Once you have decided your goals and arrived at the amount you want to invest or you have your savings in place and you just want to get investing. You will need help to understand the following things to start your mutual fund investment journey.
We have discussed what is a mutual fund and different types of mutual funds.
Here, we are going to discuss how you can actually get investing and the very basics of doing that.
This guide is going to cover the very basic questions that our trainees have asked us about starting their first Mutual Fund investment.
Things you need before you start your mutual fund investments
To start investing in a fund scheme you need
- a PAN,
- bank account and
- be KYC (know your client) compliant.
The bank account should be in the name of the investor with the Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) and Indian Financial System Code (IFSC) details. These details are mentioned on every cheque leaf and it is common for an agent or distributor to seek a canceled bank cheque leaf.
How to get your KYC ?
The need for KYC is to comply with the market regulator SEBI in accordance with the Prevention of Money laundering Act, 2002 ('PMLA'), which undergo changes from time to time.
The KYC process is investor friendly and is uniform across various SEBI regulated intermediaries in the securities market such as Mutual Funds, Portfolio Managers, Depository Participants, Stock Brokers, Venture Capital Funds, Collective Investment Schemes, and others. This way, a single KYC eliminates duplication of the KYC process across these intermediaries and makes investing more investor-friendly.
Documents required to be submitted along with KYC application
- Recent passport size photograph
- Proof of identities such as a copy of PAN card or UID (Aadhaar) or passport or voter ID or driving license
- Proof of address passport or driving license or ration card or registered lease/sale agreement of residence or latest bank A/C statement or passbook or latest telephone bill (only landline) or latest electricity bill or latest gas bill, which are not older than three months.
You will need to submit copies of all these documents by self-attesting them along with originals for verification. In case the original of any document is not produced for verification, then the copies should be properly attested by entities authorized for attesting the documents.
How to check your KYC status?
Given that KYC is a common process across various investment platforms. If you have submitted your documents earlier for opening a D-mat or any other investment, it may be possible that you are already KYC compliant. You can check your existing status and the application status on the following portals:
- National Stock Exchange
- CAMS Investor Services Private Limited
- KARVY KRA
- CDSL Ventures Limited
- Mutual Fund Companies - you can also process your KYC with the mutual fund company. However, you have to make an investment in the mutual fund. They will not process your KYC without any investment.
Wealth Cafe Actionable - Where you are a first-time investor, it is advisable to process your KYC along with your mutual fund application. It will reduce the time that goes into the same.