its own, so in a way mutual funds are more superior in terms of features compared to a single or bunch or stocks.

 

Conclusion

Mutual Funds are actually collection of stocks only but just because it’s a group of stocks the characteristics are not very similar to that of stocks. You should be clear about all the points of difference and only after that you should decide whether to invest in Stocks directly or take the Mutual Fund route.

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 Plan Invest Online
  2. HDFC TaxSaver Invest Online
  3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund Invest Online
  4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund Invest Online
  5. Birla Sun Life Tax Relief ‘96 Invest Online
  6. IDFC Tax Advantage (ELSS) Fund Invest Online
  7. SBI Magnum Tax Gain Scheme 1993 Invest Online
  8. Sundaram Tax Saver Invest 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 MutualFunds Invest 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

Save money for jewellery by investing in gold Mutual Funds

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 04:46 AM PST

Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

 

 



Subhramanyam Iyer’s daughter recently got married. The wedding went off smoothly, just the way Iyer had planned. However, he was unhappy about one thing. Though he had planned for all expenses, the fluctuation in gold prices caught him unawares and Iyer was forced to exceed his budget earmarked for buying jewellery.

When the wedding date was initially fixed, gold prices had fallen quite a bit. Due to this Iyer decided to wait for some time before buying jewellery, in the hope that prices would fall again. Unfortunately, within a month the prices surged again and Iyer was forced to buy the jewellery at a higher price. He had no choice but to shell out more than he had planned to for the jewellery.

Luckily for him, the budget did not go completely haywire. But not every parent planning their child’s marriage will be as lucky.

Gold has become a complex product in last five years, particularly since the global meltdown in 2008. Indians buy gold for personal and/ or investment reasons. Apart from its use in ornaments, gold provides insurance against economic instability and protection against inflation. It can provide liquidity if required. However, all these aspects do not guarantee better returns. It just guarantees hedge in the portfolio.

Gold has always been an unproductive asset. It does not generate income. Unlike stocks and bonds, it’s a type of asset whose value is based only on a belief that it will keep going up. It’s the fear of poor performance of other asset classes that drives the belief in gold. Gold merely has ornamental value i. e. value perceived by the buyer.

Many of us, like Iyer, face the dilemma especially if there is a wedding in the family round the corner So what can we do to prepare ourselves better for our wedding goals in the family? Gold as a physical asset has a holding (storage) cost. Today, given the lack of space and high rentals, many banks don’t offer locker facilities. Even if they do, you have to pay rent for the locker. If you store it at home, you need to invest in security systems or live with the constant fear of it getting stolen. However, if it bought as a financial asset ( Gold ETF or Gold Fund), it not only eliminates storage costs, but also reduces the capital gains taxes and security risk. These assets when sold can give you the cash that you need to buy real gold jewellery for the occasion.

Systematic purchase like SIPs in mutual funds always helps. Set aside your fixed amount that you can use to buy gold ETF or gold fund every month. It helps average out the cost. You can always redeem your ETFs when needed. So, if you are planning to gift your daughter gold at the time of her wedding, you can start investing in a gold ETF by way of SIP. For instance, Gold ETFs from fund houses like Goldman Sachs, HDFC, ICICI Prudential, UTI, SBI, Kotak and many more have given over 12 per cent returns over a threeyear period. You can even redeem your gold ETFs against physical gold, but provided the value is equivalent to the price of 1 kg gold.

One must ensure that with the everchanging economic situation, the portfolio should never have an allocation of more than 10 per cent to gold. Whenever it exceeds that mark, the portfolio should be re- balanced. This helps to safeguard the portfolio against inflation and also lets portfolio grow when gold is going through low cycles. Last but not least, one should change one’s perspective towards gold. Remember it is not the only thing needed for a wedding. It does not give you periodic returns either. While gifting it to the next generation, remember that they may not cherish it the way you do.

Let us look at some of the reasons that impact gold prices.

