Top Medium to Long-Term Funds for Investment in January 2025

Medium and long-term funds are debt mutual funds that invest in fixed-income securities like bonds and debentures. Medium-term funds are generally invested for a period of 2 to 10 years, on the other hand, long-term funds are generally invested for a period of more than 10 years.

Most mutual fund experts suggest conservative debt investors choose safer options like liquid funds, overnight funds, and short-duration funds. This could be why many mutual fund investors are unaware of medium to long-term debt mutual funds.

Medium to long-term funds are required to invest in debt and money market instruments so that the average time it takes to recover the money invested (known as Macaulay’s duration) is between 4 to 7 years. Since these funds focus on long-term debt investments, they carry a higher level of risk.

A small increase in interest rates can make these schemes very risky and unstable. This means investors might lose money if that happens. That’s why advisors rarely recommend these schemes. In simple terms, investors need to be very careful with these schemes in the current situation.

Long-term debt schemes are highly affected by changes in interest rates. When interest rates go up, these schemes tend to lose money. But when interest rates go down, they gain the most benefits.

Here are the top medium to long-term debt funds for investment in January 2025:

• SBI Magnum Income Fund
• ICICI Prudential Bond Fund
• Aditya Birla Sun Life Income Fund

Most of the mutual fund experts think that many conservative investors might struggle to handle volatile market phases. Investors can avoid this by carefully choosing the right time to invest in and withdraw from long-term debt funds. predicting changes in interest rates and deciding the right time to enter or exit these schemes can be challenging for most investors. That is why experts often recommend sticking to short-term funds.

This does not mean you should ignore medium and long-duration funds. If you have a higher risk tolerance and are planning to invest for a long duration, you can consider investing in these funds with guidance from a good mutual fund advisor. These funds come with extra risk, so it is important to be aware of that.