We facilitate fixed deposits (including corporate FDs, senior citizen deposits and tax-saving FDs) and bonds (government, corporate and tax-free) from established issuers, so the stable portion of your portfolio is chosen deliberately, not left idle in a savings account.

Fixed income is the part of a portfolio that is supposed to be boring, and boring, done well, takes more care than it looks. The rate on the brochure is only half the story; the issuer behind it, the rating on the issue, the payout structure and the exit terms are the other half. That second half is what we walk you through.

Deposits placed with companies and NBFCs for a fixed tenor at a contracted interest rate, with cumulative (interest at maturity) or periodic payout options. They typically offer more than a comparable bank FD, and the difference is not free money. Corporate FDs carry issuer credit risk and are not covered by bank deposit insurance, which is exactly why the issuer’s credit rating is the first thing we show you, not the last.

Securities issued by the government, carrying sovereign backing, the strongest credit available in rupee debt. Useful for longer tenors and for income that must arrive regardless of the business cycle.

Bonds issued by companies, including NCDs (non-convertible debentures), fixed-tenor instruments that cannot convert into shares. They can be secured or unsecured, and many are listed on the exchanges, which gives you a potential exit before maturity. Here, credit quality does the heavy lifting: a higher promised rate is usually the market’s way of pricing higher risk.

Bonds whose interest is exempt from income tax, historically issued by government-backed institutions and today bought mostly in the secondary market. For investors in higher tax slabs, the after-tax comparison against a regular FD can be worth doing carefully.

Many issuers offer an additional interest slab for senior citizens, which matters when a deposit is doing income duty in retirement. Tax-saving FDs qualify for a Section 80C deduction within limits, and carry a five-year lock-in in exchange.

Debt instruments are rated by agencies such as CRISIL, ICRA and CARE on a scale that runs from AAA (highest safety) down through AA, A and below. Two things are worth internalising: the scale is not linear (the step down in safety grows quickly as ratings fall), and a noticeably higher promised yield almost always reflects a lower rating rather than a generous issuer. Issuer credit quality matters in fixed income. We walk you through the credit ratings and terms of every option before you commit.

Two practical habits make a fixed income portfolio work harder. The first is laddering: staggering maturities across dates so money keeps becoming available for reinvestment or spending, instead of everything maturing (and repricing) at once. The second is knowing your exit terms before you enter: most FD issuers allow premature withdrawal after an initial period at a reduced rate, while listed bonds and NCDs can be sold on the exchange, subject to market price and liquidity. Neither is a reason to avoid the instruments; both are reasons to read the terms, which we do with you.

How much of your money belongs in fixed income is a risk question before it is a product question. The 3-minute risk profiler gives you an honest starting point, and your relationship manager can then place FDs and bonds alongside your mutual funds and equity so the whole portfolio, not just one corner of it, matches your temperament.

Fixed deposits and bonds are subject to the terms, conditions and credit risk of the issuer. Please read the issue documents carefully before investing.