How to Compare two Mutual Funds : Importance, Factors and more

A mutual fund is an investment vehicle in which money from many investors is collected and pooled together. A professional fund manager manages this combined amount and invests it in different assets like stocks, bonds, or other securities.

The main aim is to help investors grow their money over time and achieve their financial goals, whether saving for retirement, buying a house, or building wealth for the future.

Mutual funds make it easier for individuals to invest even small amounts and enjoy the benefits of professional management and diversification without needing deep market knowledge.

Why Should You Compare Mutual Funds?

Not all mutual funds are the same. Even if two funds look similar, they can perform very differently based on how they are managed, where they invest, and how much risk they take.

Comparing mutual funds helps you find the ones that better suit your needs. A good comparison shows which fund offers better returns, lower fees, or a smoother ride during market ups and downs.

By spending a little time comparing, you can avoid choosing a fund that looks attractive initially but doesn’t fit your risk level or time horizon. It ensures that your money works harder for you and that you are on the right path toward your financial goals.

How to compare mutual funds?

Returns

Most people start with returns, and that’s fair. It’s the easiest thing to check. If you're thinking long-term, you want to see how much the fund made over the last year, three years, five years, or even ten years. A fund that consistently does well over different periods usually has something good going for it.

But it’s essential to keep your expectations in check. Just because a fund did great before doesn’t mean it will do the same tomorrow. And depending on what you’re aiming for, you should focus on the right timeframe. If it's an equity fund for long-term goals, look at 5-10 years. If it’s a liquid fund, six months to a year will tell you plenty.

Returns Compared to the Benchmark

Every fund has a benchmark, like a mirror it’s trying to beat. The benchmark could be the Nifty 50 or a government bond index.

If the fund consistently performs better than its benchmark. It shows the fund manager isn’t just riding the market — they're adding some value. If the fund keeps falling behind, maybe the strategy isn’t working as well as it should. Ideally, you want a fund that grows faster when markets are up and holds up better when markets drop.

Expense Ratio

Nothing eats into your profits like high fees. That’s precisely what the expense ratio tells you — how much the fund charges yearly to manage your money.

Active funds, where managers pick stocks actively, usually charge more. Index funds or ETFS, where managers don’t interfere much, tend to be cheaper.
When comparing two funds in the same category, lower costs are better, and all else is equal. A smaller expense ratio means more of your returns stay with you, instead of going to the fund house.

Risk Measures

Risk is often where most people stop digging, but it’s one of the most essential parts.
Here are some common ways to look at risk:

• Standard deviation tells you how much the fund's returns bounce around. The bigger the number, the more ups and downs you should expect.
• The Sharpe ratio measures how well the fund rewards you for the risk it takes. A higher ratio is better.
• The Sortino ratio is a little smarter. It focuses only on the bad side, the losses, rather than all swings.
• Alpha shows if the fund manager is doing better than expected after adjusting for risk.
• Beta shows how much the fund's value moves compared to the market. A beta over one means it's more volatile than the market; under one means less.

Understanding these numbers can give you a clearer picture of what you’re getting into, especially during challenging market conditions.

Portfolio Level Information

A fund's portfolio is like its heart. You should peek inside.
Things you should notice include:

• How much does it invest in large companies compared to mid-sized or small companies? Larger ones are steadier, while smaller ones could shoot up or crash faster.
• How many different stocks or bonds does it hold? More holdings mean more diversification, which usually lowers risk.
• For debt funds, how long the bonds are held matters too. Longer durations mean bigger price swings when interest rates change.
• Yield to maturity is another number you’ll hear with bond funds; it tells you roughly what returns you could expect if things go normally.

A glance at the portfolio will tell you much about the fund's riskiness, aggressiveness, or conservativeness.

Investment Horizon

Your time frame matters as much as the fund’s record.
If you plan to stay invested for years, you can afford to ride out short-term bumps and choose equity funds.
Going for something less risky, like a liquid or a short-term debt fund, is safer if you need your money in a year or two.
Choosing a fund that matches your timeline makes investing a lot less stressful.

Riskiness

Risk isn’t just about numbers like beta or standard deviation. It’s about how much you are comfortable seeing your investment go up and down.

If two funds have similar risk levels (exact beta) but one consistently delivers higher returns (higher alpha), it’s probably the smarter choice.
Getting the risk-return balance right is more important than just chasing returns unthinkingly.

Sector Allocation

Sectors can make or break a fund sometimes.
Some funds are heavily tilted towards a few sectors, like tech or healthcare. If that sector does well, you’ll be happy. If not, your returns can suffer badly.

A more balanced sector allocation spreads your risk and usually results in steadier returns.
Always check if the fund is putting too many eggs in one basket, because that’s a risk you might not notice at first glance.

Here is how we compare two funds 

When comparing mutual funds, it is essential to look beyond absolute returns. As seen in the comparison between ABC Large Cap Fund and XYZ Large & Midcap Fund, both funds delivered strong results, yet differed significantly in volatility, portfolio construction, and expense ratios.

While ABC suited conservative investors with its stability and lower risk, XYZ offered higher potential returns but required greater risk tolerance. A thorough comparison should consider consistency against the benchmark, cost efficiency, risk levels, and portfolio composition, rather than relying solely on past performance. Selecting the right fund ultimately depends on aligning its characteristics with your financial goals, risk appetite, and investment horizon.

Conclusion

Mutual funds offer a simple yet powerful way to grow your wealth, even if you are starting small or have limited market knowledge. But choosing the right fund requires a thoughtful comparison. By spending a little time understanding returns, expenses, risk factors, portfolio quality, and sector allocations, you can make smarter decisions and avoid common investing pitfalls