Rising demand for gold

The rising demand of gold especially in countries like India and China which contribute to over 60 per cent of the global gold imports is one of the reasons why gold prices have gone up. The fluctuation in the global oil market impacts the exchange rates of currency in many countries. So, many of them are forced to store a large amount of raw gold as a measure of dealing with currency risks. This, too, pushes up gold prices.

Falling gold output

The output of gold by major exporters such as Philippines, USA, Australia, South Africa, Canada and others, have seen a steady decline when the demand worldwide is growing. The shortage is causing the prices of gold to rise.

As a result countries like India which are dependent on imports for their entire requirement for gold, are among the worst hit. Hence, we see situations where gold prices in India do not decline to the same extent as global gold prices.

Also, remember that buying gold has lately been hurting economy because it is increasing our current account deficit. As an investment it does not improves one’s returns on investments unlike equity or debt market instruments.

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 Plan Invest Online
  2. HDFC TaxSaver Invest Online
  3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund Invest Online
  4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund Invest Online
  5. Birla Sun Life Tax Relief ‘96 Invest Online
  6. IDFC Tax Advantage (ELSS) Fund Invest Online
  7. SBI Magnum Tax Gain Scheme 1993 Invest Online
  8. Sundaram Tax Saver Invest 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 MutualFunds Invest 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

How to fix low Credit Score?

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 04:07 AM PST

Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

 

How to fix low credit score?

Credit health improvement firms handhold customers through each stage of their programmes till their credit health is enhanced

ALMOST a year ago, Sukalyan Basu was running from one bank to another, desperately looking for a mortgage loan. But his application was getting rejected by all banks, one after another. Then through some of his friends he came across a professional company that worked in areas of improving one's credit health and he in fact signed up with this company. His credit score at that time was 623, forcing most private banks refusing to lend him. He then had to go to a known NBFC (non-banking financial company) for a loan and managed to get his loan done at the rate that was 1.5 per cent more than what private banks were offering.

Obviously that meant that he would have to shell out close to Rs 15 lakh over a period of 20 years. The professionals then worked on his credit health and got his score up to 815. Now he is going in for a loan with a MNC bank at a much lower rate.

The same company came across another customer, whose credit report had a delinquent account tagged, which he claimed was not his. He didn't know about this and had applied for loan for his son's education. He had already visited the bank and also the bureau to get it rectified but nothing happened. After trying all by himself for months, he had to sign up with a professional company, which in turn, helped him get this account off his credit report and now he is getting to send his son abroad for higher studies.

These two incidents will have to be seen in the wake of the fact that Credit Information Bureau (India) or Cibil, founded in August 2000, has now been playing a critical role in India's fi nancial system. Whether it is to help loan providers manage their business or help consumers secure credit faster and at better terms, the use of Cibil's products have led to a massive change in the way the credit lifecycle is managed by both loan providers and consumers.

Cibil collects and maintains records of an individual`s payments pertaining to loans and credit cards.

These records are submitted to Cibil by banks and other lenders, on a monthly basis. This information is then used to create credit information reports (
CIRs) and credit scores, which are then provided to lenders in order to help evaluate and approve loan applications.


Credit score and CIR not only helps loan providers identify consumers who are likely to be able to pay back their loans, but also helps them to do this more quickly and economically.

This translates into faster loan approvals. Cibil officials said that the bureau works towards catalysing growth of credit in the country through solutions that enable wellinformed credit decisions, technology that enables superior information availability and people that provide high quality services. The importance of an individual's credit score or credit health can therefore be hardly over-emphasised.

Credit health is a state of complete financial well being. The absence of indebtedness merely does not necessarily mean being credit healthy. Optimum utilisation of the credit facilities to leverage yourself without falling into a debt trap is necessary for your social as well as emotional well being. Credit health has several components including a good track record, a good credit score, good income-expense ratio, absence of delinquency, healthy debt burdens loads, the ability to access credit on favourable terms and a host of other parameters that Cibil and other professional companies have researched over the years.

