When people say "investment in stocks and mutual fund are very risky" and you see tag-lines after every stocks/equities related advertisements like "Mutual funds are subject to market risk, please read the offer document carefully before investing", one must understand the reward that one is willing to receive after taking the risk. There is always a 'risk-to-reward' ratio attached to any given financial instrument. Speaking broadly risk is not only attached to financial instruments but also it is linked to our day-to-day activities. Like waking up in the morning (falling from bed is a risk), taking a bath (slipping and falling in the bathroom is a risk), ironing your clothes (electric current is a risk), travelling to office (accident is a risk), walking in rain (hitting by lightning is a risk), working at office (natural calamities like earthquake is a risk) so on and so forth. We never pay attention to such risks, even if they are much larger than