Evaluation of mutual fund factsheet

When one wish to invest in mutual funds schemes; it is important to know as much as possible about the fund house, about the schemes, where your money will be invested etc. Most Asset Management Company (AMCs)  usually publish monthly reports (also called factsheets) that contain critical information related to the portfolios, at times a roundup on debt and equity markets from the fund manager and performance details of the schemes managed by the AMC. However, in many cases, factsheets are not up to the mark leaving much scope for improvement and even standardisation.

Here are the 4 key points of evaluating mutual fund factsheet:

• Performance: The past performance is not the parameter to decide the future performance; however it gives you a rough idea about how that particular scheme may perform in the future. So the first is to illustrate if a scheme has been there for 3 or more years. Compare the funds return with its benchmark index and with the market return.

• Asset allocation: The factsheet can hint certain insight into the fund management approach. Consider the top 10 stocks in the fund’s portfolio to determine the diversification. Fund should follow not more than 5% asset allocation in single stock ensuring its top 10 stocks are well diversified along with sectorial diversification. The asset allocation table tells you how the fund’s net assets are diversified across stocks, current assets/cash. An equity fund’s allocation to cash should be noted. Being in cash could work in the fund manager’s favour if the market crashes, but a higher cash allocation works against the fund during a rising market.

• Expense ratio: Expense ratios are mandatory to be stated in the factsheet as they can significantly affect returns. It is the cost of running and managing a mutual fund scheme which is charged to the investor. A fund with a solid track record but a higher expense ratio (regulations cap this at 2.50% for equity and 2.25% for debt funds) may be better than one which charges less but gives poor returns.

• Fund manager: It is mandatory to know who takes decision of managing your money. Understand the expertise of your fund manager and find out their track record which helps you worry less about your investments. Over the long-term, it is better to have your money managed by a group of fund managers, rather than a single fund manager.