What is Stock SIP?
Stock SIP is a strategy wherein an investor invests usually a fixed amount at regular intervals in certain stocks. An investor chooses the stocks to do a stock SIP himself. Hence, if the stocks are not selected properly, a stock SIP may not provide the expected returns to him.
However, if done well, a stock SIP can help investors benefit from rupee cost averaging. In other words, when the stock market is low, their fixed regular investment will allow them to buy more stocks. Conversely, when the market is high, their regular investment will let them buy fewer stocks. Overall, they will be able to buy an average number of stocks. Therefore, they will not have to worry about finding the right time to invest.
What is Mutual Fund SIP?
Mutual fund SIP allows investors to invest usually a fixed amount in a mutual fund scheme at regular intervals. Here, an investor chooses the fund in which he would like to have an SIP. However, it is the fund manager who decides the stocks in which the investment will be made.
Like stock SIP, mutual fund SIP also allows investors to benefit from rupee cost averaging.
Stock SIP vs. Mutual Fund SIP: Which is More Effective?
In the case of a stock SIP, an investor has to select stocks to do an SIP. However, in the case of a mutual fund SIP, the fund manager picks stocks. As a fund manager is vastly more experienced than an average retail investor, he is likely to be much better at stock selection.
Hence, mutual fund SIP can be more effective than stock SIP, especially for new investors who are yet to learn the fundamentals of stock selection. Meanwhile, mutual fund SIP also offers higher diversification than stock SIP. This is because typically a mutual fund SIP invests in a higher number of stocks than a stock SIP.
Moreover, many mutual funds invest in debt securities and equities both. Hence if you do a mutual fund SIP, you can invest in more than one asset class, which is not possible with a stock SIP. Having explained which is more effective between a Stock SIP and a Mutual Fund SIP, let us discuss this topic further.
Factors to consider before choosing stock SIP
You need to have a thorough understanding of the stocks in which you want to do a stock SIP. Suppose you want to do a SIP in an infra stock and a banking stock. So, you need to understand infra and banking as sectors. Then, you should be able to analyse the individual stocks by checking their financials, valuations, etc.
Hence, stock SIP is inherently more risky than mutual fund SIP. Let us say that you select an infra stock and a banking stock after doing a lot of research. You will have to keep an eye on developments in these two companies so that you can change your portfolio if needed. Needless to say, stock SIP requires an investor to be extremely knowledgeable and skilful in terms of picking and tracking stocks.
Only those with these traits should consider stock SIP as an investment strategy.
Factors to consider before choosing Mutual Fund SIP
The most important thing is to select the right kind of fund to do a mutual fund SIP. Let us say that you are only 30 years of age and want to invest for the next 30 years, which is a long period.
You can also take high risk. Hence, you should find mutual funds to do a SIP, which are in accordance with your age, income & risk profile, and overall investment objective.
Before investing in a mutual fund SIP, you should also check the fund’s investment philosophy and its manager’s track record. Then, you must check a fund’s expense ratio, as it can affect your net returns. The higher the expense ratio, the higher the management and administrative fee you will have to pay to a fund.
While a mutual fund SIP is less risky than a stock SIP, it needs to be done after considering the factors discussed.
Tax Implications of Stock SIPs and Mutual Fund SIPs
Investments in Stock SIP and Mutual Fund SIP are governed by taxation rules, which are explained below:
Tax on Stock SIP
Tax on dividends: An investor has to pay two kinds of tax on dividends in a stock SIP. If a company pays more than ₹ 5,000 to an investor as a dividend in a financial year, it has to deduct 10% as tax deducted at source (TDS) from it. Moreover, the dividend actually received by an investor after deducting TDS is taxable based on his income tax slab in the case of a stock SIP.
Capital gains tax: An investor has to pay a 20% tax on short-term capital gains (STCG) in the case of a stock SIP. On long-term capital gains (LTCG), he has to pay 12.5% tax if the gains are higher than ₹ 1.25 lakh in a year.
Securities transaction tax (STT):
Tax on Mutual Fund SIP
Tax on dividends: An investor has to pay tax on the dividends he receives from a mutual fund SIP based on his income tax slab rate.
Capital gains tax: Tax on LTCG and STCG for mutual fund SIPs depends upon the nature of a fund and the type of gains. For example, if you have purchased units of an equity mutual fund or arbitrage fund after March 31, 2023, you have to pay a 15% tax on STCG and a 10% tax on LTCG without indexation benefit.
Securities transaction tax (STT):
Final Takeaway
While stock SIP and mutual fund SIP both have benefits, an investor has to choose which strategy suits him the best. If he has the skill to pick and track stocks, he can do a stock SIP. However, if he is not skilled enough, he should go for a mutual fund SIP. That said, whether he does a mutual fund SIP or a stock SIP, he should review his investments regularly so that he can take the right action when needed.