Investment Options for financial growth in 2019

Have a look at a few investment options to help you in your financial growth in 2019:

• Direct equity: Not everybody likes to invest in stocks. It is a complicated product and not everyone is able to choose the right stock to invest in and enter and exit at the right time. But equity has been able to deliver higher than inflation-adjusted returns compared to all other asset classes. Currently, the one, three and five-year market returns are around 13 percent, 8 percent and 12.5 percent, respectively, which are huge compared to other investment options.
• Equity mutual funds: As per current Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) Mutual Fund Regulations, an equity mutual fund scheme must invest at least 65 percent of its assets in equities and equity-related instruments. An equity fund can be actively managed or passively managed and they mostly invest in equity stocks.
• Debt mutual funds: This is better suited for invested who want steady returns. They are less risky and less volatile.
• National Pension scheme: The National Pension System (NPS) is a long term retirement-focused investment product managed by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). The minimum annual (April-March) contribution for an NPS Tier-1 account to remain active has been reduced from Rs 6,000 to Rs 1,000. It is a combination of equity, fixed deposits, corporate bonds, liquid funds and government funds, among others.
• RBI taxable bonds: The previous 8 percent Savings (Taxable) Bonds 2003 has been replaced with the 7.75 per cent Savings (Taxable) Bonds. These bonds come with a tenure of 7 years. The bonds can be issued in demat form and credited to Bond Ledger Account.
• Senior Citizens Savings Scheme: SCSS is a must have for every senior citizen in India. 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. Currently, the interest rate that can be earned on SCSS is 8.3 per cent per annum, payable quarterly and is fully taxable.

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Credible instruments for financial growth in 2019