Indians are known to be excellent savers. From childhood, the habit of making savings is instilled. Children of all ages save coins in piggy banks to use at a later time. However, as one grows older, simply saving currency notes and coins is no longer sufficient. The individual’s long-term financial stability is determined by how the accumulated money is used.
If you save money without multiplying it at a certain rate, it will eventually lose value. Savings must be invested if they are to hold their value. There are various types of investment opportunities available such as saving schemes.
In India, financial institutions such as banks, non-banking finance companies, and asset management firms provide various investment options. One must keep an eye out for investment options that fit their risk tolerance and help them plan to achieve their life goals in the long run.
What Is A Savings Plan?
Savings Plans are traditional endowment life insurance plans that allow you to build a corpus systematically over time to meet your life goals. A saving scheme includes both insurance and wealth creation components. The life insurance coverage protects your loved ones in your absence, and the wealth creation component allows your investment to grow in the same way that investment plans do.
A saving scheme allows you to choose between a participating and a non-participating plan. A participating plan will enable you to take advantage of the policy’s benefits in the form of bonuses, and a non-participating plan comes with guaranteed returns. In a non-participating plan, the bonus is not applicable.
What Is An Investment Plan?
Investing directly can be risky because not everyone is equipped to analyze and forecast the performance of various assets. Investment plans are financial products designed to create wealth for investors over time if they invest in a disciplined manner.
Investment plans assist you in investing systematically in various asset classes, such as equity funds, debt funds, or a combination of both, in achieving future life goals. Professional fund managers manage the allocation in various funds, which reduces risk and multiplies wealth creation over time.
You can also choose to manage your funds if you have the necessary tools and are willing to do so. Based on your risk tolerance and life goals, there are various investment options available in India to meet your needs.
One factor to consider before deciding on the best investment strategy is the time frame in which you want to achieve your life goals. Inflation is something that must be considered as well, so it is necessary to make wise investment decisions to select an investment plan that will assist you in combating inflation.
How are saving plans different from investment plans?
The terms savings and investments are often used interchangeably. However, the critical distinctions between savings and investments are the investment horizon, risk, return on investment, and liquidity.
The same parameters distinguish savings plans and investment plans. There is, however, no clear distinction between savings and investment plans. Let’s look at the fundamental differences between savings and investment plans.
Period
A saving scheme can help you meet long-term goals and can also be used in the event of an emergency. Long-term commitments to assets such as debt funds, equity funds, or a combination of the two that generate returns over time are referred to as investments. Investments are made to protect and grow the value of savings over time.
Return Of Investment
Savings plans are classified into two types: participating and non-participating. Investing in the best saving scheme offers bonuses to long-term customers, whereas non-participating savings plans provide guaranteed returns. Investment plans are typically market-linked and offer higher returns over a longer time frame. As a result, to maximize your returns, you must stay invested for a more extended period.
Financial Risk
A saving scheme may be a good option if an investor is unwilling to take a higher risk and can instead stomach a moderate risk in the long run. As money is invested in market-linked products, the risks associated with investment plans increase.
Why Should You Choose a Savings Plan?
Investment plans are a popular choice for people with a sizable corpus who want to earn a high rate of return. Savings plans are the best option for people who have a low-risk tolerance. Here are a few reasons why you should choose a saving scheme.
• Lesser Risk: Savings plans are for people who do not want to take too much risk. Suppose you want to receive extra benefits such as a Bonus. In that case, you can invest in a participating savings plan, or you can simply choose a non-participating savings plan that offers guaranteed returns without any bonus component.
• Provides Additional Life Insurance Cover: A portion of the premium is used to pay for life insurance. The remainder is invested in a conservative portfolio of bonds and other fixed-income securities.
Why Should You Choose an Investment Plan?
Let’s go over some of the most important reasons for selecting an investment plan.
• Wealth Creation: Investment plans are a popular tool for accumulating wealth. If you stay invested in an investment plan, the money you put into it can multiply many times over. At the end of the investment period, the accumulated corpus can be used to achieve important life goals.
• Combats The Inflation Rate: India is a developing country with a high rate of inflation. If you do not invest your money in financial products that guarantee a specific rate of return, it is likely to lose a significant amount of value over time. Investment plans are designed to provide returns that outperform inflation, preserve the value of money, and grow the corpus so that your life goals are not jeopardized.
• Can Generate High Returns: Investment plans invest money in market-linked instruments, such as equity funds, debt funds, or a combination of the two, with the potential to generate higher long-term returns. Investment plans generate significant returns over time when combined with the power of compounding.
Wrapping It Up
Before committing to an investment plan, it is critical to identify the best saving plan options available for your circumstances. Conduct adequate research and invest in analysing your needs and the resources at your disposal. It is impossible to achieve the desired results without a long-term commitment. Invest wisely and in a disciplined manner to achieve your financial and life objectives.
