Investments for the Layman

A few decades back the layman’s role for investing in markets was marginal or rather negligible  as most of the investment opportunities and returns were enjoyed by corporates and to a certain extent by HNIs. They would invest corpus funds of capital to achieve significantly higher returns. However, things started changing significantly on introduction of financial instruments like mutual funds, that helped make space for investments especially for layman. .  Mutual Funds can be best defined as a trust that pool’s the savings of a number of investors with a common financial goal.
One of the biggest advantages of investing through MF’s is that it allows retail investors to actively invest their hard earned money in the financial markets through a medium which is less risky when compared to direct   investment in stocks. Earlier the retail investors  were tentative from directly investing in stocks because it was considered a risky terrain and  most of them lacked the requisite financial know-how  for investing in these volatile markets.
Thus, like-minded investors who wanted to invest but lacked the financial know-how, decided to pool in their money into a fund, whose investment decisions would be taken by an experienced fund manager to get the best out of their invested capital.
The fund manager would  then have the responsibility of taking investment decisions on behalf of the investors. This investment instrument has really grown popular amongst retail investor’s as when they invest in a mutual fund, their risk is disturbed amongst the other investors who also pool money in the same fund. The biggest advantage  of such as investment is the decisions are taken by a seasoned investor who is well versed of the tricks of smart investing while keeping the market gyrations in mind.
The fund manager using his expertise would invest wisely in different funds, thus spreading the investment risks  among the portfolios assigned to him. MF’s in my opinion are also among the few financial instruments that always seem to have organically grown to have modified itself to suit the needs of investors.
To mitigate the risk of investing a large amount of capital income at one time,  investment  in MF’s also allow you to invest smaller amounts regularly in a systematic manner. This method of organized, systematic, monthly investments is called SIP (Systematic Investment Plan). Thus one can invest in mutual funds  even with a monthly investment of Rs 1000, and reap good returns when the fund matures.
Recently  MF investment - has taken a leap with the issuance of Online Mutual Funds. Online Mf’s popularly known as ‘Paperless Mutual Funds‘ allow investors to apply for  MF's directly online, the entire process can be done in a paperless and effective manner. MF’s like any other investment product also carry with it a certain amount of risk; thus investors should always make sure to purchase them from brokerage houses that are empaneled with the requisite regulatory bodies.
It is mandatory for all investors to read the terms and conditions carefully - before investing in any mutual fund. Also it is imperative that investors invest only after carefully studying and doing adequate research on the fund’s fundamentals before investing in it. Thus with the coming of mutual funds, the once forgotten layman can now  reap the benefits of smart investing if he does so wisely.
Disclaimer:1. Views as are mentioned in the article are personal views of Author and nothing to link with Co. its Director and Employees.2. All investments are subject to market risk and you need to consult your financial advisor/consultant before investment.