Plan your investments Planning investment without determining their investment objectives:

You should make a list of personal and financial goals in short, medium and long-term. For example, in the short term, you may want to buy a vehicle; in the medium term you may aim to provide for childrens education; and in the long run, retirement funding could be an objective.

You need to assess your current situation in the financial lifecycle.

You must decide your risk of investing. This is particularly important as different objectives require different investments.

Try out new investment options Investors, who are happy with fixed deposits and small savings schemes, refuse to look at other smart options like mutual funds as they do not offer guaranteed returns. Investment risk and economic uncertainties can never be eliminated, mutual funds, thanks to their mix of experience, research and analysis are in position to ensure that investors in different segments achieve their investment objectives. It is necessary to invest in the right type of fund.

Take your own decision It is important to know that you, yourself, have an important role to play in the decision making process, with professional personal guidance. No one will know about your objectives, needs and risk profile better than you. While an advisor helps you in selecting proper investment options.

Professional help? Consulting with professionals will make you invest in right direction, instead of making wrong investment choices. It is very important to deal with professional and qualified advisor who has the knowledge to offer best solutions in terms of working our investment plan. A professional can ensure that you remain on course of achieving your investment goals. Make sure you spend time to find a right advisor for yourself before you begin investing.

Stock Market timings Many investors believe that the best way to maximize returns from equity investments is through market timing, a strategy in which one tries to buy when market goes up and sell when market goes down. Very few can predict the market with any angle of accuracy when, and how much, the stock prices will go up or down. It has been proven time and again that even experts find it difficult to judge market movements consistently.

Ignoring risk and misjudge reward It is quite common for a investor to Ignoring risk and misjudge reward from an investment. There is definitely a need to be more careful about investing. Estimating the risk associated with an investment option is more crucial than estimating the returns. Understanding investment risks and how it relates to potential returns, you can improve your chances of building greater wealth.

Remember, equity is only option that has the potential to beat rise over a period of time.