You can buy mutual funds from your bank's relationship managers, but they tend to push the mutual fund schemes of their sister company. Several mutual funds in India are owned by large banks. When getting investment recommendations from your bank RM, check whether the fund is within your risk-taking capacity. For example, a retiree shouldn't have a bulk of her investments in an equity fund, since it can be highly volatile. The RM might sell you the fund by highlighting its past performance, but may not fully explain the risks. So, ask more questions before you sign the dotted line.