Mona Singh:Cashing in -article

T elevision actors are perpet- ually stuck in the rut of hectic shooting schedules and erratic timings. Of course, their earnings make up for all the hard work they put in to their careers. While most telly stars are disci- plined and systematic investors, there are others who are clueless about plans on making their mon- ey work for them. Rohit Roy, currently focusing on films, calls himself a conser- vative investor. He states, "I most- ly invest in mutual funds and real estate. The recent hike in the interest rate for home loans did affect us. But, now I see interest rates being slashed down. Anoth- er good way to save is putting mon- ey in fixed deposits. The bank I deal with offers me 10 per cent interest instead of 9.5 per cent." His brother Ronit Roy, seen in four Balaji's Telefilms prime time serials, thinks otherwise. According to him, the hike in the interest rate of fixed deposits is marginal and is not very bene- ficial for those who have their money in other sectors. He informs, "I dabble in commodities, and equities. Recently, investing in real estate has proved beneficial for me. I earn more on real estate; hence I invest very little in fixed deposits." Mona Singh, the face of Sony Entertainment Television, strong- ly believes in playing it safe. She says, "Most of my money is invest- ed in UTI bonds since the returns are fruitful." Her father and char- tered accountant take care of her finances. Talking about the swings in the share market, the Roy brothers say that they faced a huge loss four years ago. Since then, Rohit has kept away from the market while Ronit has taken to mid-term and long-term investments. "I don't want to play with the market any- more, it's quite risky. I'm not inclined towards it," says Roy jun- ior. Ronit adds, "I don't specu- late..so, I don't stand a chance of losing big amounts." While jewellery is considered a profitable investment, Ram Kapoor has a different opinion to offer. He says, "My wife Gautami has a huge collection of jewellery, but I don't view it as an invest- ment. It's either inherited or bought by me, so there are senti- ments attached." He says that their investments are restricted to fixed deposits. Amrita Singh is unsure of where her money goes. "I've absolutely no idea about my finan- cial investments. I think I invest in mutual funds," Singh signs off.