scorecardresearch12% returns on ELSS funds in past 10 years outpace those of PPF and bank

12% returns on ELSS funds in past 10 years outpace those of PPF and bank deposits

Updated: 30 Sep 2022, 10:14 AM IST
TL;DR.

Investment returns have a lot to do with where you invest and for how long you stay invested. ELSS funds are actually equity-related instruments that help you to benefit by parking money in various equities and then earning from the market. No doubt, there is inherent volatility but the returns are worth the risk taken.

Investing in ELSS funds would do a lot of good in creating wealth for you compared to traditional tax-saving schemes.

Investing in ELSS funds would do a lot of good in creating wealth for you compared to traditional tax-saving schemes.

Ask investors why they invest in equity-linked savings schemes (ELSS) and their first response would be in favour of savings on taxes. This may lead us to the question, “Why not park money in a public provident fund (PPF) account?”. The returns are also fixed, which relieves you of the tension due to market volatility. 

However, the fact that some investors look at ELSS funds only to avail of tax deductions under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961 reveals their ignorance of the significance of these funds in creating wealth.

The fact that parking money in ELSS serves your investment purpose apart from helping to save on taxes is unknown to many. However, many new investors also put money in these tax-saving funds as a stepping stone to investing their earnings in the equity market.

Earning from PPF investment

Assuming that you are 25 years old and contemplating putting 150,000 in your PPF account every year for the next 15 years. The current PPF interest rate is 7.1 per cent.

  • Yearly investment: 1,50,000 divided into 12 equal instalments of 12,500 each
  • Investment frequency: Monthly
  • Investment tenure: 15 years
  • Interest rate: 7.1 per cent
  • Maturity amount: 39,44,599

Instead of parking money in PPF, put the same in an ELSS fund for the coming decade. The one benefit of investing in ELSS funds is that you do not have to stay invested for the next 15 years, which means that you can just park money for the mandated lock-in period, i.e., three years. The three-year lock-in period helps investors weather the stock market volatility while returns from its portfolio ensure it considerable protection against downside risk.

However, if you are willing to benefit from market returns, you can continue to put your money for a decade. Thereafter, you can put the money in some debt fund or fixed deposit to earn six per cent risk-free returns.

The following table highlights how much you can gain by putting money in ELSS funds for at least five years.

Monthly Investment 

(in Rs)

Name of the Fund

Three-year Returns 

(in %)

Corpus Accumulated 

(in Rs)

Five-year Returns 

(in %)

Corpus Accumulated 

(in Rs)

12,500Quant Tax Plan 42.308,45,92024.3014,38,044
12,500Canara Robeco Equity Tax Saver Fund22.306,32,51116.9411,67,825
12,500Mirae Asset Tax Saver Fund20.606,15,66216.1511,42,649
12,500IDFC Tax Advantage (ELSS) Fund22.876,38,28714.4010,89,216

You may choose to withdraw your corpus immediately after the lock-in period or after five years or continue investing for more wealth creation. Most equity-based instruments offer 12 per cent returns over 10 years. This means that instead of withdrawing the money, you can also let it stay invested to continue earning on the accumulated corpus. Alternatively, you can withdraw your money after three or five years and put the money in bank deposits at the current six per cent rate.

The following table compares returns on continued investments on the corpus in ELSS funds for the next five years versus the withdrawal of the amount for investment in bank deposits. For ease of calculation, let us assume that an investor has accumulated a 10,00,000 corpus through ELSS in five years.

 

Opening investment balanceNature of investmentExpected interest rateTotal value of the returns
10,00,000ELSS12% 31,05,848
10,00,000Fixed Deposit6% 18,14,018

There is more to putting money in ELSS funds than just saving on taxes. Investing money is about seeing your money grow. This is only possible when you know that you have invested in some well-chosen fund. 

Article
PPF vs ELSS
First Published: 30 Sep 2022, 10:14 AM IST