‘Half-knowledge is
worse than ignorance’ -Thomas
B. Macaulay
Before making any kind of investment in mutual funds, it
becomes very important to have in-depth knowledge of its types and what each of
them has in store for investors. The investment objective is the deciding
factor in any portfolio of a mutual fund scheme.
For example, an investor Akshay wants to invest in an equity
fund so as to obtain capital appreciation via investment, whereas another
investor Anjali wants to opt for the hybrid mutual fund so as to diversify the
risks. So, the portfolio which will be prepared by the fund manager in both
cases will be different, owing to the difference in their investment
objectives.
Let us now move ahead and have surficial knowledge about the
types of a mutual fund based on the nature of the investment. The types are
mentioned as followed-
1. Equity fund - Funds that usually invest the pooled
money in equity shares of a company are known as equity mutual funds. The
securities of equity mutual funds are listed on the stock exchange.
Some examples/ types of equity funds include- Market
segment-based funds, sector funds, thematic funds, strategy-based schemes,
dividend yield schemes, value funds, growth funds, etc.
2. Debt fund- Debt is a term used to depict the money
borrowed by one party from another. The investments made in debt securities
namely treasury bills, Government Securities, and Debentures are known as Debt
funds.
Some examples/types of debt funds include Gilt funds, corporate
bonds fund (on the basis of the issuer); liquid schemes, short-term debt schemes
(on the basis of tenor); diversified debt funds, Junk bond schemes (on the
basis of investment strategy), Overnight fund, Low Duration fund, etc.
3. Hybrid funds- Hybrid funds are basically those funds
that invest in a combination of various asset classes such as stocks, cash,
debit, and bond. They are often known as Balanced Funds.
Some examples/types of the same include- Debt oriented Hybrid
Funds, Monthly Income plans, Capital Protected Schemes, etc.
4) Solution-oriented Fund
Schemes- The investment options which cater to the
need of an investor in terms of specific goals are known as Solution-oriented
fund schemes.
Here, the specific goal
can be aimed at retirement planning, higher education of children, etc. Some
examples/ types of the same include Retirement fund, Children’s fund, etc.
OTHER
SCHEMES-
- Index Funds- Often called exchange-traded funds are funds that
tend to follow pre-set rules in order to keep a track of a specified pool
of underlying investments.
- Fund of funds-
Also known as an overseas or domestic fund, is basically a basket of funds
that invest in other funds.
- Real Estate Fund Schemes/ Real Estate Investment
Trusts-
●
Real Estate Mutual Fund- invests directly
in assets of real estate, according to the rules and regulations specified by
SEBI.
●
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT)-
invests in assets of commercial real estate. These are mainly trusts that are
legally registered with SEBI.
●
Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvIT)-
are trusts which are registered with SEBI and are known to invest in the
infrastructure sector.