Looking to Invest in Mutual Funds? Check Out These Investment Plans for Beginners 2026

Summary: 

• On airpay money, you can check out several good mutual funds to invest in across different categories and AMCs. 

• To select the best SIP for beginners, you may first know your risk appetite through a financial health check. 

• Next, the “right” financial products can be picked by comparing schemes using rolling returns, drawdown analysis, and expense ratios. 

• Also, SIP calculator and financial planning utilities can be used to estimate future corpus size before investing. 

Not long ago, most Indian households preferred fixed deposits, gold, or property more than the stock market. 

Why? 

Equities were viewed as risky + complex, and meant only for seasoned investors.  

That perception, however, is changing! 

Today, more Indians are entering the markets, with “SIPs in mutual funds” being the preferred option. As per AMFI, monthly SIP contributions reached ₹29,845 crore, and SIP assets under management (AUM) increased to ₹16.64 lakh crore in February 2026. Despite a higher stoppage ratio of 74% in January 2026, the SIP investor base continued to grow, and new registrations outpaced account closures. (Source: Moneycontrol) 

So, are you also looking to invest in the market in 2026? This article talks about some good mutual funds to invest in available on the airpay money app. Next, you will learn how you can pick the “right” scheme as per your risk appetite.  

Mutual Fund Schemes Available on the airpay money app in 2026 

airpay money is a 360-degree financial wellness app trusted by 1,00,000+ users. On the airpay money mobile application, you can check out several best SIPs for beginners offered by India’s leading AMCs, such as Samco, Invesco India, Mirae Asset, Motilal Oswal, and more.  

Below are some good mutual funds to invest in, categorised under different investment themes/categories (sorted as per 3-year highest returns): 

A) Money Market Mutual Funds 

B) High-Return SIPs for Beginners 

C) Index Funds 

Note: All the mutual fund schemes mentioned above are available for investment through the airpay money app. Return figures are valid as of March 13, 2026, and are subject to change. 

How to Pick the “Right” Mutual Fund Scheme in 2026? 

The first step? 

Start with yourself and not the fund. As an investor, you may begin by identifying your own investment personality before looking at any mutual fund. 

And how to do so? 

You may perform a detailed financial health check, available for free on the airpay money app.  

The generated financial report will show your financial health score and show what level of risk suits you. If you are an “aggressive investor”, you may accept volatility in exchange for long-term growth. Whereas “moderate investors” may prefer a balance between stability and returns. In contrast, passive investors can look for low-cost index options. 

After making such a self-assessment, you can easily shortlist mutual fund categories, such as large-cap, hybrid, flexi-cap, or passive funds. Next, follow these steps: 

1. Analyse Rolling Returns 

Rolling returns show the consistency of a mutual fund scheme across different time periods. As an investor, you may use rolling return data to compare funds and choose schemes that deliver consistent performance over multiple “overlapping periods” (instead of occasional spikes or performing well only during favourable market phases). 

2. Perform a Drawdown Analysis 

Drawdown analysis measures how much a mutual fund’s value fell from its peak during a market decline (before recovering again). It shows the “maximum loss” an investor would have experienced if they had invested at the highest point before a correction.  

A fund with smaller drawdowns is usually preferred as it indicates: 

• Better risk control 

• Diversified holdings, or  

• Defensive portfolio management 

3. Check for Annual Recurring Charges 

When it comes to shortlisting good mutual funds to invest in, expense ratios have become a major deciding factor. For those unaware, it is a percentage-based annual charge directly reduced from the fund’s NAV (Net Asset Value).  

As an investor, you may check whether an actively managed fund delivers enough additional returns to justify higher fees. If an active fund struggles to outperform its benchmark after expenses, investors may prefer passive or index-based options with lower charges. 

Conclusion 

So now you know how to pick the “right” scheme from the hundreds of good mutual funds to invest in. The process starts from your assessment of risk appetite. Once you identify whether you are an aggressive, moderate, or conservative investor, the next step is to shortlist schemes by: 

• Consistency shown through rolling return performance 

• Drawdown levels during market corrections 

• Expense ratio 

• Alignment with financial goals and time horizon 
   

Want to know how much you can accumulate? 

Before committing funds, estimate your “corpus size” using the online SIP calculator available for free on the airpay money app. We are a 360-degree financial wellness platform trusted by 1,00,000+ users. Also, explore more utilities, such as Crorepati Calculator, Inflation Calculator, Budget Calculator, and more.