Understanding the meaning of Investment is important as it will help you make informed choices. People invest with the intention of allowing their money to grow. The wealth generated can be used to fulfil various financial goals like repayment of loans, purchase of other assets, etc.
What is an Investment Plan?
Investment Plans are essentially financial instruments that help create sustainable wealth for the future. Various investment plans in India enable us to invest our savings into different money-market products in a disciplined and periodic manner to achieve our financial goals.
Overall, investment plans provide the much-needed advantage of maximizing our savings through systematic, long-term investments and create wealth for the future. The first step towards having the investment plan in India is to assess your risk profile and financial needs, and then choose an investment plan that aligns with your needs. Some of the investment options in India include:
- Unit Linked Insurance Plans (ULIPs)
- Monthly Income Plans
- Public Provident Funds (PPF)
- Mutual funds
- Sukanya Samriddhi Account
- Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS)
- Tax saving Fixed Deposits
These investment plans and many others require you to conduct thorough research and then choosing investment schemes that provide long-term sustainable gains, tax-saving benefits, and capital appreciation. Several investment plans in India can work for you.
Factors to Consider While Choosing Investment Plans
Monetary Goals
The first thing to consider before choosing an investment plan is your monetary goals, both long-term and short-term. These goals can be anything from marriage and education to international trips and new smartphones and keeping such financial goals will help you make an informed decision. For instance, if you want to save up for an upcoming trip to your favorite foreign destination, then a recurring deposit or post office deposit might be amongst the best investment scheme for you.
Planned Upcoming Expenses
If you’re looking for an investment plan in India, an important step is figuring out your planned future expenses such as your child’s marriage and education or buying a home. Doing so will give you a better idea of how much you need to invest now to get sufficient returns later that can fulfill any upcoming expenditure.
Present Expenses
Evaluating your present-day expenses is an essential part of looking for the best investment scheme. For instance, if you have no major expenses such as house rent then you can save or invest more for the long run. However, if you have certain monetary obligations that don’t let you save much, then investing in an investment plan with high returns will be more beneficial.
Financial Dependents
When buying an investment plan in India, most people don’t take their financial dependents into consideration. However, doing so is important as you need to have an investment or savings pool that will be sufficient for the monetary goals of your dependents as well. For instance, if you only have two children who are dependent on you, then you might not need to invest as much a someone who also has their parents, siblings, and kids to take care of.
Short Term Investment Plans
Investment Plan for 1 Year
If you prefer short-term investments, a locking period of even 3 years can seem like a long time. However, there are many investment plans of 12 months that can also help you steer clear of market risks. Here are some prime investment schemes for short-term you can consider:
- • Recurring Deposits
- • Fixed Maturity Plan
- • Post Office Deposits
- • Arbitrage Funds
- • Debt Fund
- • Fixed Deposits
Investment Plan for 3 Years
A common variation of short-term investment plans is 3-year investment schemes, and these are best suited for those who want high returns in a short span of time. Here are a few options you can take into account:
- • Liquid Funds
- • Fixed Maturity Plan
- • Recurring Deposits
- • Savings Account
- • Arbitrage Funds
Investment Plan for 5 Year
Although 5 years is a long time, a 5-year investment plan in India is typically considered as a short-term investment with low market risks. However, the returns of a 5-year investment scheme are much higher compared to other short-term investments. So, here are some options you can evaluate:
- • Savings Account
- • Liquid Funds
- • Post Office Time Deposit
- • Large Cap Mutual Fund
Benefits of Investment Plans
WEALTH CREATION
Investment plans can help you build wealth without worrying about life’s uncertainties. As an investor, you can choose from the investment options in India depending upon your risk tolerance, expected returns and amount available for investment.
SUSTAINABLE FINANCIAL PROTECTION
Having different investment plans in your portfolio will help you avail of significant returns on your investments. At maturity, you will receive the returns with profit in your pocket. This way,you can avail of long-term financial security for yourself and the family.
DEATH RISK COVERAGE (UNIT LINKED INSURANCE PLANS)
ULIP Investment plans (such as Max Life online saving plans) offer death risk coverage options. By investing in these investment plans, you can be sure that your loved ones remain financially secure, even in your absence.
