We all want fast success or achievement in this modern era we are living in. Despite understanding that perseverance and self-control would provide greater results, we want to complete all of our responsibilities as soon as possible. We want to get the maximum potential returns in the shortest amount of time. It is for this reason that we are constantly on the hunt for the greatest investment strategies that are capable of doubling or tripling the amount we have invested.
While certain investment programs can assist you in multiplying your money, selecting those investment items can be difficult. Furthermore, it may take longer than expected to get the intended results. To effectively manage your money, you must align your readily accessible investment plans with your investing horizons and level of risk tolerance.
Organize your fiscal objectives into three categories to help you choose the most advantageous plans for investing in your portfolio: short-term, medium-term, and long-term. This will give you an indication of how many hours you’ll need to complete the task. Following that, you can select from all of the possibilities based on your risk tolerance.
More significantly, I’m going to discuss with you how you can combine several investing possibilities to create the best investment strategy for you.
The role of investments for people and organizations
People and organizations alike can greatly benefit from picky decisions regarding investments. Individuals can earn money, attain monetary independence, and safeguard the prospect of future prosperity through investment. Investments additionally have the potential to assist individuals to guard against inflation, reduce their tax costs, and grow earnings more evenly. Investments can help organizations increase their level of competition, share of the marketplace, and business expansion. Through financial investing, they can develop their brand, attract better staff, and acquire accessibility to other markets. That is precisely why investment is important for your organization’s advancement and achievement.
Long-Term Investment Strategies
Your long-term targets are those that you hope to achieve within the following 7–10 years. As a result, when looking for the greatest possible investment alternatives, you may select possibilities that are unstable but have the prospect of offering large returns over time.
That being stated, you must evaluate how much instability you can tolerate and then pick your investing alternatives wisely. Let’s take an in-depth look at a handful of the investment possibilities that can meet your long-term investing goals, as well as the risks and rewards they can provide.
- Direct Investment or Equity
Investing in equities is one of the finest strategies to build financial security for a long-term objective. There are many instances of equities that have increased the financial position of investors over time. As an illustration, in the preceding 15 years, the Indian NBFC Bajaj Finance generated an annualized return of more than 41%.
As of January 2023
For the purpose of putting this return into context, a Rs. 10,000 investment in Bajaj Finance in January 2007 might have reached a value of Rs. 18 lakh in January 2023. It means that your financial resources would have risen 180x.
Many other stocks, such as Bajaj Finance, have become popular as wealth builders for investors as well. However, many businesses have proven to be fraudulent.
In a nutshell, while stocks offer enormous potential to increase the value of your investment over time, the hazards of investing in equities are equally substantial.
You may make investments directly in company stocks. The actual issue, however, lies in discovering the appropriate stocks. With over 5,000 stocks available on Indian stock exchanges, selecting the proper stocks is undoubtedly difficult.
- Equity Mutual Funds
Have guidance from professionals and broaden your investments across numerous stocks to lower your risk of staying away from wealth destruction. Outlined is the point where equity mutual funds get closer into play.
An equity mutual fund invests mostly in stocks. However, they do not focus their funds on just one or two stocks. These funds spread your money among several stocks. In addition, these funds are managed by expert investment professionals. As a result, they only invest the funds you provide after thorough study. As a result, it boosts your chances of making strong long-term profits.
Following are some of the most widely used equity fund types, as well as their performance over the long run.
| Name | 5 Year Returns (%) | 10-Year Returns (%) |
| Large Cap | 10.51 | 12.26 |
| Large & MidCap | 9.48 | 14.68 |
| Flexi Cap | 9.35 | 13.21 |
| Mid Cap | 9.96 | 16.647 |
| Small Cap | 10.57 | 18.37 |
| ELSS | 9.36 | 13.96 |
- Real estate investment
It is without a doubt one of the finest and most common choices for investments for Indians. Nonetheless, while real estate investments have historically generated spectacular profits, they come with a particular set of challenges and limits. One of the primary concerns with real estate is the possibility that you might never be able to sell it quickly. In addition, if you are in a hurry to sell the real estate, you can opt to deal at a steep discount.
Furthermore, even if the amount of money required is less than the value of the property, you must sell the entirety of it in order to receive the funds.
- Gold Investment
Since the dawn of civilization, gold has been a representation of riches. Nowadays as well, it retains its luster as an investment alternative that can outperform inflation.
The traditional method of purchasing yellow metal has been gold in its physical form. However, it has constraints such as additional manufacturing or design fees or storage costs. To eliminate these constraints, you can purchase gold using mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
In terms of long-term return on investment, gold has formerly not offered the same great returns as equity investments.
| Return Comparison (Gold Vs. NIFTY 50 TRI) | ||
| Investment Period | Gold Returns (%) | NIFTY 200 TRI Returns (%) |
| 5 years | 12.72 | 12.22 |
| 10 years | 5.35 | 12.91 |
| 15 years | 10.36 | 8.92 |
However, the market value of gold normally rises when individuals seek safe-haven investments during a crisis. As a result, they are an excellent hedge against inflation or equities.
