When it comes to investing, a lot of people in India still have a conservative approach. They invest in different schemes, mainly for long-term purposes and have a low-risk tolerance. Read on to know about a few long-term investments options that you can consider having in your portfolio.
One of the primary goals of several investors in India is to build a corpus for post-retirement life without taking too much risk. This is called having a moderate approach to investing. Today, there are several long-term investment options that not only allow people to build a robust corpus in the long-run but also enable them to earn risk-free returns. If you are an amateur investor, or if you are one of those investors who have a moderate risk appetite here are a few investment options you must consider having in your portfolio.
Unit-Linked Investment Plan
Unit-Linked Investment Plan or ULIP is one of the best investment plans that everyone must consider having in their portfolio. Primarily an insurance product, ULIP offers the dual benefit of life protection and returns on the investment. In ULIP, a part of the premium is used for insurance, and the remaining portion is invested in various market-linked financial instruments to generate returns for the policyholders. Thus, if you are looking for an investment scheme that provides decent returns with moderate risk.
Public Provident Fund
This another long-term investment plan that is considered to be one of the safest and secure investment options. You can open a PFF account either in a bank or a post office, and it comes with a lock-in period of 15 years, which makes it an excellent option for long-term goals. Additionally, you return with compounding effect, and you can (if needed) extend the tenure for five more years.
Mutual Funds
One of the most popular investment options in India, mutual funds are known to offer excellent returns over a long period. Also, since it is a market-linked scheme, the money is invested in different financial instruments such as equity funds, debt funds, and money market funds. The returns generated depend mainly on the performance of the market, and even though there is a certain element of risk, it offers better returns as compared to other traditional investment options. Under mutual funds, you have the flexibility to invest in different types of funds based on your personal financial goals and risk appetite.
If you have medium to high risk-taking capacity, you can consider investing in equity funds. Equity funds are those that invest at least 65% of the corpus in equity-related schemes. While the risk is high with equity funds, historically, it is known to provide excellent returns.
The debt funds, on the other hand, are an ideal option for investors who are looking for steady returns without much exposure to risk. Under debt funds, the corpus is invested in fixed-income securities like commercial papers, treasury bills, corporate bonds and government securities
National Pension Scheme
The National Pension Scheme or NPS, as the name suggests is a long-term pension scheme that allows you to contribute a small amount periodically through the active working life and draw a pension in the post-retirement life. The funds you contribute towards the NPS account is invested in various investment schemes like equities, government securities, bonds, to provide market-linked returns. Another significant feature of NPS is that the accumulated interest is tax-free and even the contributions towards the NPS are exempted from tax under different sections of the Indian Income Tax Act.
Thus, there are more than one investment options for moderate investors; you must choose the best scheme to suit your personal needs.
