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How to Invest in SIP A Beginner's Guide
In summary
Active management is an investment approach in which a fund manager selects, buys, holds, and sells investments based on research and market analysis. The aim is to outperform a benchmark or manage portfolio risk in line with the investment objective.
- Decision-making: Fund managers use company research, financial data, economic conditions, and market trends to make investment decisions.
- Main stages: The process involves planning, implementing the strategy, and reviewing performance.
- Common strategies: Stock selection, sector rotation, and market timing are used to identify potential opportunities.
- Potential benefit: Active management allows a portfolio to adapt to changing conditions.
- Main limitations: Results depend on the manager’s decisions, market conditions, and investment costs. Outperformance is not guaranteed.
- Investor considerations: Compare the investment objective, benchmark, costs, portfolio, and risk level before investing.
Active management can be used in mutual funds and other investment portfolios. Whether it suits you depends on your financial goals, investment horizon, and ability to accept risk.
What is active management in investing?
Active management is an approach in which a professional fund manager makes investment decisions rather than simply following a market index. The manager studies securities and market conditions to identify investments that may perform better than a chosen benchmark.
For example, a manager may research a company whose share price appears low relative to its financial prospects. If the analysis supports the decision, the manager may buy its shares, subject to the fund’s investment objective and rules.
The manager may also adjust holdings when the investment outlook changes. These decisions involve uncertainty, and the market may not respond as expected. Active management therefore aims for better outcomes but cannot guarantee higher returns or prevent losses.
You can explore different investment strategies to understand how investors approach financial goals and market conditions.
How does the active management process work?
Active management generally involves three stages.
Planning
The manager assesses the investment objective, risk tolerance, liquidity needs, time horizon, and applicable requirements. The strategy sets out the portfolio’s objectives, asset allocation, investment limits, and approach to reviewing performance.
The manager may also establish an investment policy statement to document the strategy and how the portfolio will be monitored.
Execution
The manager researches securities and implements the strategy by selecting investments and deciding how much to allocate to each. Decisions may draw on company financial statements, industry developments, economic indicators, and valuation measures.
The portfolio must remain consistent with the scheme’s stated objective and applicable regulations.
Monitoring and review
The manager reviews the portfolio and compares its performance with the relevant benchmark. Holdings may be adjusted when company fundamentals, valuations, market conditions, or the investment strategy change.
Investors can also review the experience and approach of fund managers, while remembering that a manager’s past performance does not guarantee future results.
What are the main active management strategies?
Active managers may use several strategies, depending on the portfolio’s objectives and permitted investments.
Stock selection
Managers analyse companies to identify securities they believe may be undervalued or have stronger growth prospects than the market expects. They may consider earnings, debt, cash flow, management quality, competition, and valuation.
The analysis can be wrong, and a share that appears undervalued may continue to fall.
Sector rotation
Sector rotation involves changing portfolio exposure to industries based on their expected performance under different economic conditions. A manager might increase exposure to one sector and reduce another after assessing demand, interest rates, business activity, or policy changes.
The strategy depends on the accuracy and timing of those assessments.
Market timing
Market timing attempts to adjust investment exposure based on expected market movements. Managers may use economic indicators, valuation analysis, price trends, and investor sentiment to inform decisions.
However, consistently identifying market turning points is difficult. Frequent changes can also increase transaction costs and the risk of missing a market recovery.
These approaches are among the wider investing strategies used to manage portfolios. The appropriate method depends on the strategy and investment mandate.
What are the benefits and risks of active management?
Active management gives managers flexibility to adjust a portfolio instead of tracking an index exactly.
Potential benefits
- Flexibility: Managers can change holdings when their analysis or market conditions change.
- Research-led decisions: Investment choices can reflect company fundamentals, valuations, and economic developments.
- Risk management: Managers can adjust exposure to address risks within the portfolio’s mandate.
Risks and limitations
- No assured outperformance: A fund can underperform its benchmark despite extensive research.
- Higher costs: Research and trading can increase expenses, which reduce returns.
- Manager dependence: Results may be affected by the manager’s judgement, experience, and investment process.
- Trading risks: Poor timing or frequent changes may harm performance.
Review the scheme’s SEBI Riskometer, which indicates its risk level from Low to Very High. It should be considered alongside the portfolio, investment objective, benchmark, and costs.
Active management vs passive management
Active and passive management differ mainly in how investment decisions are made.
| Feature | Active management | Passive management |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | Try to outperform a benchmark | Track a specified index |
| Investment decisions | Manager selects and adjusts holdings | Portfolio follows index rules |
| Research and trading | Usually more intensive | Usually less intensive |
| Costs | Can be higher | Often lower, but vary by scheme |
| Main limitation | May underperform the benchmark | Generally aims to match, not beat, the index |
Neither approach is automatically better for every investor. Compare the available mutual fund schemes according to your goals, risk tolerance, and preferred investment approach.
How can you assess an actively managed fund?
Before investing, check the fund’s objective, benchmark, portfolio holdings, expense ratio, and performance over several periods. Compare like-for-like schemes rather than selecting a fund only because it recently delivered high returns.
Consider your risk profile and how long you can remain invested. The fund’s investment approach should be consistent with your financial goals.
On the Bajaj Broking website, you can explore more than 4,000 mutual fund schemes. Eligible schemes offer SIP investments starting from Rs. 100 per month. Complete the mandatory KYC process before investing.
