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Many a times, due to various reasons, investors are
tempted to shift their investments from one fund to another. However, in
the process what they fail to realise is that the shifting of investments
comes at a cost. Redemption from an existing fund and subsequent
reinvestment in the other, involves bearing costs in terms of exit load or
entry load or in some instances even both. Over the long-term, these costs
add up and have a detrimental impact on overall returns.
An analysis will make this clearer. Suppose an investor
has Rs 200,000 to invest in an equity fund for the tenure of 5 years. For
this he can choose either of the two options ‘A’ or ‘B’. While under
‘Option A’ he remains invested for the entire tenure, under ‘Option B’, he
shifts (or churns) his investments from one fund to another once every
year i.e. in this case, the investment will be churned 5 times. Assume
that, in both the instances, the entry/exit load for the funds is 2.25%
and the expected rate of return is 15% CAGR (compounded annualised growth
rate), which remains constant throughout the tenure for the funds.
Lets see, which option will prove to be beneficial for
the investor over the long-term.
How portfolio churn hurts…
| Initial Investment (Rs) |
200,000 |
| Load (includes entry and exit load)
(%) |
2.25 |
| Annual Return (%) |
15.00 |
| |
| Investment Tenure - 5 years |
Option A |
Option B |
| Maturity Value (Rs) |
393,221 |
359,008 |
| Return (CAGR) (%) |
14.47 |
12.41 |
| Savings (on account of no churn)
(Rs) |
34,213 |
| Savings as % of Initial Investment |
17.10 |
| |
| Investment Tenure - 10 years |
Option A |
Option B |
| Maturity Value (Rs) |
790908 |
644431 |
| Return (CAGR) (%) |
14.73 |
12.41 |
| Savings (on account of no churn)
(Rs) |
146,477 |
| Savings as % of Initial Investment |
73.23 |
As can be seen from the table, the maturity value at
the end of 5 years in Option A will be Rs 393,221 while that in Option B
will be Rs 359,008. Hence, it is apparent that the investor will save upto
Rs 34,213 (which is 17.10% of the initial investment value) if he opts for
option A.
Now let's consider that the investor wants to invest
for a much longer duration of say 10 years. Here the disparity in the
returns widens even further. If the investor decides not to churn (Option
A), then he will save Rs 146,477, which is 73.23% of the initial
investment. The same amount will be his loss if he opts for Option B. The
disparity in the returns clearly shows the adverse effect that churning of
portfolio can have on the returns.
The above analysis is based on the following
assumptions:
1. The entry and exit loads for the funds are same. In
reality the funds might have same or different entry loads and exit loads.
2. The rate of return from the funds is same and
remains constant throughout the tenure. The returns may vary from fund to
fund, however for better understanding it has been taken as constant in
the calculation.
3. Option B churns once every year, depending on the
tenure of investment. Again, churning of portfolio is an investor’s
decision. He may churn his investment twice a year or once in every two
years, depending on his view about the ongoing scenario. The intention
here is to explain to the investor the ill-effects of churning the
portfolio.
Use our Churn Calculator to find out how churning of portfolio impacts
returns
Considering the negative impact of churning, the
question is, why there is a need for investors to churn their portfolio?
In our view, there is no need or there will arise no need if investors are
invested in the right funds in the first place. Churning of funds should
happen only when you are invested in the wrong fund. And if it happens
quite often, then there arises a dire need for investors to verify their
source of advice.
Here are three ‘wrong’ reasons, which normally prompt
investors to churn their portfolio:
1. They are asked to do so by their
distributor/advisor. Distributors, in order to earn more commission,
normally make unsuspecting investors churn their portfolio for their own
benefit. Such distributors, in reality, do not inform investors about the
charges (exit and entry load) involved. All they do is make a hollow
promise that the new scheme will deliver better returns.
2. Some investors tend to churn their portfolio simply
because they wish to own funds which have
lower NAV (net asset value) as they perceive them to be cheaper.
3. Some investors churn their portfolio, because every
time they do so, their agent passes back to them a portion of the
commission he/she earns.
At Personalfn, we believe that investments in mutual
funds should be done after analysing the fund on various selection
parameters. And once that is done, there will in all probability be little
reason for the investor to churn. Hence, whenever your advisor asks you to
churn your portfolio, counter him with a question – Was the advice you
gave earlier not the best for me? And watch him falling lack of words for
the answer!
Churning of portfolio typically depicts lack of
consistency and discipline in investing, the two most important virtues
required while managing your finances. Hence, investors should imbibe and
perform these virtues for their future benefit rather than churning their
portfolio to losses.
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