How to evaluate a Pension Plan

There are many options available to an individual intending to plan for his retirement. Be it PPF, ULIP, NSC’s etc. Most retirement options fall into two categories,-those which promise a fixed assured return and those, like pension plans, which offer non-assured returns. There are very few retirement planning options available in mutual funds. At present, two funds, UTI Retirement Benefit Plan and Kothari Pioneer Pension plan fill the retirement mutual fund void. Both these schemes come equipped with Section 88 benefits and are therefore, on this count, at par with other retirement planning options like PPF, PF etc. Both the UTI Retirement Benefit Plan (RBP) and Kothari Pioneer Pension Plan (KPPP) allow the investor to plan for retirement, making it possible for him to receive regular income after retirement. Before an investor goes in for a retirement plan he needs to evaluate its various basic parameters:   http://www.myallagents.com/How-to-evaluate-a-Pension-Plan/details.html 

Invested in the securities markets to earn market risk premiums

The securities markets pay risk premiums. You have to have your money invested and at risk to be paid a risk premium. 

Attempting to avoid risk or losses by jumping in and out to "time the markets" does not work. Scientific finance studies demonstrate the both amateurs and professionals are lousy at market timing. 

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Equity Markets

What drives an investor to buy a stock? Is it the fundamentals? The technicals? A combination of the two? Well I'm not quite certain anymore. You can basically throw all of the textbook answers out the window when it comes to today's equity markets. Why do I say that? Because I believe that the only thing that is driving this market is the notion that the government is going to bail out everyone and their brother.  
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