Here is a list of 15  different ways to invest in direct mutual funds and how to choose a direct plan portal. MF Utility (MFU) a transaction aggregation portal where one can invest in 26 AMCs, is the game changer for the evolution of such portals. At six portals in the list below use for transacting….

In the last quarter of the financial year, we are likely to encounter advertisements and sales pitches for how ELSS mutual funds are better than other tax saving instruments. A common sales pitch is that ELSS mutual fund investments are locked for three years and hence the fund manager can deploy funds without worrying about redemption…

In the recent past, three mutual funds houses (Reliance, DSP Black Rock and SBI) have launched a facility in which it buys back units from its investors and instantly credits the equivalent value into a registered bank account. At first sight, this seems like a wonderful idea. However, on closer inspection, we begin to understand…

In this guest post, Anish Mohan presents a step-by-step guide to applying online for an MF Utility account. MF Utility is the transaction aggregation portal run jointly by a consortium of 26 mutual fund houses. It offers investors way to invest in direct mutual fund plans (and switch from regular) via a single portal. It has…

Jan 1st, 2017, marked the fourth anniversary of direct mutual funds plans. These are mutual funds you can buy without any commission, directly from the AMC, its aggregation portal MF Utility or one of the many new direct mutual fund + robo advisory portals. This is the fourth anniversary report. If you are already a…

Here is an updated step-by-step user guide prepared by Anish Mohan to buy and sell direct mutual funds using the MF Utility portal – a free (as of now) “Transaction Aggregating Portal” run about 25 AMCs jointly. Whether you are considering getting a new account or already have one, this guide will help you understand the pros…

When it comes to an actively managed market linked instrument, the ideas of downside protection and upside performance are easy enough to understand and expect. In particular, with respect to active mutual funds, downside protection refers to the fund’s losses when compared to benchmark losses. For example, during a period in which the benchmark dropped by…

Last week I had posted a comparison of large cap funds with few relevant indices.  This time let us do the same with mid-cap funds – compare SIP and Lump Sum returns over the last 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 years. As before, a passive mutual fund is just an index (either cap-based or strategic). The expenses associated with…

Here is a comparison of SIP and lump sum returns of active and passive large-cap equity funds over the last 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 years.  I shall follow this up with other categories – mid-cap, small-cap etc. and repeat this study from time to time. Before we begin, would like to point out that our new book, You Can Be…

A mutual fund is not an LIC policy. One buys an LIC policy for 20 years to receive money-back every 5 years or so. One does not choose a mutual fund to invest for 20 years. A mutual fund is also not a stock. One need not read a balance sheet or understand the business model…