Archive · 27 Aug 2026
NPS Equity Flexibility Raises Questions About Mutual Fund Diversification
Having several investment products does not automatically make your money diversified.
What matters is what each product invests in.
EPF is mostly treated as a safer, fixed-income part of a portfolio.
NPS can contain both safer investments and a large amount of equity, depending on the chosen option.
Mutual funds can also invest in equity, debt or a mixture of both.
If NPS and several mutual funds all invest heavily in shares, they may rise and fall together.
If EPF and conservative NPS make up most of the portfolio, there may be too little growth for long-term goals.
Investors should review their total asset mix, goals, risk tolerance and need for access before adding another product.
NPS can provide up to 100% equity exposure under applicable investment choices, depending on the selected allocation.
Counting EPF, NPS and mutual funds as separate products does not necessarily mean a portfolio is diversified.
EPF generally functions as fixed-income exposure, while NPS may contain equity, corporate bonds and government securities.
Multiple equity funds can hold many of the same companies, creating concentration despite different fund names or providers.
NPS offers retirement-focused benefits but has stricter withdrawal rules, while mutual funds generally provide greater liquidity and strategy choice.
- Who
- Investors holding EPF, NPS and mutual funds, with guidance from Arjun Guha Thakurta of Anand Rathi Wealth Limited.
- What
- The article explains that the underlying asset allocation—not the number of financial products—determines diversification, risk and liquidity.
- When
- The comparison refers to applicable rules and provisions as of August 2026.
- Where
- Within investors’ overall retirement and long-term investment portfolios.
- Why
- To help investors identify overlapping equity exposure, excessive fixed-income exposure, liquidity constraints and mismatches with their goals and risk tolerance.
Prioritize NPS
Prioritize Mutual Funds
Purpose and structure
Prioritize NPS
NPS is designed for retirement-focused saving and may offer tax benefits on eligible contributions under applicable provisions.
Prioritize Mutual Funds
Mutual funds can be used for long-term wealth creation and specific financial goals without the same retirement-focused structure.
Liquidity and control
Prioritize NPS
NPS provides allocation choices within its framework, but withdrawals and exits are subject to specific conditions and rules.
Prioritize Mutual Funds
Mutual fund investors generally have greater ability to redeem or switch when needed, subject to fund rules and taxes.
Equity exposure
Prioritize NPS
NPS can provide high equity exposure, including up to 100% under applicable choices, while also allowing exposure to bonds and government securities.
Prioritize Mutual Funds
Equity mutual funds offer a broad range of strategies and may provide similar market exposure with more flexibility in selecting and changing funds.
- NPS equity exposure
- NPS can offer up to 100% equity exposure under applicable investment choices.
- EPF role
- EPF is primarily a fixed-income retirement product and can generally be counted within an investor’s debt allocation.
- NPS investments
- Depending on the selected allocation, NPS can invest in equity, corporate bonds and government securities.
- Mutual fund flexibility
- Mutual funds can provide equity, debt or hybrid exposure across strategies such as index, large-cap, flexi-cap and mid-cap funds.
- Illustrative equity-heavy portfolio
- The article presents an example with EPF of Rs 10 lakh, NPS of Rs 8 lakh and equity mutual funds of Rs 12 lakh, totaling Rs 30 lakh.
- Illustrative debt-heavy portfolio
- A second example includes EPF of Rs 15 lakh, NPS of Rs 8 lakh and equity mutual funds of Rs 5 lakh, totaling Rs 28 lakh.
- Illustrative allocation
- Arjun Guha Thakurta cites an illustrative 80:20 equity-debt mix for some long-term portfolios, while stressing that allocations must suit individual circumstances.