Systematic Investment Plan is bringing about a revolutionary change

It is rightly said, “ Each revolution begins with an Idea”. No change can be made in a single day. It takes a long duration to conceptualize any idea. Identical is the case with the investing industry. The emergence of Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) on the horizon of the mutual fund industry is a revolutionary concept. Making it tough for its rivals like RD (Recurring Deposit), SIP is fast emerging as a fertile source of planned monthly investment. The SIP has been the prime focus of the investors who want to invest consistently over an extended period of time. Just like its name Systematic Investment Plan, actualizes itself in the application also. SIP is nothing but a regular installment that an investor pays for a prolonged period to enjoy a good corpus.

But, SIP should not be confused as an investment itself. Technically, SIP is just a method of investing in the online mutual funds; it is not an investment. Many times people start believing that Systematic Investment Plan is the scheme in which they are depositing their money. Such is not the case. SIP is a facility extended by the mutual fund industry to those investors who are not comfortable with lump sum investment.

Comprehending the concept of NAV in SIP

SIP is nothing but a regular investment in the capital market through a more secure network (Mutual Funds). The installment that a client pays on a daily, monthly or quarterly basis is pooled up with all the other investors money and finally put in the capital market. For each installment the client deposits as SIP, he/she gets some units of a scheme. These units are similar to the shares that one gets on investment in stocks. The units are allotted on the basis of NAV (Net Asset Value). NAV is the price per unit of any particular scheme prevailing on a certain day. In simple words NAV is the cost of buying one unit of a scheme under the mutual fund. It alters as the market fluctuates. The closing NAV for a certain day is taken as the NAV for that particular day.

Focusing points for investors :

The investors need to focus on some of the points so that they do not error while investing. They are the following:

• Don’t invest and forget: Timely monitor the performance of your Systematic Investment Plan. It is your money, and no one can take care of it like you. When you examine SIP on regular intervals, then the chances of loss become negligible. At the same time, you need not be too conscious.
• Diversify your investment: Never take up identical plans for all your investments. For example, in one scheme you can take a monthly SIP, for another you can opt for a quarterly. If you have all identical SIPs, then it will pressurize you. You will have to pay a lump sum but in a disguised form. Warren Buffet indeed said, “Don’t put all your eggs in a single basket”.
• Never take star rating as the benchmark: The star rating is no benchmark for investing in the SIP. The score keeps varying on the monthly basis. You need to understand that the choice of schemes should center on the requirements of investment and not on the rating it earns, as it keeps varying.

Bearing in mind, the simple steps of investing you can attain copious profits. A smart investor can make more progress than a hard-worker. Now is the world where we need to manage our wealth wisely and smartly. Therefore, don’t just focus on earning money, invest to multiply it fast. 

Organize your investments in savings for better future!

The D-day has come, and you got that paycheck you have been dreaming of always! So, what are you going to do it? Even before I complete this question, a series of plans would already have rolled out in your mind - parties, shopping, making gifts, ahem! Though I don’t want to spoil this fairy tale, but why not think of starting an SIP plan too?

‘SIP plan, what is it?’ - Well, if I give you a forensic analysis of this term, it is an investment program run by asset management companies through which they invest the money into a variety of assets such as securities, debt instruments, etc. Feeling bowled over? Then read this. You give a fixed amount every month to a scheme of a fund management company. The fund manager invests that money on a variety of projects and gives the money back to you with returns earned on it. Isn’t it simple?

‘Why not should I keep the money in my bank account?’ - another query, just as expected from a beginner. I would suggest, why not make a mix of some money put in bank and other in mutual funds and other investment avenues? While banks give you only a fixed annualized return, mutual funds are known to deliver better returns.

If you go by my experience, the investors have earned 15-20% more returns as compared to what offered by instruments like fixed deposits and savings bank accounts. There is a lot of literature available with every asset management company that gives transparent view of how they had fared over a period of time. Comparing maturity value of fixed deposit and mutual fund scheme for the same time period can help you find what the fate of your money will be.

‘Is there any way by which I can plan my investment in mutual fund with more cognitive approach?’-  Certainly yes! Looking at the growing curiosity of investors towards the mutual funds, the intelligent brains have developed SIP calculators that give fair idea of the future value of the investment. Some common variables required to develop an SIP calculator are:

1. Amount you can invest per month
2. Rate of return you want to achieve (try being a bit realistic here)
3. Number of years 

SIP calculators are very handy and all the work at the back-end is done by the experts who apply the rules of compounding and exponential growth that worked behind the scene while your investment grew up to bring that grin on your face. He who laughs the last, laughs the longest - when various financial troubles keep on jostling your boat, the small disciplined investment made in SIP gives you all the peace that you deserve after bidding your work-life adieu.

Thus, use SIP calculator and organize your investment. Investing in SIP is possible online too. Growing security of cyber world and ease of usage has driven people towards online tools where they provide all the help for which you need to approach an advisor. So, next time when you book a fixed deposit online, try to deviate some portion of it to SIP and see how the structure of your savings transformed into a profit-making deal.

Important tips to stay organized while saving for the future

1. Put a rough idea of all the fixed monthly overheads on a piece of paper. The wider there is a gap between income and expenditure, the more there is scope for saving.
2. Adopt a disciplined approach towards savings. Set aside a fixed amount for making savings every month and pledge to continue it. The longer you stick to the savings plan, bigger will be the size of corpus at the end.
3. Try to put cap on the expenditures: Not everything needs to be bought in a single month; it is better to understand the fact. Rome was not built in a Day; so give some time to your dreams too.
4. Make a portfolio of investments: It is advisable to have a good mixture of investments having payback as well as growth feature. If you have some investment options that pay you back at regular intervals, you can meet important objectives without taking bitter and bigger decisions like selling off the house, etc.