There is a misconception that you need a large sum of money to make an investment. There are certain smart options of investments available even in a small budget. For making smart investments, you don’t need to be an expert in the field of Finance nor do you need to have a hefty bank balance. Small but smart investments need consistency and regularity. But for making an Investment one must do the Risk Profiling of oneself. A risk profile is built on the basis of age, financial situation, regularity of income, future goals etc. Once the risk profiling is done then you can look into the following smart investment options.
1. Mutual Funds
If you don’t have knowledge about the equity market then you can invest in the equity market through Mutual Funds. In the Mutual Fund, a pool of money is collected from many investors to invest in securities like stocks, bonds, money market instruments, and other assets. The main advantage of Mutual Fund is the diversification of a Portfolio. Investors can start doing SIP (Systematic Investment Plan) even with a small amount of Rs. 500. This is a good investment option for the beginners in the stock market.
2.Government Securities:
The government is offering certain schemes for investments and also provides the tax benefit on making the investments in these securities. Some of the well known options are PPF (Public Provident Fund), NPS (National Pension Scheme), NSC (National Savings Certificate) etc. Investments in government securities are risk free in nature as there are no chances of defaults in capital redemption or in payment of interest.
3. Gold Bonds:
Instead of investing in real gold, you can invest in gold bonds. Gold bonds are much more secure and they are all guaranteed by the Government of India to ensure the safety of your investment. Moreover, gold bonds (unlike real gold) are free of GST charges, too.
4. Fixed Deposits:
In the present scenario, Fixed Deposits are not the attractive investment option but they can be quite beneficial right before you take out other kinds of debts. Their interest rates are higher than savings accounts and the returns are also fixed. Investors who want safety of their investments and fixed return, Fixed Deposit is the better alternative. Investors can choose one or a combination of the above investment alternatives to invest smartly and wisely in the present scenario.
Author: Hardik Gandhi, Assistant Professor – Unitedworld School of Business (UWSB)
