ICICI Prudential Nifty 50 Index Fund

Suitability

When you invest for five years or more, you can expect gains that comfortably beat the inflation rate as well as returns of fixed income options. But be prepared for ups and downs in your investment value along the way.

This is a fund that invests in big companies. Compared to those that invest in smaller companies, such funds tend to fall less when stock prices fall. Therefore, they are more suited to conservative equity investors.

Like for all equity funds, you must invest only through the SIP route. Click here to read a primer on SIP investing.

Warning: Do not invest in this, or any other large-cap fund, if you need to redeem your investment in less than five years.

Taxation

Capital Gains Taxation

• If the mutual fund units are sold after 1 year from the date of investment, gains upto Rs 1 lakh in a financial year are exempt from tax. Gains over Rs 1 lakh are taxed at the rate of 10%.
• If the mutual fund units are sold within 1 year from the date of investment, entire amount of gain is taxed at the rate of 15%.
• No tax is to be paid as long as you continue to hold the units.

Dividend Taxation

• Dividends are added to the income of the investors and taxed according to their respective tax slabs. Further, if an investor's dividend income exceeds Rs. 5,000 in a financial year, the fund house also deducts a TDS of 10% before distributing the dividend.