- PPF and other small savings plans
For consumers who wish to engage in very secure investment choices, the government has launched a slew of small-savings programs. These schemes provide investors with guaranteed profits with limited instability. However, your returns are smaller than those of market-linked instruments such as NPS, mutual funds, or stocks.
Having said that, small savings plans often outperform inflation as well as FDs by a wide amount. Small-scale long-term savings plans consist of the PPF, Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS), Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, and Kisan Vikas Patra.
The table below displays a number of the small savings programs ideal for long-term investments, as well as their potential returns.
| Instrument | Rate Of Interest | Compounding Frequency |
| Senior Citizen Savings Scheme | 8% | Quarterly and Paid |
| Public Provident Fund Scheme | 7.1% | Annually |
| Kisan Vikas Patra | 7.2% | Annually |
| Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme | 7.6% | Annually |
- National Pension System
The National Pension System (NPS) is a long-term investment plan geared towards your golden years. It is a combination of assets such as stocks, government bonds, and corporate bonds. Depending on your risk tolerance, you can select the size of the funds you have to invest in distinct categories of assets.
- Unit-Linked Insurance Plan
A unit-linked insurance plan (ULIP) is a type of insurance that includes life insurance and investment. A portion of your premiums gets invested in asset types such as stocks and bonds to develop wealth over time. Another portion of your premium is allocated to life insurance.
ULIPs have a history of charging excessive costs. New ULIPs, on the other hand, do not have such hefty charges. They do, however, have a 5-year commitment.
Best Investment Strategies for the Medium Term
Objectives for the medium term are those that are 3-5 years in the future. Preparing for a wedding, a downpayment on a property, house renovations, and so on are examples of medium-term goals.
For those medium-term goals in finance, you must have alternatives to investing that can outperform inflation while being relatively stable. Here are some investing possibilities that can help you meet your medium-term financial objectives.
- National Savings Certificates
The National Savings Certificate (NSC) is a government-backed post-office savings instrument. It functions similarly to a 5-year FD. As a result, your NSC savings will come to maturity in 5 years, and you will be earning 7% of your annual income. However, the total amount is only payable upon maturity.
Therefore, if you have a 5-year objective in mind, NSC represents one of the safer choices for investments. However, it has constraints such as a 5-year lock-in period and lower returns when compared with debt funds or hybrid funds.
- Postal Service Time Deposit
Post offices, like banks, offer FDs. These investment alternatives, known as National Savings Time Deposits, let you save your money for short-to-medium time periods. National Savings Time Deposits have the feature of providing higher returns than banks. This is without any added risk because these programs are supported by the Indian government.
The table below illustrates the returns on post-office time deposits for different time frames.
| Tenure | Post Office Time Deposit Interest Rate | SBI FD Interest Rate |
| 1 year | 6.6% | 6.75% |
| 2 years | 6.8% | 6.75% |
| 3 years | 6.9% | 6.25% |
| 5 years | 7.0% | 6.25% |
- Medium-Term Debt Funds
There are up to 16 different types of Debt Funds. All of these Debt Fund classifications differ in terms of the amount of risk they assume and the amount of return they seek. As a result, you must be certain of your objectives before selecting the best Debt Fund for you.
For a medium-term goal, there are three Debt Mutual Fund types that provide the right balance of risk and return.
- Banking & PSU Funds
- Corporate Bond Funds
- Short Duration Funds
are the three Debt Mutual Fund subcategories.
- Hybrid Investment Funds
Such mutual funds invest in multiple asset classes. The most common asset class combo used by these funds is equity and debt. However, several hybrid funds also invest in gold or real estate. The benefit of these products is that investors can benefit from both the expansion potential of equity and the financial security of debt in one vehicle.
Top Short-Term Investment Options
When looking for the most advantageous short-term investing plans, you have to think about two critical factors. To begin, you must reduce the risk associated with the investment. In addition, the money you invest must be easy to access.
- Fixed Deposits (FDs) at Banks
Fixed deposits are one of the most popular investment alternatives in India since they provide guaranteed returns. FDs operate in a straightforward manner. You put your funds in the bank, which guarantees you a specific return on what you originally invested at the completion of the term.
While FDs are one of the most secure investment options, they do have some substantial drawbacks. FD post-tax returns hardly outperform inflation. This means that if you make investments in FDs, you are effectively generating negative returns and destroying your capital over time. Furthermore, FDs charge penalties if you take your money before it reaches maturity. As a result, the liquidity of FDs is also a key limitation.
- Debt Funding for the Short-Term
The three Debt Fund classifications that match nicely in your short-term investing baskets are Debt Funds for Short-Term Liquid Funds, Ultra-Short Duration Funds, and Money Market Funds. These are extremely low-risk items. They are also more accessible to investors than conventional instruments such as FDs.
How Will You Choose the Best Investment Strategy?
All of the investment options we’ve explored thus far assume varying degrees of risk and seek varying rates of return. None of the financial solutions are a one-stop shop for all of your investment needs. To reach your objectives, you must meticulously construct a portfolio of several different types of investments depending on your risk tolerance, investment perspective, and expected return.
On the other hand, determining your risk tolerance profile, the best investment possibilities, the best exit strategy, and so on is seldom difficult. To successfully cope with these critical financial decisions, you need the continual assistance of an expert.