ICICI Prudential Global Advantage Fund (FOF)

Suitability:

This is a fund that invests mainly in shares of foreign companies. When you invest for five years or above, you can expect gains that beat the inflation rate and are also higher than fixed income options. But be prepared for ups and downs in your investment value along the way.

International equity funds are suitable to invest a part of your money for diversification, so that if the Indian markets are going through a sharp correction at least some portion of your money is insulated. But make sure you invest in the one that has a broad mandate of investing in companies of different sizes, sectors and countries.

Like 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 international equity fund, if you need to redeem your investment in less than five years.

Taxability of earnings:

Capital gains

• If the mutual fund units are sold after 3 years from the date of investment, gains are taxed at the rate of 20% after providing the benefit of inflation indexation.
• If the mutual fund units are sold within 3 years from the date of investment, entire amount of gain is added to the investors' income and taxed according to the applicable slab rate.
• No tax is to be paid as long as you continue to hold the units.

Dividends

• Dividends paid by the mutual fund scheme are taxed at the rate of 25% (effectively 29.12%, including surcharge and cess). This is known as Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT).Though the investor does not pay this tax directly, it is deducted from the dividend income before passing on to the investor.