Skip to main content

What are hybrid mutual funds and how are they taxed?


What are hybrid mutual funds and how are they taxed?
Every investor is different. There are some who like taking risks and enjoy the potential of high returns. On the other hand, there are some who are very conservative in terms of taking risks. They don’t mind the low returns as long as they are assured of capital security. Then there are those who are in the middle of the risk spectrum. They are not too aggressive neither too conservative. They look for moderate risks with moderate returns.

To suit the investment preference of these different types of investors, mutual funds come in different variants. One such variant is the hybrid mutual fund which is suitable for moderate investors who lie in the middle of the risk spectrum. Let’s understand the concept of hybrid mutual funds and their tax implications –
What are hybrid mutual funds?
Hybrid funds are mutual funds which invest in both equity as well as debt instruments. The return potential of equity investment is added to the stability of debt investments in hybrid mutual funds giving investors the best of both worlds.
Types of hybrid mutual funds
Hybrid mutual funds are further divided into different categories based on the asset allocation of the portfolio of the fund. These sub-categories of hybrid funds include the following –
Balanced funds
Balanced funds are those funds where at least 65% of the portfolio is invested in equity and equity-oriented instruments. The remaining is invested in debt and money market instruments.
Monthly Income Plans
These funds are those which invest at least 65% of their portfolio in debt and debt related instruments. 15% to 20% of the portfolio is invested in equity. Monthly Income Plans (MIPs) allow investors regular returns through dividends. Investors can choose the frequency of receiving dividends based on their requirements. Moreover, there is also a growth option where, instead of receiving regular dividends, the portfolio grows as per the market movements. So, MIPs might give regular incomes or might not depending on the fund option the investor chooses.
Arbitrage funds
In these funds, the fund manager buys the assets of the portfolio in the cash market and sells them in futures or derivatives market at a higher price to generate returns. If, however, arbitrage opportunities are not available, the fund managers invest in debt instruments or cash.
Taxation of hybrid funds
The tax treatment of investing in hybrid funds depends on the asset allocation of the fund. If the fund is equity-oriented, it is treated as an equity mutual fund and taxed accordingly. If, on the other hand, if the fund invests 65% or more of its assets in debts, the fund is treated as a debt mutual fund and taxed accordingly. So, here are the tax implications of different hybrid funds –


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Group v/s individual maternity health plans- what you should know

Group v/s individual maternity health plans- what you should know Maternity coverage is an essential coverage that one seeks in a health insurance plan. This can cover a wide range of medical expenses related to pregnancy such as pre-natal check-ups, hospitalization expenses during delivery and post-natal care and expenses of newborn baby etc. In most of the group health insurance plans offered by the employer, maternity coverage is automatically included. Maternity cover is also offered as an add-on rider to individual health plans by many insurance providers to give financial backup during the crucial phase of pregnancy. Let’s take a look at both the plans to understand what should be chosen to have a wider range of coverage. What is a group health plan with maternity cover? Group health insurance is a health plan that particularly covers a group of people like employees of an organization or of a society. Basically, it is the  health insurance plan  offered by th...

What is Primary Market?........................

What is primary Market? A primary market issues new securities on an exchange for companies, governments and other groups to obtain financing through debt-based or equity-based securities. When a company decides to go public for the first time by raising an  Initial Public Offering (IPO) , it is done in the primary market. Since the securities are sold for the first time here, a primary market is also known as the New Issue Market (NIM). During an  IPO , the company sells its shares directly to the investors in the primary market. The entire process of raising investment capital by selling new stock to investors through an IPO is known as underwriting.  Once the shares are sold, they are bought and sold by traders in the secondary market.

Basic of Mutual Fund......

MUTUAL FUND A mutual fund is a professionally managed  investment fund  that pools money from many investors to purchase  securities . A mutual fund is formed when capital collected from different investors is invested in company shares, stocks or bonds. Shared by thousands of investors (including you), a mutual fund is managed collectively to earn the highest possible returns. The person driving this investment vehicle is a professional fund manager. Mutual funds have become a very popular avenue for investment for many investors because of the benefits that they have. They allow investors market-linked returns, diversified risks through asset allocation, affordability through SIPs and ease of liquidity. Given these benefits and the potential of attractive returns, investors choose to invest their disposable savings in mutual funds. Mutual funds come in many different variants and when it comes to choosing the best fund, investors are often confuse...