More on SIPs, STPs, and Bulk Buying
Here, explain why STPs are more suitable for maritime professionals than SIPs. The mutual fund industry has overhyped SIPs, to the point where people have begun to view them as a product rather than a method of investing in mutual funds.
However, as long as systematic investing persists, mutual funds are unmatched in any country, including the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Hong Kong, and even Russia, the only limiting factor being the political environment. By choosing the right funds and investing regularly, maritime professionals can actually improve their strategies and maximize asset utilization.
Bulk Investing: This is simple. Buying a large lump sum of money, such as $1,000 or more, when you believe market conditions are favorable is called bulk investing. This can happen sporadically or irregularly.
Systematic Investment Plan (SIP): An automated system that transfers a specified amount from your bank account to your chosen investment fund. This process is completed by the fund management company, which will send the information to your bank for confirmation. This process can take up to a month and is typically conducted on a monthly basis.
Systematic Transfer Plan (STP): Another method involves transferring a fixed amount from one fund (called the source fund or S fund) to another (called the target fund or D fund). In the case of basic investments, this typically occurs when transferring from a debt fund to an equity fund. STP can occur monthly, weekly, or even daily.
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Now, let me explain some of the core advantages of STP:
1. For seafarers, the main issue is the instability of funds. Even within six months of joining, they remain unsure whether to invest due to the uncertainty surrounding joining and contracting.
Therefore, allocating funds to SIPs becomes challenging due to the requirement to invest a substantial amount in an NRE account. They tend to invest all at once.
2. With an STP plan, seafarers can rest assured that even if their cash runs out, they don’t have any obligations. Furthermore, the funds in the debt fund (S fund) are readily accessible.
3. Canceling an STP plan online takes only three minutes, while canceling an SIP plan can take over two months.
4. With an STP plan, not only equity funds, but even debt funds (your source funds) can generate profits and their prices can appreciate. If you look at the performance of equity and debt funds over the past two years, you’ll see similar performance. This may be an exception, but it’s reality.
5. With a systematic investment plan (SIP), the money saved from non-current assets (NRE) sits mostly idle and is wiped out by inflation.
6. With our salaries, we have a limited amount to invest each month, yet to increase productivity, we have to invest a significant amount each month.
If we add this amount to a regular investment plan for each fund, it would, in my opinion, be a substantial investment.
7. Now, imagine a regular investment plan of 50,000 rupees, divided into five weekly STPs. This would significantly diversify your risk. Moreover, between these five STP dates, the amount in the debt fund continues to grow at a higher rate than the amount in the bank account.
Last week’s 5% drop, along with the NAVs from the last two STPs, proves my point.
8. With a weekly STP, you get a more comprehensive picture. Any market dip, like last week’s, allows you to shift 5% to 10% into equity funds and take full advantage of the situation.
9. A single monthly STP can leave you missing out on opportunities.
10. Last but not least, when you’re ready to switch from one fund to another, it takes much less time than buying new assets from your bank account.
Many advisors don’t explain to investors in detail that market downturns offer a time machine, an opportunity to go back in time and invest at past investment levels. Thus, someone who earns money like a professional seafarer can actually go back in time and invest at levels never before achieved.
An STP is a good strategy for investors with modest incomes who never had significant capital before their bonus. When combined with the money remaining in bank accounts, its impact on seafarers’ wealth creation is muted.