Conclusion
Active management relies on research, security selection, and ongoing portfolio review to try to outperform a benchmark or manage risk. Its flexibility can create opportunities, but returns depend on investment decisions, market conditions, and costs. Compare the fund’s objective, performance, portfolio, and risk level before deciding whether it suits your financial plan.
Last updated: 12 October 2026
Mutual funds are subject to market risk. Please read the scheme-related documents carefully before investing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Understanding active management
Evaluating performance and suitability
Does active management always involve buying and selling shares frequently?
No. Active management means making investment decisions based on research and a defined strategy; it does not require constant trading. Some managers make relatively few changes when their investment outlook remains unchanged. Trading frequency depends on the fund’s objectives, portfolio, market conditions, and the manager’s approach. Excessive trading can increase costs.
Can an actively managed fund hold cash instead of investing all its money?
A fund may hold cash or cash equivalents where its investment mandate and applicable rules permit it. This can help meet redemption requests or manage portfolio liquidity. However, holding more cash may affect performance when markets rise. Review the scheme’s portfolio disclosures to understand its cash allocation and whether it matches the fund’s stated strategy.
What is alpha in active fund management?
Alpha measures a portfolio’s performance relative to a benchmark or expected return, depending on the calculation method. Positive alpha may indicate outperformance under that measure, but the result depends on the period, benchmark, and risk model used. Alpha should be assessed alongside costs, volatility, and other performance measures rather than treated as proof of future success.
Does a fund manager’s departure mean I should redeem my investment?
Not necessarily. First, review whether the fund’s investment philosophy, team, or portfolio management process is changing. Monitor subsequent performance against the benchmark and assess whether the scheme still suits your goals. Avoid making an immediate decision based only on the announcement. Check official fund communications and consider any tax implications or exit loads before redeeming.
How can I tell whether an active fund is worth its higher cost?
Compare its expense ratio with similar schemes and assess performance over several market periods, after costs. Check whether it has delivered meaningful benchmark-relative results without taking risks that conflict with your goals. Also review portfolio concentration and consistency. A higher fee alone does not establish better management or a greater likelihood of future outperformance.
Disclaimer
Bajaj Finance Limited ("BFL") is registered with the Association of Mutual Funds in India ("AMFI") as a distributor of third party Mutual Funds (shortly referred as 'Mutual Funds) with ARN No. 90319
BFL does NOT:
(i) provide investment advisory services in any manner or form.
(ii) carry customized/personalized suitability assessment.
(iii) carry independent research or analysis, including on any Mutual Fund schemes or other investments; and provide any guarantee of return on investment.
In addition to displaying the Mutual fund products of Asset Management Companies, some general information is sourced from third parties, is also displayed on As-is basis, which should NOT be construed as any solicitation or attempt to effect transactions in securities or the rendering any investment advice. Mutual Funds are subject to market risks, including loss of principal amount and Investor should read all Scheme/Offer related documents carefully. The NAV of units issued under the Schemes of mutual funds can go up or down depending on the factors and forces affecting capital markets and may also be affected by changes in the general level of interest rates. The NAV of the units issued under the scheme may be affected, inter-alia by changes in the interest rates, trading volumes, settlement periods, transfer procedures and performance of individual securities forming part of the Mutual Fund. The NAV will inter-alia be exposed to Price/Interest Rate Risk and Credit Risk. Past performance of any scheme of the Mutual fund do not indicate the future performance of the Schemes of the Mutual Fund. BFL shall not be responsible or liable for any loss or shortfall incurred by the investors. There may be other/better alternatives to the investment avenues displayed by BFL. Hence, the final investment decision shall at all times exclusively remain with the investor alone and BFL shall not be liable or responsible for any consequences thereof.
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Disclaimer on Risk-O-Meter:
Investors are advised before investing to evaluate a scheme not only on the basis of the Product labeling (including the Riskometer) but also on other quantitative and qualitative factors such as performance, portfolio, fund managers, asset manager, etc, and shall also consult their Professional advisors, if they are unsure about the suitability of the scheme before investing.
Disclosure: Bajaj Finance Limited (BFL) is a distributor of Mutual Funds with ARN - 90319 and distributes mutual funds of Bajaj Finserv Asset Management Limited (BFSAMC). BFL receives commission towards distribution of mutual fund products. BFSAMC is a group company of BFL, carrying business on arm’s length basis without any conflict of interest and in accordance with the prevailing law / regulation.
Disclaimer
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The information BFL contained in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute any financial advice. The content herein has been prepared by BFL on the basis of publicly available information, internal sources and other third-party sources believed to be reliable. However, BFL cannot guarantee the accuracy of such information, assure its completeness, or warrant such information will not be changed.
This information should not be relied upon as the sole basis for any investment decisions. Hence, User is advised to independently exercise diligence by verifying complete information, including by consulting independent financial experts, if any, and the investor shall be the sole owner of the decision taken, if any, about suitability of the same.
Disclaimer
Mutual Fund SIP calculator may provide potential investors an approximate estimate on the maturity amount of the monthly SIP, purely based on mathematical calculation of the projected annual return rate selected by investor. However, such calculation does not factor the actual performance by the Asset Management Company (AMC) and should not be treated as any advice or assurance about the actual return of investment. Mutual Funds do not have a fixed rate of return and it is not possible to predict the rate of return. Please note that the SIP calculator are for illustrations only and do not represent actual returns which may vary depending on various factors including but not limited to actual performance, expense ratio, taxation, exit load (if any), etc.