What Kinds of Investment Options Available in India
However the last few decades witnessed a complete change in the nature of functioning of the financial market. An array of new products was introduced by both financial institutes and banks that simply lured the many investors to invest in them because of the numerous advantages that each product offered. Be it life insurance policies, Exchange Traded Funds infrastructure bonds, fixed deposits, mutual funds etc each product or scheme is unique and meets the needs of either your long term or short term goals.
Below is a list of the different investment options offered in India.
Bank Fixed Deposits, [Term Deposit]
Bank fixed deposits are one of the most popular investment options in India. This type of investment is one of the oldest and safest in the country. Usually in the case of a bank Fixed Deposit Scheme a certain amount of money is deposited in a particular bank for a specific duration on which the depositor receives a fixed rate of interest. Fixed deposits are ideal for long term investments. Mostly young people deposit in such schemes till the age of retirement so that they are eligible for a regular income when they need it most. The best thing about this investment option is that it is extremely safe, liquid and also yields high returns.
Recurring Bank Deposit Saving Scheme
Recurring Bank Deposit Schemes are also another good investment option in India. In order to invest in a Recurring Bank Deposit Saving Scheme you will have to invest a specific sum of money in a bank on a monthly basis. On this investment you will be receiving a fixed rate of interest from the bank every month. These types of investments have a fixed tenure and at the end of the tenure you receive the principle amount plus the interest earned.
ETFs (Exchange Traded Fund)
Among the latest investment options in the country Exchange Traded Fund or ETFs are known for their high returns yielding nature. Since the product is relatively new people are still a little apprehensive about investing in these types of funds however investing in Exchange Traded Funds are extremely beneficial in the long run.
ELSS (Equity Linked Savings Scheme)
Over the years Equity Linked Savings Schemes have gained immense popularity in the Indian financial market. Equity Linked Savings Scheme is a mutual fund investment option that invests in stocks and equity related stocks. Most Equity Linked Savings Schemes have a lock in period of three years which only benefits investors from yielding benefits and also getting tax exemptions.
Life Insurance Plans
Investing in life insurance policies is one of the major investment options in India. LIC in India has almost synonymous with life insurance for its many life insurance policies. There are different types of life insurance plans like whole-life insurance, joint-life-insurance, pension-life-insurance etc that you can select from. It is believed that life insurance policies are best suited for people with families. The returns yielded from a life insurance policy depending on the type of plan can be used for numerous reasons like child’s education, business expansion or children’s’ marriage. Some of the companies offering life insurance plans include; Life Insurance Corporation of India, Kotak Life Insurance Reliance Life Insurance Company, Tata AIG Life Insurance etc.
Post Office Savings
One of the most important investment options in India is investing in the numerous products introduced by the post office. The many different post offices in India offer a gamut of investment products that meet the needs and requirements of one and all. Even the lower income groups can invest in the many post office schemes. Some of the popular post office savings options include
Investing in Gold
Investing gold is nothing new to India. People in this part of the sub continent have been investing in gold since decades now. Gold is one of the safest investments options and can really prove beneficial in times of economic crisis. Gold can be considered to be a long term investment. Investing in gold can be used for several purposes like your child’s marriage etc. The price of gold from the last few years has been rising continuously even during recession the price seemed to have increased at a rate of 19.30 percent.
Mutual Funds
Mutual Funds are another popular investment option that have gained immense foothold in the Indian financial market over the last few years. ‘You can invest on both short and long term mutual funds. The one thing that is really good about investing in mutual funds is that you can invest small sums at a time. Mutual funds do not necessarily require lump sum investments. Most of the financial companies and banks today offer a diversified portfolio of mutual fund investment products. Investing in mutual funds is also less risky as compared to investing in stocks. This kind of investment option also has the tendency of fetching extremely high returns. However the amount that the investor will get as returns is unpredictable and depends totally on the situation of the market.
Stocks
Investing in stocks is one of the most beneficial Investment options in India. According to market trends it is seen that investing in equity shares fetch as much as 26.5 percent higher returns in a period of 5 years when compared to fixed deposits of the same tenure. Even when the investment is made for the longer period it still reaps higher returns. Investing in stocks is also a better option as compared to investing in real estate or gold.
The Indian financial market is flooded with a host of investment options that not only fetch returns but also save you from paying huge amounts as taxes.
