Investment

The smart way to choose between debt and equity

09 July 2024
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Imagine equity as a slice of a delicious pie, representing ownership shares of a company. If you hold equity, you’re a shareholder, savouring both the sweet profits and occasional bitter losses.

Debt, on the other hand, is like a loan your friend takes from you, promising to pay back with interest. Companies or countries borrow sums at specific interest rates using instruments like bonds, notes, and commercial papers.

Now that we’ve got a grip on equity and debt, let’s dive into the world of equity and debt mutual funds!

Equity Funds

According to SEBI, an equity fund is a scheme investing 65% of its assets in equity or related instruments.

Equity funds can be broadly classified by

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Style of management

Type Nature Example
Active Funds Actively managed by a Fund Manager Tata Large Cap Fund, Nippon Small Cap Fund etc.
Passive Funds Mimics a Market or a Sector Index ETFs like Nifty Bees (mimics Nifty 50)

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Market cap and sector of the equities in the fund

Type Nature Risk Time-horizon
Large Cap At Least 80% of fund in Large-cap stocks Low to mid Medium to long term
Mid-cap At Least 65% of fund in Mid-cap stocks Mid to high Medium to long term
Small-cap At Least 65% of fund in Small-cap stocks High risk Long term
Thematic Funds At Least 80% of funds in a particular theme Concentration risk Depends on funds

Taxation for equity funds

Type of Capital Gains Holding Period Tax Rate
STCG (Short-Term Capital Gains) Shorter than 12 months 15%
LTCG (Long-Term Capital Gains) 12 months and longer 10% (LTCG up to 1 lakh a year are tax-exempt)

Debt Funds

Debt funds invest in corporate or government bonds, treasury bills, and other fixed-income securities.

Debt funds can be classified based on

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The type of securities they invest

Type Nature
GILT Funds They invest in Government bonds of varying maturities
Corporate Bond Funds They invest in corporate bonds
Banking and PSU Funds They invest in debts of banks, PSUs, PFIs

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The maturity of the securities they invest

Type Nature
Liquid Funds Money market instruments maturing within 91 days
Ultra-Short Duration Funds Debt securities maturing in 3–6 months
Low Duration Funds Debt securities maturing within 6–12 months
Short Duration Funds Debt securities with 1–3 maturity
Medium Duration Funds Debt securities with 3–4 years maturity
Medium-to-long Duration Funds Debt securities with 4–7 years maturity
Long-Duration Funds Long maturity debt (over 7 years)

Taxation for debt funds

Debt funds Holding Period Tax Rate
STCG Sold within 3 years Taxed according to slab rates
LTCG Sold after 3 years Taxed according to slab rates

The big question: Where should you invest?

Think about buying a car. What factors would you consider before making your decision?

  • Comfort
  • Aesthetics
  • Speed
  • Mileage
  • Fuel type (EV or Petrol)

There are a number of car models available, but not everything satisfies your expectations. It is almost the same with mutual funds, not every fund serves your purpose.

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Consider the following factors and keep your expectations clear:

  • Risk Appetite: Are you a dare devil ready for high risks, or do you prefer playing it safe?
  • Investment Duration or Purpose: How long can you commit your money, and what’s your investment goal, retirement, children’s education, or something else?
  • Return Expectations: Keep you expectations clear about kind of returns are you aiming for?
Type Risk appetite Investment duration Return expectations
Debt Fund Low – Medium Short – Mid term Low – Medium
Equity Fund Medium – High Mid – Long term Medium – High

Usually, an investor’s portfolio blends Debt and Equity investments based on their financial goals.

Where to buy mutual funds?

You can easily buy and track mutual funds on broker platforms like Coin by Zerodha, Groww, 5 Paisa, and more.

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