RETIREMENT SAVINGS
You can invest your savings in some of the investment options in India, to create a corpus that will serve as a source of income post-retirement.
FLEXIBILITY
With the different investment plans available today, you can avail of the flexibility of selecting the investment amount and its tenure based on your goals and timelines.
TAX SAVING BENEFITS
Investment plans such as ULIPS, online savings plans, and Equity Linked Savings Schemes (ELSS) provide opportunities for wealth accumulation through market-linked returns. At the same time, these investment plans also offer significant tax saving benefits4 under Section 80C of the Indian Tax Act 1961. Under these two sections, both the premiums payable and the insurance payouts are tax-deductible, and Tax exempted, respectively.
What are the Types of Investments?
While choosing between the best investment plans with high returns, considering the risk associated with these investment plans is crucial. For investment plans, their risk can be depicted as the possibility or probability of the asset either performing below-expectation or experiencing a permanent loss of value.
Based on the associated risk, thus, different investment plans are broadly classNameified into three categories, as depicted below:
Low-Risk Investment
As the name suggests, low-risk investment plans are those in which the element of risk is approximately zero. In other words, low-risk investment plans tend to provide stable and reliable, growth of value, but minimal losses. Given below is the list of top investment options that can be taken into consideration.
1. Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana
Sukanya Samriddhi Account is gaining popularity as one of the best investment plans in India for the girl child. If you have a girl child, this Yojana aims to facilitate corpus creation for the girl child. You can open a Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana account at both commercial banks and post offices. Furthermore, you can avail of significant tax savings4 under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act 1961.
2. Public Provident Fund (PPF)
Public Provident Fund (PPF) is one of the best investment options in India, considering the array of benefits it provides. If you are a salaried individual, PPF can offer many advantages. While the interest income on PPF is not taxable, you can also avail of tax deductions under Section 80C of the income tax 1961.
3. Post Office Monthly Income Schemes
Generally regarded as one of the best plans for investment, post office monthly income scheme is most suitable for-risk-averse individuals who are looking for low-risk investment plans with decent returns. Here, you must understand that while the income from post office monthly income schemes is fully taxable, the monthly income plans do not attract Tax Deduction at Source (TDS.)
4. Government Schemes For Senior Citizens (SCSS)
An undertaking of the Indian government, a senior citizen scheme that enables savings – SCSS, is widely regarded as one of the best investment options in India for a variety of reasons.
First, the scheme offers significant financial security for senior citizens. Secondly, the interest rate for this scheme is decided by the government every quarter. You can open an SCSS account at post offices and any nationalised banks.
5. Tax Saving FD’s
Tax saving fixed deposits (FDs) are considered by many as one of the best investment scheme and investment plans in India because it provides significant tax savings4 benefits under Section 80C and can help you lower your overall tax liability.
6. Sovereign Gold Bonds
Sovereign Gold Bonds(or SGBs) are issued by the Reserve Bank of India and backed by the Indian government. Essentially, SGBs are securities that serve as an alternative to holding physical gold and are denominated in units of gold (grams). At the time of maturity, you can redeem these bonds in cash, which makes SGBs, one of the best investment options in India.
7. Life Insurance
Savings and Income plans and protection plans are two categories of life insurance that come under the low risk category. There is no identifiable investment component in such life insurance plans, i.e. these insurance plans do not offer market-linked returns. Instead, these life insurance plans serve as a robust financial safety net for your family and efficient protection against life’s uncertainties.
8. Bonds
Bonds are certificates of your lending money to the issuer at the said interest rate. The interest on each bond could be paid to you regularly, and in the end, the face value is returned. Alternatively, you can also sell the bond before expiry if you need it. Bonds are regarded as one of the best investment options in India because of their relative safety.
High-Risk Investment
As the name suggests, high-risk investment plans are suitable for investors whose primary focus is on having long-term capital growth. Meanwhile, most high-risk investment plans tend to incur substantial fluctuations but provide opportunities to create significant possible returns in the long-term. Examples of high-risk investment plans include:
1. Direct equities
Equities offer risk-taking investors the chance to achieve their financial goals. While every asset is essential in its peculiar way, equities have a proven track record over the long-term, vis-à-vis other assets. In an equity investment, thus, you can buy a share of the ownership in a company, which entitles the investor to the gains and losses of the business.
