Sometime back, I encountered a mythological tale from the Mahabharata depicting the narrative of Draupadi, who married five husbands. The story told how Draupadi had asked Shiva for a husband with five qualities – virtue, strength, learning, charm and wisdom. Since no single man could possess all five traits, Shiva gave her five husbands, each with one trait. Similarly, in investing, we would like to have a singular option that provides a plethora of benefits, such as higher returns, reduced risk, professional management, no lock-in period, and accessibility. Luckily, here we have mutual funds to our rescue. Let’s look at mutual funds, how they work, and the mutual fund fees and expenses to consider before you embark on your investing journey!
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What is a Mutual Fund?
A mutual fund is a trust that pools the savings of several investors who share a common investment rationale. Fund managers associated with schemes manage the investors’ money by investing in securities to generate returns and charge fees for that return generated. The remaining return is passed on to the investors. A mutual fund investment involves several expenses, and you, as an investor, should be aware of these fees.
What are the fees associated with Mutual Fund Investment?
Here are all the mutual fund fees and expenses that you need to be aware of before you start your SIP (monthly) or place a one-time order.
Entry load
Entry load is the amount or fees an investor pays while entering the scheme. Entry load is collected to cover costs of distribution by the company. Earlier, different mutual fund houses charged different fees as entry load. However, according to the latest SEBI regulations, no fund house can charge an entry load from investors.
Exit load
Exit load is the amount that Asset Management Companies (AMCs) charge when an investor is exiting or redeeming their funds. It is a fee charged by the fund house as a penalty for an early exit. The primary objective behind these fees is to discourage investors from pulling out their investments too early. The exit load differs from scheme to scheme. Generally, in India, equity schemes attract an exit load of 1% if the units are redeemed within a year from the date of allotment.
Transaction charges
This charge is levied on an individual when they make investments. On average, a transaction cost of 100- 150 is levied on investments worth 10,000 and above. If investments are less than 10,000, then it does not attract these charges. Further, the government collects 0.005% of the overall purchase amount of all mutual fund schemes as stamp duty.
Expense ratio
The expense ratio is the fees mutual fund companies charge to manage the mutual funds. It is expressed as a percentage of total capital invested. An expense ratio for an actively managed portfolio generally lies in the range of 0.5% to 0.75%; an expense ratio greater than 1.5% is considered very high.
For example, if the expense ratio is 0.5%, it implies that an annual payment is Rs. 50 is charged for every 10,000 invested. Here, it is essential to understand that the expense ratio is an annual fee charged if an investor retains ownership of the fund annually. Though presented as an annual fee, the amount is deducted daily on a pro-rata basis. When investors invest in regular schemes through distributors or brokers, AMCs pay these mediators a commission, hence in such cases the expense ratio will be higher.
Taxation on capital gains provided by Mutual Funds
Knowing about taxes on your mutual fund investments is crucial. Profits from mutual fund investments are taxable. The holding period and type of mutual fund affect the tax rate on capital gains. The holding period refers to the time investors hold units in mutual funds.
Summary of Taxation of Mutual Funds for units to be acquired on or after 01st April 2023
| Particulars | Allocation of the Scheme to Domestic Equities is | ||
| Less than or equal to 35% | More than 35% but less than or equal to 65% | More than 65% | |
| Type of Capital Gain | Short term irrespective of the holding period | Long term if units are held for more than 36 months | Long term if units are held for more than 12 months |
| Tax Rate | Slab rate | LTCG^ – 20% with the benefit of indexation | LTCG – 10% of gains exceeding Rs. 1 lakh without indexation benefit |
| – | STCG^ – Slab Rate | STCG – 15% | |
STCG – Short-Term Capital Gain and LTCG – Long-Term Capital Gain
Remember to account for fees and expenses when investing. Awareness about all the charges you pay throughout your investment journey is necessary. Understanding these costs is crucial because it ensures transparency, impacts returns, helps manage costs and aids risk assessment. Thereby helping you better plan your financial goals.
