While earning money is essential for all individuals, learning to maximise returns is intelligent to deal with finances. Your future and lifestyle depend on several factors, including how you spend and save money. It is essential to keep track of and balance your expenses and income. With the rise in costs, you need to make wise financial decisions to meet your goals.

Equity Linked Savings Schemes or ELSS are considered one of the smartest ways of saving tax. They come with a dual advantage. Firstly, you can invest up to Rs. 1.5 lakh in it and receive a tax deduction under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act. Secondly, you can generate high returns as these funds invest primarily in Equity-linked instruments.

Benefits

When you invest in Mutual Funds online, you save tax on your hard-earned money and put it to work to generate further returns. These schemes are a type of Equity diversified fund investing a majority of the assets in Equity shares of companies. The fund manager attempts to generate higher returns with a well-diversified portfolio while protecting it from downside risks.

Considering the popularity, you should choose the fund that aligns with your investment objectives.

Selecting funds

While browsing the Mutual Fund app or website, choosing the fund suiting your risk capacity and meeting your investment goals is essential. When looking for the best tax-saving funds for investment, historical returns, fund manager experience, volatility, and expense ratio are essential parameters to consider.

While investing in Equity Mutual Funds, examine the risk-return profile of underlying assets. Large-cap funds are generally less volatile, and you can receive up to 12% to 15% annual return over the long term. Small-cap funds are risky but generate around 18% to 20% annual return over a long investment horizon. Mid-cap funds usually lie at the centre of the risk-return spectrum. Consider these factors for selection:

Consistency

Select Debt Funds with consistently good returns and avoid those with volatile swings in their performance. The key is to invest in funds performing well in upturns and downturns of the market.

Fund composition

All funds do not invest in the same instruments. Therefore it is essential to check the portfolio composition, fund manager style, and risk-return framework. Although you invest through a Systematic Investment Plan, you should know your overall strategy and risk capacity that suits your temperament.

Historical performance

While you invest in tax-saver funds, do not assume that the top-performing funds in the current year are the best. Look and analyse the historical performance of all funds before going a step beyond performance to check their style and stability.