Easy to use SIP calculator app that helps you calculate the expected returns on your mutual funds for both Lumpsum and SIP.
What is SIP?
An SIP is a smart and easy way to invest in Mutual Funds. SIP allows you to invest a fixed amount on a monthly basis. It is a planned approach towards investments that helps you develop a discipline of regular investing and create more wealth over the long term.
Pros
1.Minimum Amount
A big benefit of SIPs is that it allows one to participate in the share market at very low amounts. The minimum investment amount in a systematic investment plan can be as low as 500 rupees.
2.Helps in Tax Saving
The SIP investments are liable for deductions under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act. By investing in a SIP, one can save somewhere between INR 15,000 to INR 45,000 in taxes per year.
3.Power of Compounding
One of the best benefits of SIP investment is to see the increased value and growth of your invested wealth. And, investors realises this over the long term when his/her investment period is maturing. With the invested amount increasing over time, the accumulated amount keeps on increasing and this being invested in the market would be subject to market growth and returns (refer the image below).
4.Assists in Retirement Planning
SIP invests your money in growth assets and helps you create a powerful corpus for your retirement. For instance, let’s suppose you earn INR 30,000 per month at the age of 25 and invest INR 2500 per month in a SIP, increasing it by 10% every year, your savings would be the following- At the age of 60, with the balanced return of 12% per annum, you will earn INR 4.12 crores. Therefore, when deciding how to save money for your retirement, make sure you invest in SIP.
5.Habit of Saving
Another important benefit of SIPs is that prospective investors see it as a tool that inculcates the habit of saving. With a low investment amount, systematic nature and one-time registration it becomes a method of forced saving.
Cons
These are a few major risks in a SIP, some of these are discussed below:
1.Price Risk
Sometimes your investment in a SIP can go down and you can end up with a value lower than what you invested depending on how the market behaves. The risk in SIP is however related to holding period and usually, the longer the holding period, the lower the risk. With higher holding period the probability of making profit increases.
2.Credit Risk
When the bond of a particular entity or company undergoes a downgrade by a credit rating agency, its price falls. If the price falls, this impacts the overall value of the portfolio. This is called credit risk.
3.Liquidity Risk
Usually with mutual funds, liquidity is not an issue, however, there have been periods, when there was an issue in selling securities (like bonds) and that certain mutual funds had to limit withdrawals from some schemes. The equity market is fairly liquid. However, if the sale quantity exceeds the numbers of buyers by a large amount, then this will result in an issue, hence making subsequent payouts a problem and hence liquidity risk.
4.Fund Management Risk
Another risk in SIP is that the chosen scheme may not deliver upto expectations, and performance may be much lower than expected. The Fund Manager may under-deliver on performance, and this will lead to low returns on the SIP investments.