Mutual fund investment first time

A few points to consider while shortlisting Mutual Funds. Value Research Online provides a wealth of information on MFs.

1. Expense Ratio of the fund (Direct Plans are ofcourse cheaper)
2. Portfolio churn ratio of the fun
3. Category of Fund to invest in (Standard ones include Micro/Small Cap, Mid Cap, Large & Midcap, Large Cap, Balanced, ELSS, Thematic (e.g. Pharma, FMCG etc), Debt Funds
4. Underlying portfolio companies the fund has invested in
5. If it is an old fund then maybe a 10 Year performance comparison and the longevity of the Fund Manager

If you want to manage funds from multiple Houses under a single window then Funds India and Fundsupermart offer the same, albeit only as a regular fund option. (in addition to standard brokerages like ICICI Direct)

Cheers,
Pulak