In India, you can invest in equities through Mutual Funds (MF) or Portfolio Management Service (PMS).
Through PMS and MF, even though you invest in similar stocks, the implementation and management (of these two schemes) are different, and so are their portfolio construction strategies.
MFs, though designed by professionals, are not customized. PMS, on the other hand, focuses on personalized funds. The managers here have a collaborative strategy for their clients and create portfolios independently, focusing on each client.
The beginning limit of MF can be as low as Rs. 500, while the lowest limit for PMS hovers around Rs. 25 lakh, restricting its access to the common man.
However, should you try to invest in PMS along with Mutual Funds? Let’s find out!
Should You Go for One or Both of Them?
MFs and PMS are both guided investment tools that can help you buy stocks in the same general market. But both have very different approaches. In an MF, you can see a wider variety of stocks, sometimes more than 40-50. And because there are so many options, one can always choose as per their risk appetite and long-term financial goals.
On the other hand, PMS is much more curated in terms of taste and goals but is much costlier. Generally, PMS portfolios do not have more than 20-30 stocks at one time. Moreover, PMS is usually tailored per the investor to let them have more control over the composition of their portfolios than MFs. They also have fewer regulatory controls than MFs, making them riskier; however, their returns are much greater for the same reason.
The critical point here is that the lowest investment limit in PMS is Rs. 25 lakh, so they remain out of reach for most.
PMS allows portfolio customization based on your risk profile and your financial needs. Also, they are more flexible when it comes to investment. And that’s why PMS are more likely to outperform the markets and get you better returns.
Furthermore, PMS investment only needs to disclose information to the client; the same data is not available to the general public. But the same also makes it harder for one to compare other PMS products. On the contrary, all the data about MFs is public, making it much more transparent.
And even though PMS may offer high returns, they also attract higher fees and taxes.
