FD infact has another con attached to it. In India, you need to pay tax on the interest earned through FD!
Correction:
The biggest drawback is the
5 years lock in period to gain tax benifits (also upto 1 Lacs of FD amount only, i suppose).
If the total interest earned on all your fixed deposits in a bank is greater than Rs. 10,000 in a financial year, you are liable for TDS and the banks will deduct the income tax at source.
Moreover, banks will impose a penalty if you break your fixed deposit before the maturity period. Make sure you get the facts right about this thing. How the bank calculates this penalty and what all charges will it levy when you break a fixed deposit should be noted carefully.
Also, Rising inflation can wipe out the interest benefits.The actual benefits or income from fixed deposit can be annulled by a rising inflation. Effective yield would drop.
But i see it as a safe bet for
Retirees, who rather have a decent amount to put in FD, than parking idle in savings bank account, with has otherwise a low return.
Fixed deposits earn fixed interest rates for their entire tenure, which is usually compounded quarterly. So, those who want an income on a regular basis can invest into fixed deposits and use the interest rate as their income. This makes a fixed deposit very popular way of investing money for retirees.