Motilal Oswal S&P 500 Index Fund - Regular Plan Growth

Motilal Oswal S&P 500 Index Fund - Regular Plan Growth holds up reasonably well within the Index Funds category, backed by a 4-star rating. Consistent 3-year performance combined with a strong rating makes this one of the more credible options in its space. TopFund's composite Health Score, which weighs rating, 3-year CAGR, expense ratio and fund size, puts it at 78/100.

Cost: At 1.16%, the expense ratio runs 183% above the Index Funds category average of 0.41%. That gap is worth weighing against the fund's actual performance versus cheaper peers before committing to a long SIP.

Risk-adjusted performance: Over the trailing 1-year period, the fund shows a strong Sharpe ratio of 1.84 — the fund has generated solid returns relative to the volatility it exposed investors to. Separately, annualised volatility of 13.86% is fairly typical for actively managed equity funds.

Who should invest: This fund is best suited to cost-conscious investors happy to simply match the market rather than try to beat it. The High risk rating means near-term volatility should be expected — this isn't a fund to check daily.