Go easy on debt for higher surplus
I am 34 years old. My dependents are my wife and a 5-year-old daughter My monthly net salary is Rs 1.30 lakh. Expenses are Rs 70,000 inclusive of rent, household expenditure an... »
How to achieve financial freedom
Your primary financial objective should be to achieve freedom — a state where you do professional work because you want to, not because you have to! Most of you may be taking efforts to invest so t... »
Jewellery sale is capital gains taxable
I am in the 30 per cent tax bracket. Based on reading various articles, I understand that if I invest in mutual fund's liquid/liquid plus schemes by opting for daily/weekly dividend reinvestment o... »
RBI asks banks to cut exposure to gold-loan NBFCs
The Reserve Bank of India on Friday further tightened the norms pertaining to banks exposure to non-banking finance companies predominantly in the gold loans business.Banks have been... »
PAN must for gold buys exceeding Rs 2 lakh
Customers will no longer be able to buy gold bars or coins worth more than Rs 2 lakh – even by paying cash – without furnishing an Income-Tax Permanent Account Number (PAN).
That is becau... »
Simple rules to help you understand investments better
Investing is a complex term and a daunting exercise for the common man. In this article we try and make things simpler. Understanding numbers is not rocket science. Say, Mr Inves... »
Benefit of indexation available for cost of improvement
I want to sell an inherited non agricultural land (converted from agricultural to non agricultural land in 2010) which was transferred in my name in 1993. The date of Deputy Commissioner Order for... »
Do comprehensive financial planning, when young
I am 29 years old and recently had a child. My net salary is Rs 1 lakh a month. I purchased a house last year with a loan of Rs 27.95 lakh. The EMI is Rs 31,000 for 15 years. <... »
Stamp duty, part of acquisition cost
I bought a residential apartment (under construction) in May last year for Rs 22.6 lakh. I took a loan from State Bank of India. Though the loan sanctioned was Rs 21 lakh, I have taken a disbursem... »
Book profits in aggresive portfolio
I am 38. My husband (39) and I run a business together. We have two daughters aged 11 and 5.
Our monthly expenses are Rs 40,000, which includes home loan EMI of Rs 15,00... »
When policyholder goes missing…
There are situations when a person is unheard of for several years. What happens to such a person's life insurance policies?
Does the spouse or nominee or assignee pay the premiums and ke... »
Prioritise financial goals according to time
I am 42, working as an ‘off the roles' employee in a non-banking finance company. I get a fixed consultancy fees of Rs 20,000 a month. Besides that, my annual incentives amount to an additional... »
Combining conservative floor with risky upside
In this column dated March 25 we discussed about individual risk preferences. Specifically, in a scenario where your investments are not generating the required return, we asked if you would prefe... »
How splitting life insurance policy helps
Life insurance is a long-term contract and situations may arise during this period where the customer desires changes in policy conditions to suit new realities. To cite a simple... »
E-filing of return must for over Rs 10 lakh income
Tax Talk
SIPs beat recurring deposits
EPFO may provide 8.6% interest in 2012-13
Portfolio for an early starter
How debit and prepaid cards differ
Be more realistic while planning early retirement
I am 28 years old. My monthly income is Rs 45,000, while my wife earns Rs 15,000. We live with my parents . Our monthly household expenses are Rs 30,000, shared by me and my father. I have a mo... »
Bonds provide mental liquidity, bond funds don't!
I recently read a newspaper article that recommended that individuals should buy short-term bond funds to meet their emergency requirement. Another article recommended that investment in gilt fund... »
Investing in equity vs. prepaying home loans
You may currently have a home loan. Suppose you had taken this loan five years ago and your income levels have increased since then. Will you pay down your home loan using additional cas... »
Aadhar, PAN databases to be merged together
In order to weed out the problem of fake PAN cards and to ensure an accurate biometric data, the Government has initiated a project to bring together both the Aadhar and the PAN databases.T... »
TIPS for your child's college?
Last week, we discussed about how you can create a portfolio to moderate your inflation risk. As part of the discussion, we mentioned that you can consider investing in the US Treasury Inflation P... »
Tax treatment for cafeteria allowance
My father purchased two sites, 64/2200 sq ft on August 7, 1975 for Rs 5, 000 and another, 68/1200 sq ft on March 6,{+t} 1982 for Rs 3, 000 and a house was built for Rs 2 lakh. It was sold as one... »
How to beat inflation risk
Life is difficult for investors. On the one hand, deposit rates are set to decline as a consequence of the recent 0.50 per cent cut in the repo rate by RBI. On the other hand, food inflation is sti... »
Unlock property value to meet monthly needs
I am 62 and live in Pune. I own a flat in Mumbai. Its present value is Rs 1.3 crore. It has been let out for Rs 30,000 a month. This is my primary source of income. I have FDs for Rs... »
Property loan vs reverse mortgage
Many borrowers opt for home loans to buy a house or other property. But such properties, once bought, can also be a source of funding for the property owner. If you own immovab... »
IT exemption: Pranab asked to extend deadline for private PF trusts
The Union Labour Minister, Mr Mallikarjun Kharge, has written to the Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, to consider extending the time-limit for private PF trusts to seek exemption from income... »
On Home Loans: Being a loan guarantor
How to achieve financial freedom
Don't rely on insurance alone to meet goals
Tax Talk
Simple rules to invest in NFOs
Asian economies must ‘act in unison' to address common challenges
Pilots' union defends stir, says all attempts made to inform minister
Tamil Nadu’s ruling party to organise stir against petrol price hike
Texmaco Rail & Engg bags Rs 117 cr Bangladesh order
Toyota Kirloskar Motor to ramp up production of Etios by 75%