Given the current volatile market condition should I restrict to low-risk investments in 2023?
For professional investors who place a higher priority on capital protection than big profits or interest on the instrument, there are a variety of low-risk investing solutions available
The first word of caution is that different groups of people define low risk differently, therefore it is important to measure carefully before categorizing something as low risk.
- A low-risk trading method for some new traders is a daily stop loss of Rs. 5,000.
- An effective low-risk method for the businessman is to invest in stocks that are not related to his industry.
- Low-risk investments for senior citizens can be stored in a PSU bank savings account. For middle-aged, dual-income earners, debt mutual funds may be an option.
- In order to investigate the choices for investing, let's first clarify what is meant by low-risk.
Low-risk Investment Options
- Bank deposits in reputed PSU or private sector banks up to 5 lacs as it is protected by the Deposit Insurance Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC)
- Post Savings Schemes
- Public Provident Fund
- Liquid & Money Market Fund of Mutual Funds
- Savings Account Balanced in ANy major Banks
- Guaranteed endowment & Money back policy of leading Insurance companies
- Senior Citizen Savings Schemes
- Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana scheme for girl child - 7.6% pa
- Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) - 7.4% pa
- Government Bonds & Treasury Bills
Highlights
- The indicative yield ranges between 4% and 7.6% per annum.
- You can select according to your needs and eligibility, albeit this depends on the investment's tenure and the investor type—for example, a senior citizen programme or a girl kid plan.
- The appropriate choice should be made if capital protection is the main investing goal and returns are only incidental because not all schemes are suitable for everyone.
- Liquidity is an additional consideration. The possibilities of schemes become limited if you ever need money. Most items on the list will work if it's intended for a long time, like 10-15 years.
- Low-risk investing are not the same as being risk averse, though
The summary of investment options with their qualitative parameters are as follows
| Investment avenue | Ind Yield pa | Ideal Horizon | beats inflation | Taxation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana | 7.60% | 15 years | Yes | yes |
| PMVVY | 7.40% | 10 years | Yes | yes |
| PPF | 7.10% | 15 years | Yes | yes |
| Liquid Funds | 4 - 5% | 7 days | Neutral | yes |
| Endowment Insurance Policys | 5 - 6% | 10 years | Neutral | yes |
| Bank FD | 6 - 7.5% | 1 years | Yes | No |
| Government Bonds | 7.30% | 10 - 30 years | Yes | No |
| Savings Account | 5 - 7% | 1 day | slightly | No |
| Post office Scheme | 4 - 6.6% | 2-3 years | Neutral | No |
| Treasury Bills | 4.70% | 6 - 12 months | Neutral | No |
Note: Indicative yield as of Dec 2022
You can review the above table anytime with current updated yield and use it as reference table to make a wise investment decision
So next time you hear or someone say its low-risk then you can up your antennae and check if what they say is what they mean before you leap forward to make your investment.
Happy Investing!