Mutual fund schemes for a housewife

I am a housewife and interested in some investment in mutual funds. Can you suggest me which funds to invest and should I go for a lumpsum investment or an SIP? I would prefer to invest a lumpsum.
--Nisha Sorte Bokade

It is not possible to suggest any schemes to you without information on your financial goals, investment horizon and risk profile. As a rule, you should invest in debt schemes to achieve your short-term financial goals that are less than three years. You may invest in equity schemes to achieve your long-term goals that are five years away or more. It is okay to invest a lumpsum in debt mutual fund schemes. However, it is better to stagger your investments in equity mutual funds, as it will help you to avoid catching the market at a particular level and average your purchase cost. You can either invest through a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) to make regular investments with the money in your bank account. If you have a lumpsum, you may also invest the money in a liquid scheme and start a Systematic Transfer Plan (STP) in an equity mutual fund scheme.
If you are not familiar with mutual fund investments, you may seek the help of a mutual fund advisor/investment consultant.