A TALE OF BALANCED ADVANTAGE FUNDS

B E it cricket or investing, the lessons learnt on either field, are often similar.

- ASHOK KUMAR Head of LKW-India. He can be reached at [e-mail] (Views expressed here are personal)

Just as a cricket team comprises good batsmen and good bowlers, their performances often pivot around the middle that comprises 'all rounders', who can both, bat and bowl. Investing in many ways is no different and Balanced Advantage Funds (BAFs) offered by mutual funds are the investment equivalents of all-rounders.

The underlying theme that emerges is that be it the cricket field or that of investments, it is necessary to blend caution with aggression and respond appropriately based on the situation. In the past, Balanced Funds (now renamed Aggressive Hybrid Equity Funds) gained in popularity and rewarded investors seeking the risk profile it offered, fairly well.