A Mutual Fund is a trust that pools the savings of a number of investors who share a
common financial goal. The money thus collected is then invested in capital market
instruments such as shares, debentures and other securities. The income earned through
these investments and the capital appreciation realised are shared by its unit holders in
proportion to the number of units owned by them. Thus a Mutual Fund is the most
suitable investment for the common man as it offers an opportunity to invest in a
diversified, professionally managed basket of securities at a relatively low cost.
There are many entities involved and the diagram below illustrates the organisational set
up of a mutual fund:
ADVANTAGES OF MUTUAL FUNDS
The advantages of investing in a Mutual Fund are
Professional Management
Diversification
Convenient Administration
Return Potential
Low Costs
Liquidity
Transparency
Flexibility
Choice of schemes
Tax benefits
Well regulated
FREQUENTLY USED TERMS
Net Asset Value (NAV)
Net Asset Value is the market value of the assets of the scheme minus its liabilities. The
per unit NAV is the net asset value of the scheme divided by the number of units
outstanding on the Valuation Date.
Sale Price
Is the price you pay when you invest in a scheme. Also called Offer Price. It may include
a sales load.
Repurchase Price
Is the price at which a close-ended scheme repurchases its units and it may include a
back-end load. This is also called Bid Price.
Redemption Price
Is the price at which open-ended schemes repurchase their units and close-ended schemes
redeem their units on maturity. Such prices are NAV related.
Sales Load
Is a charge collected by a scheme when it sells the units. Also called, ‘Front-end’ load.
Schemes that do not charge a load are called ‘No Load’ schemes.
Repurchase or ‘Back-end’Load
Is a charge collected by a scheme when it buys back the units from the unitholders
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