Remember, diversification is the name of the game when it comes to investment. Just putting your money in FD will not help you get the best overall returns. You also need exposure to equities to get the growth in capital and beating inflation in the long run. Hence it is advisable to invest into both equities and debt. It will help you get higher returns from equities, while enjoying the capital safety offered by FD.
With the stock markets in the continuous downward spiral, it comes as no surprise that nobody wants to invest in equity markets. This crash in the share prices has proved to be a boon for the banks, whose fixed deposits (FDs) were ignored by the investors in favor of equities for higher returns. These banks came out with various FDs, offering attractive rates. This tempted many investors to opt for FDs. However every investor in FD must remember that FD is also an investment option and as with any investment option, it has its own pros and cons. So be prepared to get the complete overview of this investment option before opting for it.
What is an FD?
FD is also a term deposit. It is similar to a savings account, except that your money is locked in for a certain period, also called as term. Hence the name term deposits. However while you cannot access your money, the bank rewards you by giving you a higher interest rate than your savings account.
Is it the best investment option?
Remember, diversification is the name of the game when it comes to investment. Just putting your money in FD will not help you get the best overall returns. You also need exposure to equities to get the growth in capital and beating inflation in the long run. Hence it is advisable to invest into both equities and debt. It will help you get higher returns from equities, while enjoying the capital safety offered by FD.
What are the advantages of FD?
FD has various benefits that make it an ideal investment option for those looking for capital safety.
- Low risk: FD is comparatively lot safer than equities, as your deposit up to Rs. 1 lakh is insured by Deposit Insurance Credit Guarantee Corporation. So in case, if the bank fails, your money is still secured. This makes an FD an ideal investment option for senior citizens.
- Regular income: Unlike dividends given by the companies, the interest earned on an FD is fixed, as the rate of interest for the particular term is constant. Even if the rates increase or decrease subsequent to your opening an FD, your rate of interest will not be affected. So you are guaranteed a regular income, making it an ideal investment option for those looking for regular income.
- Availability of loan: Are you looking for a secured loan? Then you can avail of a loan by offering your FD as collateral. While your FD continues to earn interest, the rate of interest for the loan will be a few notches higher than that of the FD. Hence this type of loan works out cheaper than any other type of loan, since the bank has the assurance of claiming your deposit if you fail to repay the loan.
- Saves taxes: For those looking for an efficient tax saving investment option, FD is a good option. While ELSS has the shortest lock-in period of 3 years, your capital is not secured. On the other hand, PPF offers capital security, it has a lock-in period of 15 years. The tax saving FD offers the best of both the world, as your money is locked for just 5 years while your capital is safe.
Are there any drawbacks?
While FD does have a lot of pros, it does have its share of cons. Here are some of them:
- Erosion of worth of capital due to inflation: Inflation means the purchasing power of the money. When the inflation goes up, the purchasing power of money goes down. As the interest rates of the FDs are lower than rate of inflation, the purchasing power of your money deposited does go down. As a result, you end up eroding the worth of your capital.
- Tax liability: Except for the tax saving FDs, the interest earned is taxed. So you end up incurring tax liability. You are particularly affected if you are a high income earner.
What should I do?
The best option for you is to invest as per your goals. If you have any short term goals i.e. goals that have to be met within 3 years, like buying a car, or going on a holiday, then FD is your best bet. On the other hand, for long term goals like retirement planning or your child’s education, go for equities.
Whats the best way to invest so as to get a minimum monthly assured income of say Rs 35,000 per month at 2009 rupee value ?
Fixed deposits of Rs 52.5 laks @ 8% interest can fetch this income but the value of the income will fall every year with inflation.
Equities donot guarantee any short term income even by way of dividends.
Most mutual funds generally do not perform better than the market and if one has to go thru the exercise of selecting the best mutual fund, one might as well instead do the exercise of selecting the best equities.
With respect to statement of the author that "Tax liability: Except for the tax saving FDs, the interest earned is taxed. So you end up incurring tax liability." I believe that even interest earned on Tax Saving FDs are taxable and one should show that income of interest in his ITR. If you have any specific Section or rule which exempts this interest income please inform.