New Delhi, May 1 -- Conservative investors typically look for investment opportunities in safe investment instruments where they not they only earn assured returns but also claim income tax deductions. Some of the tax-saving instruments wherein investors can invest into include public provident fund (PPF), monthly income scheme (MIS), time deposit, senior citizens savings scheme (SCSS), Sukanya Samridhi Yojana Account (SSY) and National Savings Certificate (NSC).

Here we compare the returns offered by fixed deposits (FDs) vis-a-vis small savings schemes.

I. Retuns on schemes: Most of the small savings schemes offer high returns in the range of 7-8 percent per annum whereas fixed deposits typically offer anywhere between 6-7 percent per ...