A Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) allow you to invest a fixed amount regularly to build wealth over time. If you want to start investing but need clarification about how SIPs work, this blog post explains everything you need to know in easy-to-understand language.
What is an SIP?
A Systematic Investment Plan or SIP is a method of investing money in mutual funds where you invest a small fixed amount regularly over time instead of a lump sum at once. The fixed periodic investment amount could be as low as Rs 500 monthly.
For example, you can invest Rs 2,000 monthly for 20 years or Rs 10,000 quarterly for 5 years. This fixed investment goes into a mutual fund scheme of your choice.
The Key Benefits of Investing Through SIPs
- Auto-Pilot Investing: The biggest benefit of SIPs is discipline and forcing you to save and invest every month without fail. The automatic and hassle-free process makes it easy to stay disciplined.
- Rupee Cost Averaging: By investing every month, you buy more units when the price is less and fewer units when price is high. This levels out and brings down your average cost per unit.
- Power of Compounding: Investing early and regularly means your money gets more time in the market to grow. The power of compounding makes your investments grow exponentially over long periods.
- Flexibility: You can choose any investment amount, date, and frequency based on what suits your financial situation – monthly, quarterly, etc. You can start small if you cannot invest much at once.
- No Entry or Exit Loads: SIP allows free entry and exit in funds anytime as SEBI has removed loads on SIPs.
How to Start SIP Investment?
Starting investment through SIP is a very easy process:
- Choose an SIP fund: Select a fund that matches your investment objective, risk appetite, etc. Review historical performance.
- Choose SIP amount & frequency: Decide monthly or quarterly SIP and amount as per your savings. Increase SIP amount later.
- Submit SIP form & begin: Fill a systematic Investment form with bank details & SIP details and submit it. SIP will auto-start on opted date.
- Track SIP performance: Review the account statement sent by fund house to track investment performance over time.
Things to Remember
While SIP investment comes with numerous benefits, few things to remember are:
- Don’t redeem or stop the SIP midway, especially when markets are volatile
- Top up/increase SIP amount whenever possible to accumulate higher corpus
- Prefer direct plans over regular plans as expense ratio is lower
- Always opt for dividend reinvestment plans to enjoy the power of compounding
Conclusion
Understanding SIP investments is vital to building a secure financial future. This systematic and disciplined approach to investing allows individuals to grow their wealth with time using the power of compounding. By embracing the simplicity and effectiveness of SIPs, investors can navigate the complexities of the market while achieving their financial goals and enjoying the benefits of long-term wealth accumulation.
About The Author
Dan Taylor
Dan is responsible for content marketing and branding at GuestPostBlogging. He writes about topics related to startup naming, branding and entrepreneurship.