2. Unit Linked Insurance Plans
ULIPs or unit-linked insurance plans are generally regarded as one of the best investment options in India because they offer both life insurance and investment returns benefits. Not just this, they also offer you option to move your money between high risk, medium and low risk. This is so because it allows you to invest your money in a mix of various fund options. While part of the premium amount is allocated to a variety of fund options (based on your investment objectives and risk profile), the remaining portion is used to provide the much-needed insurance coverage.
Overall, ULIPs are essentially life insurance plans that offer an additional feature of investing your money in different money-market linked assets based on your goals. Thus, ULIPs are another route to invest in a professionally managed portfolio of equities or bonds. The benefit of investing in a bond fund through ULIP is that as per the prevailing tax laws, you may enjoy tax deduction under section 80C subject to fulfilling conditions therein.
ULIPs offer a clear classNameification of risk categories, where you can pick up the higher risk fund for the long-term goals. You can gradually shift to lower-risk investments as your investment nears maturity.
3. Mutual Funds
A mutual fund is formed when money is collected from different investors and invested in a company’s stocks or bonds. Typically, a mutual fund is shared by thousands of investors and is managed collectively to earn the highest possible returns. The person driving the mutual fund is a professional fund manager.
Mutual funds offer diversified investment with lower investment corpus in any or multiple asset classNamees. For example, you can invest in a pure equity fund, a debt fund or a hybrid fund investing in both stocks and bonds.
Mutual funds may offer various risk category funds based on the type of stocks or bonds they are investing into. Index funds are considered the safest fund category among equity funds, whereas Gilt funds are the safest bet among the debt categories.
Medium-Risk Investment
As the name suggests, medium or moderate risk investments comprise investment plans that serve as diversified or balanced investments. Investment plans with a moderate risk profile provide not only the potential for growth but also willingness to accept a certain level of market volatility. Most medium risk investment plans help diversify your investment portfolio through a mix of equity and debt instruments to generate stable returns without taking any huge risks. Examples of medium risk investment plans include:
1. Hybrid debt-oriented funds
2. Arbitrage funds
3. Monthly Income Plans
Which Investment Plan best suits your financial needs in India?
Choosing between the investment options in India becomes more comfortable when you consider the risk-return possibility of all the investment plans. As a smart investor, it is crucial that you diversify your financial portfolio by including more than one investment plans – each across varying risk profiles and based on your financial needs.While choosing the best investment plan, you must match your objectives and financial goals with your financial resources. Some of the unit linked life insurance plans options in India offered by Max Life Insurance are –
Max Life Fast Track Super
Max Life Fast Track Super Plan
(A Unit Linked Non-Participating Individual Life Insurance Plan, UIN: 104L082V04) is an insurance +investment plan that provides life insurance options with a secure and straightforward approach to invest in different market-linked fund options.
Max Life Online Savings Plan
(A Unit Linked Non-Participating Individual Life Insurance Plan, UIN: 104L098V03) is an online investment option that offers to provide the dual benefit of lump sum payout to achieve your goals while protecting you and your loved ones from life’s uncertainties. This investment and insurance plan gives you the flexibility to choose the policy term and different fund options so that you can create a financial portfolio that suits your investment style.
Max Life Savings Advantage Plan
Max Life Savings Advantage Plan
(A Non-Linked Participating Individual Life Insurance Savings Plan, UIN: 104N111V02) is an insurance and investment plan in India that will help your savings grow systematically while providing life insurance coverage to take care of your family members in case of an unfortunate event.
Max Life Assured Wealth Plan
(A Non-Linked, Non-Participating Individual Life Insurance Savings Plan, UIN: 104N096V04) is an online investment and insurance plan that can assist you in fulfilling goals such as wealth creation, supporting your kid’s education and your retirement. This insurance and investment plan also helps provide a sense of financial security to your loved ones in an uncertain and volatile environment.
Max Life Future Genius Education Plan
Max Life Future Genius Education Plan
(A Non-Linked Participating Individual Life Insurance Savings Plan, UIN: 104N094V03) is an insurance & investment plan that has been designed to help young parents manage their child’s education costs through disciplined savings. The investment plan provides you with the flexibility to choose the premium payment term, policy tenure, and money-backs, as per your child’s education needs.
