Mutual funds are designed to make investing easy, especially for beginners. If not for mutual funds, you may have to pick and choose securities on your own to create a portfolio. This means that you must conduct thorough research to pick stocks, monitor constantly to ensure that your stocks are performing according to the plan and make changes whenever necessary. This is something that could take a lot of effort.
Instead, if you choose a mutual fund, there will be a set portfolio for you, designed by a fund manager who is experienced in the field. But keeping a few things in mind when investing in mutual funds could amplify the benefits of the same. Below is a checklist of factors to consider before investing in mutual funds that you can use.
Check if the fund matches your goals
Every successful investment will have a goal. The goals will give the investor much-needed clarity regarding where to invest, how much to invest, and how long to invest. For instance, let us suppose you are trying to create a retirement fund at a very young age. Here, the time horizon for this investment is large, even more than decades. Hence, it is ideal to choose an option that has longer-term benefits.
Now, if you have started investing in a fund, and then later you decide on this goal, it becomes difficult for you if you have selected a fund that does not match the goal you have in mind. For instance, if it is a short-term fund. Hence, make sure your goal aligns with the fund you choose.
Choose the mode of investment
There are two main ways to invest in a mutual fund. You can either invest a large corpus in one go or invest in smaller instalments to create a larger corpus with time. The choice between the two should be based on your goals. For instance, if you already have a corpus ready and want a place where you can park it safely or appreciate it, you may choose to invest a lump sum.
On the other hand, if you wish to create a corpus from the scratch, you may choose the SIP option.
The funds’ performance
Past performance may not always be indicative of how a fund could perform in the past. But it is a good way to gauge the fundamentals the fund has, which is often the basics of a good performance. Hence, it is wise to check the fund’s performance so far before you invest in it.
You can do this by comparing the returns the fund has compared to its peers. You could also measure how the fund has performed during economically difficult periods to get an idea of how the fund may react during a similar situation in the future.
The expense ratio of the fund
Every mutual fund is managed by an experienced fund manager. They create a portfolio that matches the theme of the fund, monitor the same throughout and make changes whenever necessary to ensure the investors get the best out of their investments. For this job, the fund manager is compensated through a fee called the expense ratio, charged by the investors. A higher expense ratio could eat into your returns. Hence, it is wise to ensure that the expense ratio is reasonable before you invest.
The fund manager’s history
Similar to how we checked the fund’s performance, how the fund manager has performed in the past could also give valuable information about the potential the fund has.
Following the above pointers could ensure you get the maximum out of your mutual fund investments. Be sure to talk to a financial expert as well for the best results.
