ALL ABOUT MUTUAL FUNDS
As a CPA and an Auditor, I have been exposed to various investment products like bonds, stock market and even mutual funds, but all in the perpective of Corporate Finance and never in Perosanl Finance.
I used to think the such investments is only availble to big companies becuase you need to have a lot of money to invest.
However, when I joined IMG, I learned that investment like Mutual Funds are also available to the public and it's very convenient and at the same time affordable. So in order for youto not make the same mistake that I did,
I'm sharing with you all the things that i learned about investing in Mutual Funds.
What is a Mutual Fund?
A mutual fund is a type of financial vehicle made up of a pool of money collected from many investors to invest in securities like stocks, bonds, money market instruments, and other assets.
Mutual funds are operated by professional money managers, who allocate the fund's assets and attempt to produce capital gains or income for the fund's investors.
How Do Mutual Funds Work?
Different investors pool their money into a common fund in exchange for shares of stocks. A mutual fund investor is buying partial ownership of the mutual fund company and its assets.
The professional fund manager then invests the fund into various securities such as stocks, bonds and money market.
Income will be then earned from capital appreciation, cash and stock dividends, and interests from bonds.
The earnings will go back to the investors in proportion to their investment interest.
Different Types of Mutual Funds
Generally, there are four (4) types of Mutual Funds representing different types of securities they are invested in.
STOCK OR EQUITY FUND
Considered to be the most aggressive fund. 90% of the fund is invested in shares of stock of different companies traded in the stock market. This fund can potentially give an investor the highest return over a long-term, but it also has the highest risk.
BOND FUND
Also called Fixed-income fund. It is mostly invested in Corporate and Government Bonds and is considered to be the less aggressive compared to stock or equity fund. This fund is highly recommended for investors who do not want high risks.
BALANCED FUND
A combination of Stock and Bond Funds. It gives you the stability and security of a bond fund while it also gives you the opportunity of the stock fund. This is for investors with moderate risk tolerance.
MONEY MARKET FUND
Considered as the most conservative type of mutual fund which is invested in treasury bills. It has the lowest risk but also has the lowest return compared to the other types of mutual funds.
What are the Benefits of Mutual Funds?
- PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT - The best advantage you may get! A fund manager picks the right stocks or bonds to buy and sell sparing you from analysis, research and most of all, HEADACHE! This means that even if you dont have experience in investing, your investment can still grow.
- AFFORDABLE - Some mutual fund companies vary for their opening investments, some mutual fund companies offer as low as one thousand (1,000) pesos to open up your account and a minimum of five hundred (500) pesos for additional investments (though this is not required but again, it will depend on your goal).
- DIVERSIFICATION - There will always be risks in investing but one way to reduce risk is to diversify your portfolio. A mutual fund has a diversified investment portfolio that contains several types of investment securities to lower the risk.
- LIQUIDITY - Your money is always available. You don’t need to find a buyer because the fund itself will buy back its shares from you. Mutual fund shares can be redeemed and collected within 7 days at the prevailing Net Asset Value per Share (NAVPS).
- SAFETY - Mutual Funds are highly regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Moreover, securities are kept with a custodian bank separate from the management company. They also must submit regular reports to the SEC as well as to their shareholders and they are being audited by an external auditor every year.
- TAX EXEMPT - Whatever income or gain that we get by investing into a mutual fund shall be exempt from taxes.
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WHY DO WE NEED TO INVEST?
It's good to know about the basics of Mutual Funds however, we need to ask ourselves the right question "Why do we need to invest?".
1. BEAT INFLATION
Inflation is the decreasing purchasing power of our money.
The best example of this is buying a kilo of rice. 10 years ago, a kilo of rice would cost you around 25 to 30 pesos. But now, your 25-30 pesos can only buy you half-kilo of rice. This shows that the value of your money is decreasing.
The average inflation for the past 10 years in the Philippines is at 3% which means the value of money is decreasing by 3% every year.
If you are saving your money in a bank which give you a savings deposit interest of only
0.25% per year, this means that your money is decreasing in value by 2.75% per year and this is one of the reasons why we need to invest.
Through investing, we are giving ourselves an opportunity to earn interest that is higher than the inflation rate thus, our money will grow.
2. ACHIEVE OUR FINANCIAL GOALS
I believe that all of us have dreams and goals. We want to be wealthy, we want to have travel the world, or perhaps have a big retirement fund so we can enjoy our retirement years. A dream home for the family and the list is endless.
When do you plan to achieve these goals?
Investing is making your money work for you by way of compounding. For example, If your goal is to have 3 million retirement fund 20 years from now, then you need to save 12,500 every month to achieve that.
However, if you learn how to invest, you'll only need to invest 4,000 per month at an average rate of 10% per annum to achieve your GOAL.
That means you are saving an extra 8,500 for your other goals.
And this is where investments like Mutual Funds can help you.
What is the Advantage of an IMG Member when it comes to Investing in Mutual Funds?
One of the best things that I've learned over the course of my journey is the importance of having control over your finances and at the same time maximizing all available opportunities.
That is what IMG has given me and all its members in partnership with Rampver Financials.
For investing in mutual funds specifically, all members enjoy a lifetime zero-sales load.
What this basically means is that, when an IMG member invests in Mutual Funds, we are not charged with sales load fees/transaction fees.
Compared to other investors who are non-IMG Members wherein they are being charged with 1%-3.5% sales load for every transaction. (Please refer to the illustration)
This 3.5% is huge specially if you will be investing regularly. Let's say you are investing 5,000 per month (60,000 annually) for 20 years, the total amount that you will save will be Php42,000 which is huge compared to the one-time membership fee of Php5,500 Not only that, since you are not charged with any sales load fee, that also means you're buying more shares which is the key in investing. On top of the zero-sales load benefits, there are a ton of other benefits available to you. ( Click here to see all the IMG benefits ).
Watch our financial coaching video about Mutual Funds and discover the following:
- How Mutual Fund Works
- How Mutual Funds can help you achieve your goals..
- How to get started investing in Mutual Funds
DO YOU WANT TO INVEST IN MUTUAL FUNDS?
Be a Member of International Marketing Group and start investing in Mutual Funds.
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