Life is all about competition. Who is the best? Are you good or is your friend better? There is competition even among personal finance products. While most personal finance products are good, which one would help meet financial goals. This is the call you have to make.
This is a story of a fight between two friends, Satish and Suman. Not a physical fight, but an intense competition. Both of them were in their early thirties and worked in reputed IT Firms. They liked to compete with each other and today the fight was which financial product was better. Was it ELSS or equity diversified mutual funds? Satish says ELSS and Suman says equity diversified funds. Who is right?
For those who don’t know, an equity diversified mutual fund invests in stocks across sectors. If you are an aggressive investor, try equity diversified mutual funds. Money is in stocks and there’s a measure of protection as the investment is spread across sectors like pharma, IT, Oil and Gas, Automobiles and so on, called diversification.
Lets take a look at the opponent, Equity Linked Saving Schemes or ELSS. ELSS is a type of equity diversified mutual fund where most of the investment is in stocks. It has a compulsory 3 year lock-in which means you cannot touch this investment for 3 years. What’s special about ELSS is it’s the only tax saving mutual fund. ELSS enjoys a tax deduction under Section 80C of the income tax act, up to Rs 1.5 Lakhs a year. Does this make ELSS better than equity diversified mutual funds? Let’s find out.
ELSS vs Equity Diversified Mutual Funds
ELSS is a long term investment
ELSS has a 3 year lock-in and forces you to stay invested for this time period. Equity is an excellent investment only if you stay invested for the long term. A bare minimum of 3 years is a must. This is where ELSS scores over equity diversified mutual funds.
Equity diversified mutual funds have no lock-in and allows an exit, whenever you wish. This is bad for you as most investors exit when stock markets crash. The key to make money in stocks is to stay invested in the market for the long term. Invest in ELSS with a time horizon of 7 years.
ELSS Saves Tax
Lets say you invest the same amount in an equity diversified scheme and an ELSS. Both of them give the same returns, but ELSS wins over the diversified fund as it enjoys the Section 80C benefit. ELSS is an excellent investment if you fall in the higher tax brackets.
If you fall in the 30% tax bracket, invest up to Rs 1.5 Lakhs a year in ELSS and save Rs 46,800 a year. ELSS enjoys Section 80C tax deduction and beats equity diversified mutual funds.
ELSS is like killing two birds with one stone. You get good returns and you save tax. Top ELSS schemes have given an average of 16-20% over 5 years. This is higher than equity diversified schemes. Then there’s the tax benefit.
Satish earns Rs 11 Lakhs a year and falls in the 30% tax bracket. He invests Rs 1.5 Lakhs a year in ELSS via SIPs. This helps him save 30% on Rs 1,50,000 which is Rs 45,000 + a cess of 4% which is Rs 1,800. Satish saves Rs 46,800 a year by investing in ELSS.
ELSS is a stepping stone to equity diversified mutual funds
In recent times many first-timers are investing in equity. Novice investors are rushing to equity diversified mutual funds without understanding them, in the hope of quick profits.
Why not first invest in ELSS and then try equity diversified mutual funds? ELSS with a compulsory lock-in, forces you to stay invested for the long term. ELSS handholds you and helps get familiar with equity. You can now invest in equity diversified funds with confidence and make a profit.
Today, stock markets are falling and many first-time investors are heading for the exit in panic. Many of these investors have bought high and sold low, taking home immense losses. If these panic-stricken investors had invested in ELSS, they would not have been able to exit the stock market and in a few years, they would have seen profits.
What do you take home from this article?
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