Smart ways to make your idle cash work for you

july 3, 2025

Images: Shutterstock

If you have any extra cash lying idle in your bank account, make sure you are using it smartly. Let’s take a look at some smart ways through which you can put your extra cash to work.

To park your funds for any short-term goals, you can go with liquid funds, recurring deposits, or sweep-in fixed deposits that can help you earn without blocking money for too long. 

Short-term needs

Liquid funds invest in short-term debt and are easy to redeem. With decent returns and lower risk, this is a good option for those who want to invest money for a short time period. 

Liquid funds

A sweep-in FD links to your savings account, automatically moving excess funds to earn higher interest in a fixed deposit.

Sweep-in FD

For guaranteed returns over the long run, you can consider small savings schemes like Post Office MIS, National Savings Certificates, RBI Floating Rate Bonds, etc. 

Long-term savings

The Post Office Monthly Income Scheme (MIS) offers stable returns and is a desirable option for those in need of safe investment options backed by the government. 

Post Office MIS

NSC offers fixed, guaranteed returns with tax benefits. For tax-free maturity and retirement fund building, you can opt for the Public Provident Fund (PPF). 

NSC and PPF

These bonds are government-backed with variable interest rates that are revised every six months. They are risk-free with competitive returns. 

RBI Floating Rate Bonds

For those who have low risk capacity, these bonds generally offer better returns as compared to traditional bank deposits. 

Top-rated corporate bonds

If you wish to invest in low-risk mutual funds, debt and hybrid funds, equity saving funds, or arbitrage funds offer modest returns.

Low-risk MFs

If you have high risk capacity, equity mutual funds are the way to go. With higher returns, diversified equity MFs could be the right choice for long-term wealth building. 

Equity mutual funds

E-passport to colour-coding: Key passport changes in 2025

Thanks for reading!

See next

Read Now