Wednesday 28 June 2017

Why investment in liquid funds plays a crucial role in your portfolio?



What are liquid funds?

Every mutual fund scheme has a venture target that indicates what it plans to accomplish for its financial specialists. The goal of a liquid scheme is to offer investors a chance to procure returns through interests owing debtors and currency advertise securities, for example, treasury charges, declaration of stores and business papers, without bargaining the liquidity.

To guarantee a high level of liquidity and additionally to limit the instability, fluid assets put resources into securities that have a lingering development of not exactly or equivalent to 91 days. Since fluid assets have a low level of hazard, they are allotted blue shading according to codes determined by the SEBI.

Liquid fund benefits

  • These common assets have no secure period.
  • Withdrawals from fluid assets are handled within 24 hours on business days. The cut-off time for withdrawal is for the most part 2 p.m. on business days. It implies on the off chance that you put a reclamation ask for by 2 p.m. on a business day, at that point the assets will be credited to your ledger on the following business day by 10 a.m. Liquid funds have the most reduced loan cost hazard among obligation supports as they put resources into settled salary securities with short development.
  • Liquid funds have no passage load and leave loads.

Liquid fund returns

  • Comes back from fluid assets
  • Fluid assets are among the best speculation choices for the here and now amid a high expansion condition. Amid high inflationary period, the Reserve Bank ordinarily keeps loan fees high and fixes liquidity, helping fluid assets to acquire great returns.
  • Amid the previous year, some fluid assets have even offered higher returns than bank settled stores, which require a punishment on untimely withdrawal.

Aside from creating prevalent returns than your reserve funds ledger, liquid funds have different advantages also. They are not unstable like value finances or long-haul obligation finances as liquid assets put just in currency advertise securities which have e leftover development of not exactly or equivalent to 91 days. Liquid funds additionally charge proficient contrasted with reserve funds bank premium.

The level of liquid assets you ought to continue relies on your assessed month to month costs and other individual components you ought to talk about with your money related organizer or venture counsel. In all cases, you ought to have the capacity to bolster yourself and family for no less than a month or two; most budgetary organizers concur that six months is perfect. Remember that national crises are a great deal less inclined to occur than individual crises, for example, auto repairs, cutbacks, washer and dryers going into disrepair, treks to the crisis room, home repairs, and so forth. Having money close by could enable you to finish what has been started with far fewer stresses.

Investment in liquid funds thus plays a major role in your portfolio as they can be treated as your emergency funds as well.

Thursday 25 May 2017

Tips on how to invest in mutual funds


It’s never too late or too early to start investment, especially if it’s in mutual funds. While there may exist several different investment vehicles in the market, mutual funds are for everyone, and entails one of the safer options, especially in the current scheme of things in India. A quick peek into the market will highlight mutual funds with multiple schemes having a variety of combinations regarding investment horizon, risk-return, asset classes, exposure, and tax-treatment. This makes it so important for new as well as seasoned investors to stay updated. Here are some tips on how to invest in mutual funds.

1. Play to your risk appetite:
It’s a given fact that every mutual fund carries a certain amount of risk, based on the investment objective, investment methodology, and underlying securities. Liquid funds have the least, while equity funds carry the highest risk. So amidst so many alternatives, choose the one that fits your risk appetite.

2. Make goals and invest accordingly:
While some investors are there to make a quick buck, most follow the ‘invest and hold’ strategy. If you are in the latter group, you will be able to maximize your profits over the course of the tenure, while also reducing risk significantly. Usually, it is advisable to have a goal of at least five years.

3. Discipline is the key:
Most individuals starting out with investments in mutual funds consider it as random betting. But that’s not how it should be. Based on your financial plan, opt for regular and fixed investments. This disciplined approach can be achieved through SIPs. SIPs leverage the power of compounding and the benefit of rupee-cost averaging; thereby helping you in generating greater wealth. You can take the help of a SIP and mutual fund calculator to select the best one suiting your requirements.

4. Don’t time the market:
More often than not, investors feel that timing the market is essential to accrue wealth and achieve greater returns. On the contrary, it is the time in the market that matters. So if you lack deep insights and aren’t knowledgeable about how the market operates, opt mutual fund investment through SIP. By doing so, you wouldn’t need to worry about when and how much to invest ever again.

5. Don’t be afraid to diversify:
Diversity is the name of the game, as far as mutual funds are concerned. The market is flooded with a wide array of funds, including diversified equity funds, commodity-related funds, sectoral funds, index funds, and so on. It’s always advisable to put your eggs in different baskets, just so that the risk is spread well enough.

6. Monitor regularly:
Investors, both seasoned and new, often out rightly ignore monitoring of their investments. If the mutual fund performances aren’t in line with your financial objectives, you will end up with lesser than expected returns.

7. Don’t be fooled by NAVs:
The absolute value of NAVs, unlike stock prices, isn’t suggestive due to the performance or quality of the schemes. In fact, NAV constitutes the function of the number of units and the total of assets under management. So a NAV of Rs. 1,000 doesn’t necessarily imply a better scheme when compared to a NAV of Rs. 100.

