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Some golden investment tips

March 19, 2009 08:51 IST

Are you always at a loss while planning your finances? Are you aware of the investment options available in the market?

How best can you plan your finances? What are the crieria for evaluating an investment option?

Are mutual funds profitable investment options? When and how should one buy mutual funds?

In an hour-long chat on rediff.com on Wednesday, financial planning expert Sailesh Multani offered some valuable investment tips. Here is the transcript:

Sailesh says, 
Hi, goodafternnon everyone...lets begin the chat session

PardeepSingh asked, Today I can invest 25000/- every month & I need Rs. 45000 to 60000/- every month after 15 years, suggest me best option plans
Sailesh answers,  at 2009-03-18 12:52:16The decision to invest Rs. 25,000 will depend upon your investment objective, investment horizon and risk appetite. If your time horizon is 15 years and willing to take risk then you can consider investing in diversified equity funds.
MayankBhushan asked, and I have purchased icici produncial ifra fund amount 5000.
Sailesh answers, Hi, ICICI PRU is a thematic fund and its performance will be closely linked to the infrastructure sector. If you are a risk taking investor and have a view on the infrastructure sector i.e. if you can time your investments then the fund can be suitable for you
maverick asked, Hi Sailesh, Which is the best ELSS fund to invest starting April 09. I am planning to go by SIP route. Total would be 60000 for the full year.
Sailesh answers, Hi, Fidelity Tax Advantage Fund, Franklin India Taxshield and HDFC Tax Saver are among the better managed ELSS funds. You can consider investing in these funds
Suhas asked, Hi, I have 1.5 year old son. I have opened PPF account for him and depositing 70k every year. Looking to current education fee growth, Is it enough to invest similar for next 15-20 years or suggest some good plan for his education?
Sailesh answers, Hi, to plan for your son's education, I would recommend that you first work out the amount that will be needed. You should then build a portfolio comprising of various investment avenues including PPF
Dinakar asked, Could you please let me know when to invest in Gilt fund, Debt fund, Income fund? What is the significance attached to these funds with reference to Rate of Interest? Look forward to your inputs.
Sailesh answers, Hi, We have dealt with this topic in an article on www.personalfn.com. To read the same please click at, http://www.personalfn.com/detail.asp?date=1/22/2009&story=1
charan asked, What should be the importance of life insurance in your overall financial plan?
Sailesh answers, Hi, life insurance plays a very important role in the overall financial plan. One needs to be adequately covered to provide for any eventuality
kgh asked, Hi Shailesh...I have ready cash of 2.5 lakhs.. please suggest me ..Can I invest in market based on P/E ratio or simply make F.D in nationalized bank?
Sailesh answers, Hi, your appetite for taking on risk should help you determine which investment avenues you should invest in. for instance, if you can take on a high degree of risk, market-linked avenues would be more suitable and vice-versa.
samalex asked, is it worthwhile investing in gold/gold ETF now.Thanks
Sailesh answers, Hi, it is always better to have 5-10% allocation to Gold from an asset allocation perspective.
Praveen asked, Hi, Is it the right time to buy mutual funds? Or shall I invest money in PPF? which is better?
Sailesh answers, Hi, I have replied to a similar query earlier in the chat. Request you to refer the same.
mgk asked, every month my SIP value going down.suggest me i should continue it or not
Sailesh answers, Hi, if the fund chosen is a well managed one and suited for you, and you are willing to stay invested for the long haul (atleast 3-5 years) there is no reason for you to discontinue your SIP
najmu asked, hey i have 2 lackh cash in my account .. how can i plan my investment?
Sailesh answers, Hi, the decision to invest Rs. 2 lakhs will depend upon investment objective, risk appetite and investment horizon.
Sanjay Purohit asked, Can you please suggest what are the best MF in today market scenerio to invest for atleast 5 years
Sailesh answers, hi, there is no such thing as the best MF. If you need to select a fund that is right for you i.e. one, that can help you achieve your investment goals then HDFC Top 200, Sundaram Select Focus and DSP BR Top 100 are some of the better managed funds to choose from.
slum asked, i want 2 invest 3000 Rs. per month on SIP for 10 years. advice me the MF which will help me to relax for my retirement plan.
Sailesh answers, hi, you can consider investing in diverisified equity funds like DSP BR Top 100 Equity Fund, Franklin India Bluechip Fund and HDFC Top 200 Fund.
raghvendra asked, is the Rate of interest on PPF and PF the same? else what is the diffrence?
Sailesh answers, hi, the rate of interest on PPF is 8% p.a. while that for EPF is 8.5%
bala09 asked, Should I exit out of JM contra mutual fund. Its returns have been more pathetic than most peers ? thanks
Sailesh answers, hi, JM Contra Fund's performance is certainly nothing to write home about. However, the decision to exit the same at this stage should be taken after factoring in the loss that you will have to incur and the exit load implications.
sanjoy.paul asked, Good afternoon sir, I have a three years old daughter. For protect her future what will be the best option to invest in LIC children deffered annuity plan or any MF child future plan? Please advise.
Sailesh answers, hi, to plan for your child's future you should consider investing in mix of equity funds and debt with equity forming a major portion of the portfolio. To protect your child from any eventuality you should consider taking a insurance policy for yourself with adequate sum assured.
ug asked, How would you know particular fund is being well manager? What are the parameters one should look at for this?
Sailesh answers, hi, to evaluate a fund you should check its performance on the risk and return parameters vis-a-vis peers. Also, the fund's investments should be in line with its stated investment mandate.
ug asked, How would you know particular fund is being well manager? What are the parameters one should look at for this?
Sailesh answers, hi, to evaluate a fund you should check its performance on the risk and return parameters vis-a-vis peers. Also, the fund's investments should be in line with its stated investment mandate.
haresh asked, Hi I have invested in HDFC Equity Growth Fund. Its performance is not good. Should I hold or change to some other fund
Sailesh answers, hi, HDFC Equity Fund boasts of an impressive performance across the risk and return parameters over longer time frames. I would advise you not to panic at this stage.
nils2k1 asked, I want to invest 1.5L in next 3 months. Is it better to go for Equity(through proper study) or MF?? I can be invested for 5-7 years & ready to take moderate risk. Pls advice
Sailesh answers, hi, its better that you invest in mutual funds via the SIP route. Given your time horizon, investment in diversified equity funds can be a good choice.
Praveen asked, How to invest in EPF? for PPF we can approch post office or SBI. How about EPF?
Sailesh answers, EPF is a deduction from your salary.
niranjanplus asked, I want to know if investing in Gold ETF at this pointof time is beneficial or not?
Sailesh answers, hi, it is always better to have gold in your portfolio from asset allocation persepective. Gold ETFs are the best way of investing in gold.
Sailesh says, hi, thank you all for participating in the chat session. If you have any queries, please feel free to write to me at : info@personalfn.com