New Delhi, March 10 -- Fixed deposits (FDs) and the public provident fund (PPF) are both safe and reliable investment instruments offered by banks in India for conservative investors to earn consistent long-term returns.

Each have their own roles to play in your core investment portfolio, and it is advisable to research and compare both options to your own specific needs before making a choice.

Fixed deposits allow you to allocate a lumpsum amount to a financial institution for a fixed period of time and for a fixed rate of interest. FDs also tend to have higher interest rate than simply parking your money in a savings account.

Meanwhile, launched in 1986 by the government of India, PPF is a savings scheme with generally higher interes...