“Invest In Multiple Tranches”

One of the differences between previous financial crises and the current one is that this time more people are invested through mutual funds rather than direct stocks. greater awareness also means that people have been resilient in continuing with their investments so far. in an interview with Forbes India, Nilesh Shah, chairman of the association of mutual funds in India (Amfi) and Kotak amc managing director, speaks about the broader performance of the sector, growth in the number of mutual fund investors and on investing in uncertain times. edited excerpts:

- Nilesh Shah

Q On creating wealth

Since the mid-90s we have seen the development of mutual fund products as well as the distribution base, and over the years we have gone through various ups and downs. But by and large we have enabled fantastic wealth creation for our investors. Today, we have more than nine crore folios, over 2.25 crore unique investors, and a pan-India presence. Obviously our equities in January 20 were looking far better than in May 20, but most of the fund houses have done tremendous alpha creation in terms of outperformance over benchmark indices.

Q On investing in uncertain times

Our recommendation at any point of time has been to define your financial objective, have a good advisor and get a good plan. And then execute that plan with three guru mantras: Long term investment, regular investment and disciplined asset allocation. If you have a good financial plan, and follow the three mantras over a period of time, your financial objectives will be achieved.