10 Best Quick and Easy Investment options
1. Bank fixed deposit (FD)
A bank fixed deposit is
considered a comparatively safer than equity or mutual funds choice
for investing in FD. Under the deposit insurance and credit guarantee
corporation rules, each depositor in a bank is insured up to a
maximum of Rs 5 lakh with effect from February 4, 2020 for both
principal and interest amount. Earlier, the coverage was maximum of Rs 1 lakh for both principal and
interest amount. As per the need, one may opt for monthly, quarterly,
half-yearly, yearly or cumulative interest option in them. The interest
rate earned is added to one's income and is taxed as per one's income
slab.
2. Real Estate
The house that you live in is for
self-consumption and should never be considered as an investment. If you
do not intend to live in it, the second property you buy can be your
investment. The location of the property is the single most important factor that
will determine the value of your property and also the rental that it
can earn. Investments in real estate deliver returns in two ways
capital appreciation and rentals. However, unlike other asset classes,
real estate is highly illiquid. The other big risk is with getting the
necessary regulatory approvals, which has largely been addressed after
coming of the real estate regulator.
3. Gold
Possessing gold in the form of jewellery has its own concerns such
as safety and high cost. Then there's the 'making charges', which
typically range between 6-14 per cent of the cost of gold and may go as
high as 25 percent in case of special designs. For those who would
want to buy gold coins, there's still an option. Many banks sell gold coins now-a-days. An alternate way of owning gold
is via paper gold. Investment in paper gold is more cost-effective and
can be done through gold ETFs. Such investment buying and selling)happens on a stock exchange NSE or BSE with gold as the underlying
asset. Investing in Sovereign Gold Bonds is another option to own paper-gold. An investor can also invest via gold mutual funds.
4. Public Provident Fund
The
Public Provident Fund is one product a lot of people turn to. Since the
PPF has a long tenure of 15 years, the impact of compounding of
tax-free interest is huge, especially in the later years. Further, since
the interest earned and the principal invested is backed by sovereign
guarantee, it makes it a safe investment. Remember, interest rate on PPF
in reviewed every quarter by the government.
5. National Pension System
The
National Pension System is a long term retirement - focused investment
product managed by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority. The minimum annual contribution for an NPS
Tier-1 account to remain active has been reduced from Rs 6,000 to Rs
1,000. It is a mix of equity, fixed deposits, corporate bonds, liquid
funds and government funds, among others. Based on your risk appetite,
you can decide how much of your money can be invested in equities
through NPS.
6. Debt mutual funds
Debt
mutual fund schemes are suitable for investors who want steady returns.
They are less volatile and, hence, considered less risky compared to
equity funds. Debt mutual funds primarily invest in fixed-interest
generating securities like corporate bonds, government securities,
treasury bills, commercial paper and other money market instruments. However, these mutual funds are not risk free. They carry risks such as
interest rate risk and credit risk. Therefore, investors should study
the related risks before investing.
7. Equity mutual funds
Equity mutual fund schemes
predominantly invest in equity stocks. As per current the Securities and
Exchange Board of India Mutual Fund Regulations, an equity
mutual fund scheme must invest at least 65 percent of its assets in
equity and equity-related instruments. An equity fund can be actively
managed or passively managed. In an actively traded fund, the returns are largely dependent on a fund
manager's ability to generate returns. Index funds and exchange-traded
fund are passively managed, and these track the underlying index.
Equity schemes are categorised according to market-capitalisation or
the sectors in which they invest. They are also categorised by whether
they are domestic or
international.
8. Direct equity
Investing in stocks might not be
everyone's cup of tea as it's a volatile asset class and there is no
guarantee of returns. Further, not only is it difficult to pick the
right stock, timing your entry and exit is also not easy. The only
silver lining is that over long periods, equity has been able to deliver
higher than inflation-adjusted returns compared to all other asset
classes. At the same time, the risk of losing a considerable portion or even
all of your capital is high unless one opts for stop-loss method to
curtail losses. In stop-loss, one places an advance order to sell a
stock at a specific price. To reduce the risk to certain extent, you
could diversify across sectors and market capitalisations. To directly
invest in equity, one needs to open a
demat account.
9. RBI Taxable Bonds
Earlier, RBI used to issue 7.75% Savings Bonds as an
investment option. However, the central bank has stopped issuing these
bonds with effect from May 29, 2020. These bonds were launched by
replacing the erstwhile 8 percent Savings Bonds 2003 with the
7.75 per cent Savings Bonds with effect from January 10, 2018.
These bonds had tenure of 7 years. The Central Bank with effect from July 1, 2020 has launched Floating
Rate Savings Bond, 2020 . The biggest difference between
earlier 7.75% savings bonds and the newly launched floating rate bond is
that the interest rate on the newly launched savings bond is subject to
reset in every six months. In the 7.75% bonds, the interest rate was
fixed for the entire duration of the investment. Currently, the bonds
are offering interest rate of 7.15 per cent. The first reset on the
interest rate is due on January 1, 2021.
10. Senior Citizens' Saving Scheme Probably the first choice of most retirees, the Senior Citizens' Saving Scheme is a must-have in their investment portfolios. As the name suggests, only senior citizens or early retirees can invest in this scheme. SCSS can be availed from a post office or a bank by anyone above 60. SCSS has a five-year tenure, which can be further extended by three years once the scheme matures. The upper investment limit is Rs 15 lakh, and one may open more than one account. The interest rate on SCSS is payable quarterly and is fully taxable. Remember, the interest rate on the scheme is subject to review and revision every quarter.
A bank fixed deposit is considered a comparatively safer (than equity or mutual funds) choice for investing in India. Under the deposit insurance and credit guarantee corporation (DICGC) rules, each depositor in a bank is insured up to a maximum of Rs 5 lakh with effect from February 4, 2020 for both principal and interest amount.
Earlier, the coverage was maximum of Rs 1 lakh for both principal and interest amount. As per the need, one may op ..
A bank fixed deposit is considered a comparatively safer (than equity or mutual funds) choice for investing in India. Under the deposit insurance and credit guarantee corporation (DICGC) rules, each depositor in a bank is insured up to a maximum of Rs 5 lakh with effect from February 4, 2020 for both principal and interest amount.
Earlier, the coverage was maximum of Rs 1 lakh for both principal and interest amount. As per the need, one may op ..
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A bank fixed deposit is considered a comparatively safer (than equity or mutual funds) choice for investing in India. Under the deposit insurance and credit guarantee corporation (DICGC) rules, each depositor in a bank is insured up to a maximum of Rs 5 lakh with effect from February 4, 2020 for both principal and interest amount.
Earlier, the coverage was maximum of Rs 1 lakh for both principal and interest amount. As per the need, one may op ..