Buying pre-IPO shares in a company is a great idea if you can accurately predict the future potential of a company. Many young companies grow much faster than mature companies due to their lower base hence they tend to significantly outperform the benchmark returns. However, a lot of this growth happens before the company goes public with an IPO. Hence participating in such companies in the Growth / Pre IPO stage can provide superior returns to have high quality shares at the best price.

IPO or Initial Public Offering is a process by which a private company becomes public. A company become public' when it starts selling its shares in the market for the first time. Selling shares is like selling a portion of its stake to the investors for the company.

The process by which the physical share certificates of a company are converted to an electronic form is known as the dematerialization of shares. These dematerialized shares are then held in an online Demat account that you open with a depository. Holding shares in Demat A/c makes trading in them easier.

If the dividend declared by the company remains unpaid/unclaimed for a period of seven years, the company is required to transfer the same to IEPF. Any person whose shares / unclaimed dividend or other amount such as matured deposits, matured debentures, application money due for refund, or interest thereon, sale proceeds of fractional shares, redemption proceeds of preference shares etc. have been transferred by the company to IEPF may claim the shares and/or apply for refund of amounts transferred.

Mutual funds are largely a safe investment, seen as being a good way for investors to diversify with minimal risk. But there are circumstances in which a mutual fund is not a good choice for a market participant, especially when it comes to fees. Most mutual funds fall into one of four main categories – money market funds, bond funds, stock funds, and target date funds. Each type has different features, risks, and rewards.

A bond is a debt security. Borrowers issue bonds to raise money from investors willing to lend them money for a certain amount of time. When you buy a bond, you are lending to the issuer, which may be a government, municipality, or corporation.

Insurance plans are beneficial to anyone looking to protect their family, assets/property and themselves from financial risk/losses: Insurance plans will help you pay for medical emergencies, hospitalisation, contraction of any illnesses and treatment, and medical care required in the future.

There are two broad types of insurance:

• Life Insurance.
• General Insurance.

Brokerage firms act as a liaison between their clients and the stock exchange. Their primary function is to buy and sell financial products, including stocks, on behalf of their clients. Brokers pool resources to help their clients negotiate how things work in the stock market.