After earning money and spending money, the most important aspect of financing is saving.
But does saving money only mean keeping money in places like bank or post office? That is not the case at all.
If the inflation of the economy is understood, then based on this inflation rate, it can be said that the thing which is being bought for 100 rupees today cannot be bought for 100 rupees after a year.
So Bank’s Savings A/c or if money is kept at home then there is loss.
Investment is the only way to increase the value of money. Money should be made with money.
One such money investment platform is mutual fund. Basically, a mutual fund is created by pooling money from a large number of investors.
But, is the mutual fund so simple?
So, let’s have an idea then, how much is right or wrong to invest money in mutual fund.

1. Diversification of Money

If you invest money in different sectors then you have more chance of profit than loss. This is called diversified investment. Like, you can invest some of your savings in stock market, some bond market, some in gold, some in real estate and property. In simple words, spreading the investment within different asset classes.
Mutual funds offer a path where you can diversify your money. In mutual funds basically you give your money to the Asset management Companies (AMC) and they diversify your money with the expertise of reputed financial advisor.

2) Some Facts and Process of Mutual Funds
According to the Unit Trust of India Act (UTI Act, 1963), Government takes charge of mutual funds.
Initially, some Government banks and financial institutions like PNB bank, General insurance corporation came to RBI-administered mutual funds.
Later, when SEBI came in 1993, some private sectors also started to coming in mutual funds.
After that some international companies like Mongan Stanley, JP Morgan also came with their mutual funds to India.
★ Process
Trust→ Sponsors→Asset Management Company(AMC)→Fund Manager

• Trust – According to SEBI Rule mutual fund can be formed like a trust.
  So before starting mutual fund first mutual fund trust is created.
• Sponsors – After the trust, sponsors of the mutual fund are selected. These sponsors play a very important role in mutual funds. In addition to investing money, who will be the trustee in the mutual fund trust and all the matters related to the approval of SEBI are seen by the sponsor.
• Asset Management Company(AMC) – Asset management companies help you to diversify your money through mutual funds. Some examples of Asset Management Companies are SBI Mutual Fund, Tata Mutual Fund, ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund etc.
  The main task of AMC is to launch different schemes of mutual funds.
  AMC has the responsibility to share all the details with the investors before launching any scheme of mutual fund. The information shared by AMC before buying some parts of different shares called units becomes very important for investors.
• Fund Manager – In mutual fund, fund manager is basically a financial expert who has a research team with him. Some duties of fund manager are analyzing financial statements of various companies, looking at profit & loss, revenue & expenses etc. Moreover, this fund manager also talks with higher authorities of big companies.

3) Types of Mutual Funds
As per the variety of risk, mutual funds are divided into 3 main categories
I) Equity II) Debt III) Hybrid
I) Equity Mutual Funds – Equity mutual funds are generally those types of mutual funds where your money is invested in the stock market. Therefore, the risk and return of this category of mutual fund is high.
II) Debt Mutual Funds – Debt mutual funds are those types of mutual funds which are invested in debt instruments. Debt instruments are Bond, Debentures, Certificate of deposit etc.
This category of mutual fund has less risk and less return.
III) Hybrid Mutual Funds – Generally, hybrid mutual funds are a mixture of equity and debt mutual funds.
If most of the money is invested in debt funds then it is called Balanced Savings Fund.
Approx ratio is 60:40, 60=Low Risk, 40=High Risk
On the other hand if most of the money is invested in equity funds then it is called Balanced Advantage Funds.
Approx ratio is 60:40, 60=High Risk, 40=Low Risk

4) Difference between Mutual Funds and Stock/Share
By now you have got some idea about mutual funds. Now the question comes where you will invest, in the stock market or in mutual funds? Or both?
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced investor, these questions can give you a headache.
Let’s have an idea then.
Actually there is no direct answer whether mutual fund is better or stock/share. Totally depends on your situation.
If I tell the difference between these two, then maybe it will be convenient for you to understand the matter.

• Management
  Basically you have to control everything related to investment by investing directly in stock.
  On the other hand, by investing in mutual funds, you don’t have to see anything about the investment, you are getting the expertise of the fund manager.
• Diversification
  You can diversify your money by investing in mutual funds. There is no such opportunity to invest in shares or stocks.
• Knowledge and Business skills
  If you want to gain knowledge and develop future business skills, you can definitely invest in the stock market.
  On the other hand, since mutual funds are controlled by the fund manager, you don’t have to rush for knowledge. Developing business skills by investing in mutual funds is not so easy.
• Time and Surplus
  If you are a student and you have time to gain knowledge apart from other responsibilities, you can definitely think about stock market. Like time, if you have some money as surplus after other investments, then you can think of stock market. Because as a fresher, if you invest in stock, the possibility of loss is high in the beginning.
  On the other hand, since you don’t have to invest time in mutual funds and you can start investment with a very minimum amount, so there are not so many possibilities.
  All the conditions and differences are placed before you. Now you can decide based on your situation which is the best option for you to invest money.
  Advantages of Mutual Funds
• Probability of Huge Return – As per mutual funds category you are getting opportunity to participate from zero to high risk by investing money here. So in mutual funds there is a chance to get huge return. The more risk you take, the more return to get.
• Liquidity – Mutual funds are considered as one of the liquid assets that can be easily converted into cash. Scheme like Liquid funds provide an instant redemption facility. You can assume this alternative of savings account.
• Tax Benefits – In mutual funds there is a special type of scheme, called Equity Linked Savings Scheme(ELSS). By this scheme you will get tax benefit on profit under section 80C of IT Act.
• Diversification – As I said before, you can diversify your money in mutual funds by spreading the investment within different asset classes .
• Affordable Investment – If you want you can start mutual funds with very minimam amount of investment. By the Systematic Investment Plan(SIP) your money will be deducted as monthly debt from the bank and it can be any amount of money like 500 or 1000.
• Experts Guidence – In mutual funds you will get expertise of fund manager. This fund manager is diversifying your investment. So, you don’t need to take any headache related to investment.
  Disadvantages of Mutual Funds
• Choose Safty First – The investment of mutual funds is managed by the fund manager and they are salaried employees. So, they give more priority to the safe option in terms of investment. Because even if there is no profit, they don’t want it to be a loss. In case of loss, they have to answer to AMC and there is a risk of job loss.
• No Experiment – When the market is down, if the public withdraws money from the fund or sells its own mutual funds unit, then the fund manager is forced to withdraw money from the fund and give it to the public. In this case, the fund manager cannot experiment even if he wants to. Some mutual funds focus on how much fund has been collected rather than public profit.
• Entry and Exit problem – A good investment strategy can give results only when it is in your hands when to invest and when to withdraw.
  This is not always possible as the entry and exit is not in the hands of the fund manager.
• Liquidity Issue – Schemes like ELSS or fixed deposit alternative Fixed Maturity Plan come with some lock-in period. So you can’t withdraw money as per your wish.

Conclusion
Yes mutual fund investments are subject to market risks. But mutual funds offer a diversified and professionally managed approach. So, you can take a chance as per your requirements.
Mutual fund regulated by SEBI, so don’t worry about your money. However, before making any investment in mutual funds you should consult with financial advisors and be aware of market trends.