Credit score has relevance in almost every facet of life from loans, rates of interest on loans, telecom connections, jobs, rental markets through to insurance pre mia. People have now started checking credit health of their would be spouses before marrying and before renting out their flats / houses to future tenants.

An individual's credit health is measured by a three-digit number on his bureau report.


Higher the score, the better is his credit health. A score of 750 and above is considered good. A person's credit history is a record of how he/she has used and managed credit in the past.
Every financial transaction in one's life involving credit is recorded in one's credit history ­ from one's payment history on one's credit card, to one's history on paying off one's car loan, to any suits that may have been filed on him/her.

Professional counselors said that everybody makes mistakes. That's why there is an eraser on every pencil.


If an individual is willing to keep walking and walking down the right path, there is no reason why can't one be shown the right path to enhance his credit, protect his credit and improve his credit health.

Unfortunately, there is limited awareness of the concepts of credit, credit health, credit scores, etc, among the general population. In fact, Credit Sudhaar has recently conducted a survey that revealed that 86 per cent respondents had not heard about any credit bureau and 92 per cent were unaware of their credit scores. Only 4 per cent had checked their credit scores in the last one year. That's not all.

Almost 98 per cent respondents could not deci pher a sample credit report when they were shown one and 91 per cent people who default on credit are unaware of any of the negative consequences of their actions. Overall, credit awareness and credit protection, according to the survey, are extremely low. But the good news is that as people become aware, they want to improve their scores/credit health.

As individuals approach professionals to bail them out in this regard, these professional counselors in their turn help people restore, protect and enhance their credit health. Their expertise lies in using a combination of analytical tools, a state of the art product suite and multi stage guidance to handhold you through the various stages of a credit life cycle and make you a credit healthy individual.

Various services offered by these trained counselors include:

credit health improvement and tracking like compilation of reports from all bureaus, analysis of multiple reports, error tracking and reconciliation, eight-parameter credit health map, score improvement module, debt reconciliation/settlement and assistance in loan processing.

On the operations front, Wadhwani said, credit health improvement companies offer unique programmes and guidance to assist one to avail loans, credit cards and other credit facilities on more favorable terms through enhanced credit health. To resolve a customer's credit issue, companies first aims to interpret credit reports accurately. It follows it up with a process of identifying errors with the credit reports, if any, and then does a comprehensive analysis. In the final phase, these companies lay down a detailed roadmap for the customer to improve his or her credit health.

These companies also handholds customers through each stage of their customised programmes till their credit issues are resolved and credit health is enhanced.

The process of credit health improvement, of course, does not come free. Just to give an example, Credit Sudhaar, at present, offers three service plans towards credit health improvement, like gold plan with a fee of Rs 7,500 per annum, platinum plan with a fee of Rs 11,000 per annum and the titanium service offered to customers at a fee of Rs 16,000 per annum. The key features vary according to the plan. The titanium service has the unique aspect of four distinct protection covers, which help to eradicate day-to-day credit health worries. This includes identity theft protection, fraudulent charges protection, lost wallet protection and ATM assault and robbery protection. These programmes will, over time, help customers to avail loans, credit cards and other credit facilities on more favorable terms through improved credit health.

The bottom line is credit score is a crucial indicator of an individual's credit health. Most lenders use it for determining loan payment potential of an individual. Not just loans, but jobs, insurance premiums and so many other important things now depend on your credit score. It is therefore important to remove all discrepancies from your credit report to improve your credit health.
Sensitising people about their credit behaviour and score always help them manage their finances well and improve their credit health.

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 Plan Invest Online
  2. HDFC TaxSaver Invest Online
  3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund Invest Online
  4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund Invest Online
  5. Birla Sun Life Tax Relief ‘96 Invest Online
  6. IDFC Tax Advantage (ELSS) Fund Invest Online
  7. SBI Magnum Tax Gain Scheme 1993 Invest Online
  8. Sundaram Tax Saver Invest 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 MutualFunds Invest 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

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