Due to the volatility in the equity market, investors are not keen to invest in ELSS to save taxes this year. Alternatively, these individuals can take a look at Templeton India Pension Fund and UTI retirement Benefit Pension Fund. These debt oriented schemes offer some exposure to equity as a tool to accumulate retirement corpus in the long run. These are low- cost and low-volatility products that are expected to offer returns better than that of PPF.
These schemes invest approximately 40%of the corpus in equity and the rest in debt. The schemes are eligible for tax deduction under section 80 c of the I-T Act.
These schemes are meant for conservative investors looking to park money for their retirement.Consider these schemes only if you have a long horizon for your investments.To discourage short term investments, these schemes charge high exit loads.For example, if an investor wants to redeem his money before 58 years of age, Templeton India Pension Fund charges 3% exit load. If you are just beginning your career, you should consider making regular investments in one such scheme.
Templeton India Pension gave 11.63% return in 5 years and UTI Retirement Benefit Pension gave 10.71% return in the same term.
-THE ECONOMIC TIMES, NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH 2014, PAGE 10
