A mutual fund company is an investment company that receives money from investors for the sole purpose to invest in stocks, bonds, and other securities for the benefit of the investors. A mutual fund is the portfolio of stocks, bonds, or other securities that generate profits for the investor, or shareholder of the mutual fund. A mutual fund allows an investor with less money to diversify his holdings for greater safety and to benefit from the expertise of professional fund managers. Mutual funds are generally safer, but less profitable, than stocks, and riskier, but more profitable than bonds or bank accounts, although its profit-risk profile can vary widely, depending on the fund’s investment objective.
Most mutual funds are open-end funds, which sell new shares continuously or buy them back from the shareholder (redeems them), dealing directly with the investor (no-load funds) or through broker-dealers, who receive the sales load of a buy or sell order. The purchase price is the net asset value (NAV) at the end of the trading day, which is the total assets of the fund minus its liabilities divided by the number of shares outstanding for that day.
A Systematic Investment Plan or SIP is a smart and hassle-free mode for investing money in mutual funds. SIP allows you to invest a certain pre-determined amount at a regular interval (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.). A SIP is a planned approach towards investments and helps you inculcate the habit of saving and building wealth for the future.
A SIP is a flexible and easy investment plan. Your money is auto-debited from your bank account and invested into a specific mutual fund scheme. You are allocated a certain number of units based on the ongoing market rate (called NAV or net asset value) for the day.