How PMS (portfolio management services) works?

If you are a high net-worth individual, looking for investing in a professionally customized portfolio of stocks, then PMS (Portfolio management services) can be a good choice for you.

In this article, we will discuss everything about PMS – Portfolio Management Services.

What is Portfolio Management Services (PMS)?

PMS is a service targetted at HNI investors who have a high-risk appetite, and the minimum ticket size of the investment required in PMS is Rs. 50 Lakhs – as increased by SEBI recently.

A lot of investors want to have a direct equity portfolio and may want high returns by taking a huge risk. A lot of investors manage their portfolio, but not everyone might have all the expertise needed to manage the stock portfolio. For this kind of investor, PMS can be a good option to look for beyond equity mutual funds.

There are 3 types of PMS

Discretionary: Discretionary Portfolio provides the service provider a right to make decisions on behalf of the client, whether he wants to sell or buy the shares. He is not bounded to consult with the client.

Non-discretionary: The portfolio manager suggests investment ideas suitable to risk appetite investor, while the decision is taken by the client. The client at his discretion can select stocks or other investment products. However, the execution of trade is done by the portfolio manager.

Advisory: Under these services, the portfolio manager only suggests investment ideas. The choice, as well as the execution of the investment decisions, rest solely with the Investor.

Note: In India, the majority of Portfolio Managers offer Discretionary Services. Most of the portfolio management companies provide model-based services. A standard model is followed and a bit alteration is done for individual client preference.

PMS is an individualized pool of funds

When you opt for a PMS scheme, a bank account, Demat account, and trading account are separately opened in your name and all investments are made in your name only. Accordingly, any income or dividend coming out of the investment made will also be credited in your bank account and the shares will be held in the Demat account in your name.

It means you hold all stocks individually, unlike mutual funds, where there is a pool of funds managed by a fund manager and performance is evaluated based on per day NAV. Each fund performance is influenced by all the investors jointly based on their sentiments, whereas in PMS the behavior of individual investors is isolated from one another.

PMS agreement

When you opt for a PMS service, you need to sign an agreement, which specifies all the details of services to be provided along with strategies and models of portfolio to be followed by the portfolio manager. When you sign it, you give a power of attorney for operating your trading and bank account to the portfolio manager.

If you are having a Demat account, trading account and bank account, you have to open all of these again to avail PMS. So that a portfolio manager can clear power of attorney. Therefore, whenever dividend or interest income or any other amount is credited to the bank account linked to PMS, the portfolio manager will redirect that amount in your portfolio.

As per market regulator Sebi’s instructions, a portfolio manager is required to furnish performance reports to their clients every 6 months. Most portfolio managers give a username and password which can be used to login to their website and see the portfolio statements.

The fee structure in PMS

PMS has a high cost of maintenance as compared to any other investment option. It has entry load, yearly management cost as well as profit sharing. However, they vary from provider to provider.

1. Entry Load – When you opt for portfolio management service, you are charged an entry fee which is generally termed as the Entry Load or Set up cost. It is 1 to 3% or it may vary. It gets deducted from the amount of your investment.

So, as we said, to avail, this service minimum amount is Rs. 50 lakh. So, you have to keep aside Rs. 50 Lakh + 2 or 3% of set up costs to start investing in PMS.

2. Management Charges – This is a service charge for managing your portfolio. It may vary from 1-3%, depending upon the service provider.

3. Profit-Sharing Fees – If a PMS has profit-sharing agreements between the client and provider, in addition to other fixed fees, then this charge is based on such terms of an agreement. Some charge this fee-based in the hurdle rate.

The hurdle rate is a promised rate of return. If a portfolio has given more than that percentage, then 10% or any percentage will belong to PMS company. It means you have to share profit if your portfolio has managed to give returns above what was promised.

Apart from the charges mentioned above, the PMS also charges the investors on the following counts as all the investments are done in the name of the investor:

• Custodian Fee
• Demat Account opening charges
• Audit charges
• Transaction brokerage

However, the fees of the service providers are negotiable, so you can exploit it as much as you can. There is no standard norm defined for the PMS fee.

Advantages of PMS

• A portfolio of stocks and debts monitored and professionally managed by an expert.
• PMS promises to outperform benchmark i.e Higher returns than the benchmark in the long run.
• You get to invest across asset classes – debt, equity, gold, and mutual funds.
• No limit to the extent to which you can invest in a certain stock.
• No herd behavior is followed by an expert, they keep your requirements in their mind and accordingly invests in the segment preferred.
• Diversified as well as focused portfolio depending on investor’s profile.

Disadvantages of PMS

• As per SEBI guideline Minimum investment required is Rs. 25 lakhs (From 1st Jan 2020 it will be increased to Rs. 50 Lakh) because of which a small investor won’t be able to enjoy services offered under PMS.
• PMS providers share profits but not losses.
• Long documentation procedure, you need to open a new Demat Account, trading, as well as bank, account for PMS.
• High set up cost – you have to pay 1 or 2 % of your AUM i.e. the amount you want to invest, at the time of investment. Along with this you also have to pay yearly management cost.

How PMS are taxed in India?

PMS taxation has always been quite debatable in the past whether it should be treated as Business Income or Capital Gains, but from the last few years after a recent court ruling, it’s now clear that profits from PMS will be treated as normal Capital gains and equity taxation rules will apply.

This means that any short term capital gains (before 1 yr) will be taxed at 15% and any long term capital gains will be taxed at 10% (after 1 lac limit per financial year) without indexation benefits.

Difference between mutual fund and PMS

A lot of investors might wonder how much PMS is different than an equity mutual fund. Here is a video which talks about the difference between PMS and Mutual funds.

Also, here is the tabular comparison between PMS and mutual funds