As the first generation to grow up in the digital age, millennials have witnessed major economic shifts, digitalisation, technological advancements, and changes across the globe. With such transformations come changes in investment strategies. As such, it is important for millennials to take advantage of new investment strategies to grow wealth and establish long-term financial success. One such strategy is a ASystematic Investment Plan (SIP) in mutual funds.
An SIP offers a smart and disciplined way to invest which can help millennials automatically create a habit of investing regularly and cultivate a disciplined approach towards finances. It’s all about making small but consistent investments over time to create wealth and long-term financial security.
But just investing in an SIP is not enough. The key is using SIPs strategically to create a diversified and profitable portfolio. From selecting the right mutual fund to setting realistic investment goals and monitoring performance, there are important factors that millennials must consider. Discussed below are more such smart strategies to maximise SIP benefits and achieve long term financial growth.
- Link your SIPs to goals
Determine why you want to invest, how much you want to invest, and what your investment time frame is. Your goals can be to buy a dream house, fund your wedding, save for your child’s education, or retire early. When you link your goals to your SIP, you will have a clear idea of your investment journey. This will help you stay on track, prioritise your spending, and invest according to your financial priorities.
- Choose from different types of SIPs
Different types of SIPs have different features, benefits, structures, and risks.
For example, fixed or regular SIPs are the most common ones, where investors invest a fixed amount of money at regular intervals. Top-up SIPs allow the investor to increase the amount of investment periodically. Flexible SIPs allow investors to invest more or less than the predetermined amount. In triggered SIPs, investors use market movements as the basis for investment decisions, while perpetual SIPs continue until the investor decides to withdraw.
Understand the features and benefits of each SIP or take financial guidance to know how each one fits your investing style and investment objectives.
- Diversify with multiple SIPs
Diversify your portfolio across multiple asset classes and mutual fund investment plans. This helps you mitigate risks and also ensures that you don’t rely majorly on any one investment.
You can choose to invest in SIP plans separately for equity, debt, and gold mutual funds, as these asset classes provide different levels of volatility and return potential. Moreover, this approach helps millennials hedge against market fluctuations and uncertainties that could impact any one particular asset class.
- Step up your SIPs
As millennials enter their prime earning years, it becomes important to increase the SIP investments each year to earn inflation-beating returns. This can be done through step up SIP, where you gradually increase your investments over time.
This strategy is particularly useful for millennials who may not yet have a lump sum to invest but are committed to building their portfolios over time. So, as your income grows or financial capacity improves, you can increase your investment amount and reap the benefits of compounding.
Most important tip | Maintain a long-term approach
Investing in SIP is a long-term wealth-building strategy. A long-term approach gives your investments more time to grow and earn returns through the power of compounding. SIP also leverages rupee cost averaging, where you buy funds as per market conditions. This means you invest more when markets are low and less when they are high, reducing your investment risk.
Overall, short term fluctuations should not discourage you, as they can balance out when the market rebounds or stabilises with time.
