Picture this: You decided to invest in mutual funds to secure your future. Your friend, Mohan, actively invests in stocks. He buys and sells shares every week and makes frequent trading decisions. It sounds exciting to you, but also a bit stressful as you have to do research and be responsive to the market. Then, you meet Amisha. She invests, too, but she follows a passive investment strategy through index funds. She tells you how it’s like a one-stop solution. Your job? Simply put your money in and let the fund replicate the movements of an underlying index like Nifty or Sensex. No need to think about which stock to pick or when to sell it.
Benefits of index funds | Building wealth with a passive investment approach
Low costs
In actively managed funds, investors pay for the expertise of fund managers who specialise in actively managing investments. These experts may aim to outperform their benchmark index to deliver higher returns. Thus, the higher expense ratio.
Index funds follow a preset index, such as Nifty 50, eliminating the need for intensive management. This simplicity brings down the fees considerably. For instance, let’s say the expense ratio for an average index fund is around 0.50%, while actively managed funds have a charge of 1.5% or more. Over time, even this seemingly small difference in fees can compound, costing you lakhs of rupees.
Diversification at low cost
When investing in a Sensex or Nifty index fund, you invest in numerous sectors and companies that form these indexes. Each of these sectors responds differently to market conditions. So, if one sector faces a downturn, the strong performance of others can balance out the negative impact. In other words, your risk gets spread out across multiple stocks, making your investment more resilient.
Simplicity
Index mutual funds simplify the investment process for new investors. All you have to do is select an index fund that tracks an index you are interested in, invest your money through online platforms, and let the fund take care of the rest. No need to continuously research stocks or time the market. As an example, if you invest in a Nifty 500 index fund, your money will automatically get spread across the 500 companies that this index represents without requiring further action on your part.
No bias investing
Personal bias may cloud judgement and lead to suboptimal outcomes in mutual fund investments. For instance, one may unintentionally lean towards sectors they are familiar with, such as technology or pharmaceuticals. This bias can pose a risk. With index funds, you sidestep this issue. Your investment will mirror the composition of the underlying index, giving you a balanced exposure to various sectors without the influence of personal bias.
Less scope for regret
Active investment choices bring along the emotional toll of “what if” scenarios. What if you picked the wrong stock? What if your timing was off? Index funds lower the emotional stakes. With index funds, you essentially place your faith in the market as a whole rather than individual stocks or sectors. This diversified nature allows you to mitigate the risk of making a poor choice, as your performance simply mirrors an index.
Index funds | The power of simplicity
Think of index funds this way- Would you prefer a portfolio that requires less maintenance but still thrives or one that demands constant attention? Index funds mean a low-maintenance portfolio. With low costs, diversification, simplicity, and transparency as its key features, these mutual fund investments can be a valuable addition to a portfolio.
For more guidance, you can consult a financial advisor. They can help you combine index funds with other asset classes and schemes to create a resilient portfolio. They can spot gaps, suggest changes, and most importantly, help your money work more efficiently.