Max Life Shiksha Plus Super
Max Life Shiksha Plus Super Plan
(A Unit-Linked Non-Participating Individual Life Insurance Plan, UIN: 104L084V04) is one of the insurance and investment in India to help you secure your child’s future education needs financially.
Max Life Forever Young Pension Plan
Max Life Forever Young Pension Plan
(A Unit-Linked Non-Participating Individual Pension Plan, UIN – 104L075V03) can be a great insurance + investment option for you if you wish to create savings for your retirement years without wanting to deal with the volatilities of the equity market.
Max Life Perfect Partner Plan
Max Life Perfect Partner Super
(A Non-Linked Participating Individual Life Insurance Savings Plan, UIN: 104N077V03) is the investment option to take care of your spouse’s financial needs with a life cover till 75 years of age. This insurance & investment plan also offers a 212.5% guaranteed sum assured on maturity (through bonuses) so that you can live a carefree post-retirement life.
Max Life Whole Life Super Plan
Max Life Whole Life Super Plan
(A Non-Linked Participating Individual Life Insurance Savings Plan. UIN – 104N080V04) is an insurance & investment/savings plan, which helps you systematically create wealth for your family while protecting them with a comprehensive life cover.
When should you start Investing in Investment Plan?
Every one of us has a set of goals that we strive to achieve in our lifetime. In today’s day and age, however, we cannot rely on our savings only.It is through investment plans that we can create a robust financial portfolio to realise these goals.
To fulfil your goals of affording a home or securing your retirement financially, it is crucial that you identify the best investment plan that will help you grow your money over time. Therefore, you need to have a goal and a tentative timeline to achieve in mind before you start investing in any of the best investment plans with high returns. Remember, once you have a goal in sight, you need to start investing as soon as possible – doing so will help you streamline the process.
Why should you Invest?
If you are a salaried or self-employed individual, you must remember that you cannot achieve your goals with only your savings – you need to maximize your savings and create wealth through investment plans. To build wealth, you must invest your money in some of the best investment options with high returns.
If you do not invest, the chances are that you will miss out on opportunities to maximize your financial worth and wealth-building potential. While you have the risk of losing money through investment plans, you have a much higher potential to gain significantly – provided you invest wisely and on time.
How to Choose an Investment Plan for yourself?
Here is how you can choose the right investment plans from the best investment options in India:
- Assess your financial needs and goals
- Calculate your investment timeline to achieve each goal
- Build a strategy by incorporating the right insurance +investment policies that align with your goals
- Diversify your portfolio – You might have invested your money in a single investment plan, but go for multiple investment and insurance plans
- Know about different charges levied on different investment schemes
- Review your investment plans periodically
Documents Required to Buy Investment Plans
To purchase the insurance + investment plans in India, you need to produce the following documents as proof for KYC verification:
1) Proof of Income
2) Proof of Address
3) Proof of Identification
4) Proof of Age
1. Officially Valid Documents (Any of these)
• Passport
• Voter’s ID
• Job card issued by NREGA duly signed by an officer of the State Government
• Aadhaar Card
• National Population Register containing details of name, address and Aadhaar number
• Or any other document as notified by the Central Government
2. In addition to the Officially Valid Documents
• PAN Card/Form 60
3. In case Officially Valid Documents does not contain updated address
• Utility Bill (Not more than two months old) of any service provider (electricity, telephone, postpaid mobile connection, piped gas, water)
• Property or Municipal Tax Receipt
• Pension or family pension payment orders (PPOs) issued to retired
• Employees by Government Department or PSUs, if they contain the address
• Letter of allotment of accommodation from employer issued by State or Central Government departments, statutory or regulatory bodies, PSUs, scheduled commercial banks, financial institutions and listed companies
5) Income Proof
For Salaried Individuals (Any one)
• Bank statement showing salary credit for latest 3 months
• Latest 2 years Income Tax Returns
• Latest year Form 16
For Self Employed (Any one)
• Latest 2 years Income tax returns not filed in same year along with Computation of income
• If computation of income not available: Latest 3 years Income tax returns not filed in same year
• CA certified Audited balance sheet and profit loss account for latest 2 years
• Form 26 AS
