The Kushvaha family bets big on equity, but debt assets are a must to ward off volatility, says Suresh Sadagopan, Founder of Ladder 7 Financial Advisories.

The gap between total investments into FDs in comparison with other investment alternatives such as equities is sharply declining. So, should one move their deposit money into mutual funds to earn higher returns?

In spite of costly personal loans and zero equity exposure, the Sharma family is ready to get in the groove, says Financial Planner Pankaaj Maalde.

Mutual Fund Industry's AUM (Asset Under Management) has grown from Rs 7.01 trillion as on 31st March, 2013 to Rs 23.26 trillion as on 30th April 2018. That's more than three-fold increase in a span of 5 years! The total number of accounts, or folios as per mutual fund parlance, as on April 30, 2018 stood at Rs 7.22 crore, while the number of folios under Equity, ELSS and Balanced schemes - where the maximum investment is from retail segment - has crossed a landmark of Rs 6 crore and stood at Rs 6.03 crore, according to data released by Association of mutual funds of India (AMFI).

Investors today have a widevariety of options available, a lot of which can fulfill all their investmentcriteria such as high returns, low risk, maintaining liquidity of portfolio andadvantage of tax saving. Public Provident Fund (PPF) and Mutual Fund (MFs) aretwo such investment schemes.

Investing is a technique of building wealth, but it's not only for the wealthy. Anyone can start investing, and various flexible vehicles make it easy to begin with small amounts, and building a portfolio eventually.

Both growth and dividend options of equity schemes benefited from zero taxation earlier if held for more than 12 months. The recent DDT now makes the growth option preferable as investors can continue to claim exemption on capital gains up to Rs 1 lakh from all sources. Under the dividend option, any dividend paid by the scheme will attract 10% tax, irrespective of the amount.

The government too has played a significant role in digitization through extensive efforts in financial inclusion - spreading financial awareness to the remotest parts of country and bridging geographical difference.

How to build a portfolio to match your age, lifestyle and income

Equity Linked Saving Scheme (ELSS) is a tax-saving mutual fund, which qualifies for deduction of up to Rs 1.5 lakh under section 80C of the income tax act. It has a lock-in period of three years with long term capital gains over Rs 1 lakh being taxed at 10%. Watch BusinessToday.In video to know the factors you should consider before investing in this instrument.

With interest rates on taxable fixed income products coming down, PPF remains an attractive alternative for allocating the debt portion of one's investment portfolio. Currently, PPF investment is earning interest at the rate of 7.6% p.a. (interest rates are subject to reset by the government on a quarterly basis.)

While the Sensex logged 11.30 per cent gains, the Nifty rose 18.55 per cent during the last fiscal.

According to analysts, ULIPs usually start delivering higher returns than mutual funds after 10 years of investment. During the first five years, ULIP charges eat into returns from your investment.

Zero exposure to growth assets is the biggest issue that the Roys face, but small and steady investments in equity funds will help create wealth for long-term goals, says Financial Planner

Sandhar Technologies' IPO comprises fresh issue of equity shares worth Rs 300 crore and an offer for sale of up to 64 lakh scrips. The company plans to use a portion of the net proceeds towards repayment of certain loan facilities and for other general corporate purposes.

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