Why Smart Investors Never Sell Mutual Funds
- Avoiding Capital Gains Tax: If you sell your equity MFs to raise emergency cash, you will pay 12.5% Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG) tax, or 20% Short Term Capital Gains (STCG) tax. Taking a loan against them avoids this tax event completely.
- Letting the Magic of Compounding Continue: While you pay 9-10% interest on your loan, your underlying mutual fund is likely still compounding at 12-15%. You effectively borrow at a negative real cost.
- Overdraft Structure: LAMF is not a traditional loan with fixed EMIs. It acts like an Overdraft bank account. If you get a ₹5 Lakh limit but only withdraw ₹1 Lakh for 10 days, you only pay interest on ₹1 Lakh for exactly 10 days. The rest of the limit remains free. You do not have to pay back the principal until the end of the loan tenure (usually 1 year, auto-renewed).