With the pressures of time and the sheer choice of options, the entire
process of investing can be a very daunting experience for most of us. One faces
several issues: maintaining bank and demat accounts separately and manually;
lack of proper information, tools and advice; a constant struggle with the
paperwork; the pressure of time to plan for investments systematically; and
finally, keeping track of your investment portfolio and net-worth. This either
leads to a situation of too much dependency on someone, total inactivity, or
sometimes, even taking the wrong decisions while planning investments.
Help at Hand
Fortunately, today technology enables you to completely plan your investing
needs from the comfort of your home, at a time that you like-all at the click of
a mouse. All you need is a computer, net connection, and subscription to a
3-in-1 online investing account with any service provider. The online mode of
investing largely eliminates all the major hassles of investing and provides: a
wealth of information, analysis and tools that enable you to take more informed
decisions; virtually no paperwork involved as all transaction records are online
and statements available in digital form; flexibility of investing anytime and
from anywhere at your convenience (even at night); integrated operations between
your bank account, de-mat account and trading accounts; and tracking of your
investment portfolio and net-worth online anytime. Today, the online mode allows
you to invest across different asset classes like equity shares, mutual funds
and IPOs amongst others. The online mode provides you the benefit of getting up
to date information and analysis, which is often sourced and compiled in an
investor friendly format by some of the best information providers in their
respective fields.
Ear to the Ground |
Credibility and credentials of the service provider: While there are several service providers, for any retail investor like you, the backing of a reputed bank or financial institution can always provide that additional safety and surety. Which investments can you make online: Are you allowed to invest in equity shares, mutual funds and IPOs fully through the online route or in only one of them? To derive the full power of online investing it is important you get to invest in all of them online. Quality of information and content: Ensure that you are getting the best of information, research support and tools, which is provided to you in an easy and reader friendly manner. This would be very important in taking informed investing decisions. Speed of order execution: Are you able to place your equity orders and receive quick order confirmations during peak hours or are you going to struggle with getting access just when you need it most? Are you getting a choice of products to choose from: Few service providers provide a choice of products starting from the basic (classic) account to more advanced (trading platforms with live and streaming market information on equity markets). Safety: Check for the security features inbuilt into the system. Customer Care: Does the service provider have a dedicated customer care cell to take care of your queries and problems ? Additional features: Besides the above criteria there are a combination of several additional features provided, whose importance for yourself can be determined based on your own investing needs e.g. ability to sell shares next day before receiving delivery, sms alerts, intra day trading in equities, etc. |
Getting Started
To start investing online you would need to register as a member for an
integrated 3-in-1 online trading account with any of the service providers like
www.idbipaisabuilder.in. The three accounts are: trading, which enables you to
transact online; an Internet enabled bank account for online money transfers
through the Internet with any of the banks with whom the online service provider
has a tie-up; and thirdly, your demat account, where your shares will be
deposited.
Ketan Trivedi
dqmail@cybermedia.co.in
The author is head, Marketing,
IDBI Capital Market Services