Investment trend now & then: A survey based study of Moradabad (U.P.)

Investment is the best way to multiply money. Getting into the investment without having the complete knowledge of all the available options and understanding own financial goal is like going for treasure hunt without any map and clues. However the financial needs & goals keep changing throughout the different phases of one's life time. The paper attempts to know the awareness level of the investment alternatives available amongst the investors & compares the investment trend now from 20 years back. The area of the study is Moradabad, a city in Uttar Pradesh and the sample size is 150. The data used in the study comprises of both Primary & Secondary data. It is found in the survey that the investment decisions vary as per investor's age, experience, profession, financial circumstances, family structure and other more factors. Most of the investors are risk averse & thus ignore risky investments like derivatives, equities & prefer safe heaven like bank deposits, post office deposits, gold, etc. There is very little enhancement in the awareness level for newer financial instruments amongst investors over the years.