Here’s a comprehensive list of investment options available in India, categorized by risk level and type of return:
✅ Low-Risk Investment Options (Stable Returns)
- Public Provident Fund (PPF)
- Government-backed, 15-year lock-in, tax-free returns.
- Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF)
- Retirement benefit for salaried employees.
- National Savings Certificate (NSC)
- Fixed income, 5-year tenure, interest taxable.
- Post Office Monthly Income Scheme (POMIS)
- Monthly returns, government-backed.
- Senior Citizens’ Savings Scheme (SCSS)
- For 60+ years, regular income with tax benefits.
- Tax-Saving Fixed Deposits
- 5-year lock-in FDs eligible for Section 80C deductions.
- Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY)
- For girl children, high interest, tax-free.
- RBI Bonds (Floating Rate Saving Bonds)
- 7-year bonds issued by RBI, taxable interest.
📈 Moderate to High-Risk Market-Linked Investments
- Equity Mutual Funds
- Actively managed funds investing in stocks.
- Debt Mutual Funds
- Invest in bonds, government securities, and fixed-income instruments.
- Hybrid Mutual Funds
- Mix of equity and debt for balanced risk.
- Direct Equity (Stocks)
- Buying shares directly in stock markets.
- Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)
- Index-linked funds traded on exchanges.
- Unit Linked Insurance Plans (ULIPs)
- Insurance + investment with market exposure.
🏠 Real Estate & Physical Assets
- Residential or Commercial Real Estate
- Long-term asset appreciation and rental income.
- REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts)
- Invest in real estate without owning property.
- Gold (Physical or Digital)
- Jewelry, coins, bars.
- Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs)
- RBI-issued, interest-bearing, and capital gain exempt.
- Gold ETFs / Gold Mutual Funds
- Paper-based gold investment.
📊 Other Investment Avenues
- National Pension System (NPS)
- Retirement-focused, market-linked, partially tax-exempt.
- Systematic Investment Plan (SIP)
- Regular investment in mutual funds.
- Recurring Deposit (RD)
- Monthly deposit, fixed interest, bank or post office.
- Fixed Deposits (Bank/Corporate)
- Lump-sum deposit with fixed return, low risk.
- Corporate Bonds & NCDs (Non-Convertible Debentures)
- Debt instruments issued by companies.
- Startup or Angel Investment
- High risk, high return for accredited investors.
💡 Tax-Saving Investment Options (Under Section 80C)
- PPF
- ELSS (Equity Linked Savings Scheme)
- NSC
- Life Insurance Premium
- Tax-saving FDs
- EPF
- ULIPs
- SSY