Best MF PICKS.....!!!

The best picks are schemes that one can invest in with a long-term horizon. These schemes have a good performance track record and are also rated by Value Research.

Birla Equity Plan:

The fund emerges as a category beating fund. Barring one year, the fund has consistently beaten the category returns over the past five years. The fund manager churns the portfolio quite aggressively.In spite of such a churn, the volatility in returns is below average. The fund manager prefers to hold a small portfolio of around 35 stocks in which he invests with conviction.

HDFC Taxsaver:

HDFC Taxsaver continues to maintain its top postion. The star rating of this fund has never gone below four stars in its rating history of 96 months. Not only has it generated superior returns for its investors, but it has also shown resilience while protecting the downside time and again. Among the sectors, the fund manager has significantly cut exposure to auto and construction stocks, while building notable positions in sectors like energy, banking and services.

ICICI Prudential Tax Plan:

The charm of this fund lies in its ability to generate trail-blazing returns. However, the fund's high risk high return strategy, won't go down well with investors who prefer stability over high returns. The fund is not only aggressive in selecting stocks but also tends to churn its portfolio quite frequently.The fund manager has spreads its portfolio across over 50 stocks to partially mitigate the risks that come with investing in smaller stocks.

SBI Magnum Taxgain:

The fund has emerged as the number one scheme in the equity linked saving scheme (ELSS) category. It has been ranked number 1 for three consecutive years from 2004-2006. Since 2006, the fund has substituted its small cap holdings in favour of large cap stocks, which reduced the amount of risk assumed by the fund. The fund has, however, not altered its allocation to mid cap stocks. We would recommend the fund as a core holding in your tax planning portfolio.

Principal Tax Savings

The fund has been rated four star since April 2006 (August was only exception when it was rated three star), on the back of robust returns generated over the period. The fund generally invests in mid cap and small companies and maintains a portfolio of 35-40 stocks.

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