These tips will surely help you lower the risks while maximizing your returns.

Thursday 6 April 2017

How to qualify for home loan?



Will I get it? Will I qualify for the loan amount I need? 

Questions, questions, and questions… with no simple answers. Getting home loan approval is not a piece of cake nowadays. Lending institutions/banks go through applications for scrutiny with a fine tooth comb before giving a green signal for your home loan. 

Many people just hear about the lower home prices and drop in current home loan interest rates and hastily make the decision to own a home. However, the process of getting a home loan is slightly different from that of the car loan. As an applicant, you need to identify key differences so that your home loan will get approved. 

Buying a home is somewhat stressful. Further, if you are ill-prepared, then surely it will heighten the anxiety. So, if you do not want to put yourself through this, you need to think from lender’s point of view and edify yourself how to get your loan approved:

  • Credit score and credit history: It has a major impact on your home loan approval. High credit scores and good credit history always makes it easy for you to get your home loan approved quickly. You can instantly order credit score and get your credit report. Remember, a credit fraud or low credit score can create hurdles in your mortgage application track. Besides higher credit score requirements, derogatory credit information, missed/delayed payments, can put a full stop on your mortgage approval. Lower your debts and pay your bills on time. This will increase your credit score. If you know your credit report beforehand, you get the time to clean up the record and fix errors in it to keep up a good credit score.
  • Income: Your income sources play a key role to determine the amount of loan you are eligible for. Higher income simply spells more chances of you being able to pay the higher liability. In simple words, a person with higher income can pay higher EMI and hence she or he is eligible for a higher loan amount. Criteria are different for salaried, self-employed and business professionals. Different banks/lending institutions have different criteria for eligibility. Furthermore, your profession will also be considered while approving your loan. Banks/loan companies will check if your job comes under risk, negative or stable category and then you will be eligibility will be determined accordingly. Basically, banks/lending institutions seek for the assurance of loan repayment.
  • Age: Your age is an important factor for home loan approval, as paying a home loan is a long-term commitment. Thus, at a young age, chances are more to get your home loan approved easily.

Consider Long tenure: your eligibility is increased if you increase your home loan tenure. Remember, Falling within the age criteria does not mean automatic go ahead. There is a maximum limit for some years for which you can take a loan. Maximum tenure limit by the majority of banks/lending institutions is about 20 to 25 years.

It is essential to understand that applying for a home loan is a slightly difficult process. However, with just a little time in research and preparation will let you qualify for the home loan approval at ease. Best of luck!

Tuesday 4 April 2017

The Joy of Constructing Your Own Home


The joy of constructing your dream home according to your specific requirements and tastes is unmatched. Whether you are looking to get a home or office constructed, and need to get the cost of the same funded, you need to approach a bank or a housing finance company to get the necessary loan. Using a new construction loan calculator will allow you to know the amount of loan you require or are eligible to get for funding the construction of your new home. A unique feature about construction loans is that they are not disbursed in one go. Instead their disbursal is linked to the various stages of completion. Also, the borrower pays interest on the money actually used and not the total loan amount.

Understanding New Construction Loans

 

These are short term loans that enable borrower to fund the construction cost of a house or an office. Once the construction is completed the owner of the property needs to get a permanent loan and use the same to pay off the interim new construction loan.

These loans differ from the standard mortgage loans in terms of their release. New construction loans use a draw system of payouts wherein the lender pays the proceeds of the loan at specified intervals after verifying the amount of the work completed on the concerned project. This verification is done by lender’s own staff or a third party appraiser authorized by the lending agency.

Types of New Construction Loans

 

New construction loans can be taken by builders or individuals getting their own houses built. Loans to builders are given out when they are building homes for clients or rebuilding a home for sale upon completion. The loan amount is subject to limits based on a specific percent of the value or the purchase price of the home and can be easily be calculated by using a new construction loan calculator.

Individuals owning a plot and looking to fund the cost of construction on the same may also apply for new construction loans, provided they submit the requisite building plans and copies of necessary approvals from the authorities. And once the home is built, the owner needs to get a mortgage on the built property to pay off the construction debt.

Another option is a construction-to-permanent loan. Such loans typically require two closings with two separate sets of legal documents. The first is to obtain new construction loan and the second is for the permanent funding on completion of the construction.

Some lenders, however, may allow one time closing for construction to permanent loans. Such loans are highly advantageous, as they involve only one set of closing costs and lock in the interest rate at the time of loan sanction. This option is very lucrative in an era of rising interest rates. This type of construction loan automatically converts to a permanent phase once construction is complete. The qualification for such loan is difficult due to the absence of the completed house as collateral to back the loan during the construction period.

A new loan construction calculator can help you decide the amount and the terms of the loan on the basis of the estimated cost, time of completion and on the percentage of your contribution to the construction cost.