Franklin Templeton Common Transaction: Fill & Download for Free

Mutual Fund direct plans are the first choice of do-it-yourself investors. The reason is simple, direct mutual fund investment eliminates the need of a distributor. Hence, it not only saves on transaction costs if any, mutual fund direct plans come with lower fees. While the difference in costs may seem negligible at first, but over time—thanks to the magic of compounding—the difference in value terms works out to lakhs of rupees.In this article we delve deeper on how to buy direct mutual funds or rather how to invest in direct plans of mutual funds. Many of you may be wondering from where to buy direct mutual funds, as the option of direct plans is not available with your local mutual fund distributor or stock broker. Hence, you need to invest in direct mutual funds online through an investment advisor or the mutual fund's website or MF Utilities.How to Invest In Direct Mutual Funds Online?You can invest directly in mutual funds online through multiple options. But before you start, keep your PAN, Aadhaar, bank account details (account number, IFSC code, MICR, etc.) and online banking transaction login details ready.The KYC is linked to your PAN number, hence, when investing through different platforms they first check if your KYC is completed using your PAN details.Once done with the KYC formalities you may invest through any of the routes below. Choose the one you feel is most convenient.Invest in direct plans through mutual fund house websiteOnce you have decided in which fund to invest, you could invest in mutual fund schemes directly through the online portal of the Asset Management Company.For instance, if you wish to invest in Fund A, you can go to its fund house website and buy the fund units online.If your KYC is complete, you may follow the below steps.Register account with the mutual fund company Most mutual funds will require you to create an account first. The personal details that are required are similar to that required in the mutual fund application form. Some fund houses may ask you for a basic registration first and then a detailed registration when completing the transaction. The process would vary from one fund house to another.2.Choose the desired scheme and investment detailsWhen you come to the investment section of the online from, do ensure you select the Plan Type as ‘Direct’. Also double-check the scheme option. Under direct plan, you will get the Growth or Dividend Option. Choose the option that conforms to your financial goals.You will also need to enter the investment details such as theInvestment Type – Lumpsum, one-time payment or through a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP),Holding Type – Non-Demat or Demat,RIA Code – If availing the services of a Registered Investment Adviser,Mode of Payment – Net banking, NEFT, Debit Card, IMPS etc. This options will differ across AMCs.Bank Details – Bank name, IFSC Code, Account Number, Account Type. You may also be asked to confirm the branch address and MICR code.3.Verify and complete transactionAfter submitting the above, you will be asked to verify the details. Many overlook this and proceed ahead. It is best not to proceed hastily and take time to read the form carefully. Many a times there are typo errors in the bank account number. Getting it changed later is a tedious task. Hence, try to avoid such mistakes early on.You may also need to authenticate the form submission through a One Time Password (OTP) that is sent to the registered mobile number or email id. Some fund houses may complete this authentication process as the first step.Once successfully verified, you can complete the transaction on the next page using mode of payment opted for earlier. You will be provided a Transaction Reference Number. Note this down, as it may be helpful if an error occurs in the transaction process. Once the payment is completed successfully, you will receive a confirmation on your email, mobile or both.Invest in direct mutual funds through Registrar & Transfer Agent (R&TA)The registrars also facilitate online investing in mutual funds, however, the investment will be limited to the mutual funds registered with them.You can either visit the CAMS OR KARVY website and invest in schemes of your choice.As can be seen in the table above, all of the major fund houses are covered, except Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund and Sundaram Mutual Fund. Both these fund houses operate through their own registrar.CAMS offers a service known as myCAMS, through this service you can make one-time investments in mutual funds, set up Systematic Investment Plan (SIP), opt for Common One Time Mandate (OTM) and other facilities across Mutual Funds serviced by CAMS through a single account.Buy Direct Mutual Funds through Mutual Fund UtilitiesMutual fund transaction portal, MFU (Mutual Fund Utilities) is a single window for you to transact across mutual fund schemes.Mutual Fund Utilities is a shared platform of different fund houses. You need to create an account first, before transacting and you can transact in mutual funds of almost all the AMCs. Using a Common Transaction Form (CTF) or through the online portal you can invest in multiple funds of different fund houses.Moreover, there is no additional charge for mutual fund investments made through this portal. The cost of the platform is shared by the participating fund houses.Most of the major fund houses are a part of this platform, hence, it eradicates the cons of the above routes where the mutual fund investment universe is limited.To invest in direct mutual funds via the MFU platform, you will first need to create a CAN (Common Account Number). CAN is a unique reference number issued by MFU. The CAN will map all your existing mutual fund folios across fund houses (participating in MFU), thereby providing you with a consolidated view of all your mutual fund investments.This is similar to a Mutual Fund Folio, the only difference, while the folio is limited to one fund house, the CAN is applicable across fund houses of a single type of holding.You can create and e-CAN online. Follow the simple process outlined here - 3 Steps to Generate Your Mutual Fund e-CANOnce you have created your CAN, you can signup for online access through their portal - MFUtiliy (C1). You will need to create a User ID and setup a password for the account.Once logged in, you can begin transacting in the account by clicking on CAN Transaction as highlighted below. Choose Purchase for a lumpsum investment or SIP if you would like to start and SIP. If you are investing in Regular Plans and wish to switch to Direct Plans, you can use the Switch option.Choose Direct and click Proceed. You may be asked to enter details of the RIA if any. If you have not availed of an RIA you can leave the form blank.You will then be asked to enter details of the investment. You can even invest in as many as 12 schemes at one go. Ensure you select the correct scheme option.Once you have added all the fund details, you may complete the transaction on the next page

Investors’ database is managed by Registrar & Transfer Agents (RTA). Most of the fund houses have outsourced the activity of managing investors’ database to RTAs like CAMS and KARVY. However, fund houses like Sundaram and Franklin Templeton have their own in house RTA.Now coming back to your query, an investor can generate a consolidated statement of his/her mutual fund holdings across all the fund houses through CAMS/karvy investor portal easily.CAS is generated and dispatched to the investors by the Depository which consists of details of holdings in both mutual funds and depository accounts on the basis of PAN number that is common across RTAs and Depositories. However, in the absence of same PAN number between both RTAs and depositories, a statement will be sent by the mutual funds containing transactions related to mutual funds only.An investor usually gets a consolidated account statement (eCAS) on a monthly basis on their registered email id. In case of dormant folios, i.e. folios wherein there were no financial transactions during a half-year period ending September or March, the CAS is sent once in six months in October / April.Hope this helps.

ET money app is a fine app (albeit with a few problems) that keeps track of all your investments. It is still in the beta version and thus I will not recommend investing “through” this app. Even apps and portals that are not in the beta version are too risky to be used for making or redeeming investments. If you want a consolidated platform and only want to use a single bank account for all your investments (whichsoever fund house) then you can invest through CAMS now with the CAMS Common One Time Mandate (OTM). Do remember that not all fund houses use CAMS for their computerised work. Some (Reliance, Canara Robeco) use Karvy.Because of the hassle of OTM where you can’t keep changing/using different bank accounts for different investments (SIP, lumpsum), it’s better to just go to the website of the mutual fund house and invest under your pre-existing portfolios or new ones directly. Hardly takes a few minutes and with each new SIP you have the choice of investing through a different bank account (Franklin Templeton sticks to one bank account which you used for your first investment with them). Every time you make an investment or start and SIP, go to ET app or website and add this new transaction. ET will now keep track of them all (both CAMS and Karvy funds). Do ask if you need to know more. Happy investing to you!!