Category Archives: Personal Finance

Whether to buy a house or rent one? This is one of the biggest dilemmas working professional face in India. The question is especially true in the post-pandemic environment where homes have become our place of work as well. The work from home or WFH has suddenly increased our affinity to home unlike in the […]

Given that unsecured loans like personal loans and credit cards are not backed by any security or collateral, lenders lay a greater emphasis on credit score while evaluating loan applications. So those having a poor credit score have lower chances of availing unsecured loans or are charged higher interest rate to make up for the […]

When a 40-year-old man died in his sleep at night, his wife, a professional in a high-pressure job, was overseas. She rushed back, but suffered trauma from the news and had to be institutionalised. The couple’s 12-year-old daughter was unable to access funds in the bank accounts being a minor. It was only when Inheritance […]

In 2013 Apple Inc, the world’s most profitable and cash rich company, surprised the world by announcing a plan to borrow cash from the bond market to reward its shareholders with higher dividend and share buybacks. The company has since continued to borrow every year, taking advantage of record low interest rates rather than dip […]

What is Atal Pension Yojana? It is a minimum pension guarantee scheme by the Central government, where one can opt for a minimum monthly pension of Rs1000, Rs2000, Rs3000, Rs4000 or Rs5000. The pension scheme starts paying after the age of 60 years. The objective of this scheme is to ensure a sense of financial […]

Falling yields on bank fixed deposits, bonds and declining returns on real estate and other asset classes have led to a significant increase in retail investors’ participation in mutual funds. However, lack of awareness about mutual funds and capital markets often makes many retail investors commit investing mistakes.   Let’s look at some of the common […]

The recent budget had an announcement that was of interest to all tax payers and especially the entire salaried class.  The government introduced a cap of Rs 2.5 lakh on the tax-free interest that employees could earn from their contribution to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Unit linked insuranceplans (Ulips). In other words, a […]

We are in the fourth quarter of the financial year 2020-21. It is that time of the year when most Indians, especially those with salary income, spend time on tax planning. People look for financial instruments that can help them save income tax and also create some long-term financial assets in return. The latter is […]

The newest entrant into India’s credit card market, IDFC First bank, has highlighted the charges thar credit card users in India end up paying for revolving credit.  While banks may claim a credit card to be free, as they say ‘there are no free lunches’. It is therefore important to know some of the important […]

A comprehensive Motor Insurance policy comprises two parts – Own Damage and Third Party Insurance. It also comes with a range of add-on covers that can be customised. Own Damage It covers damages and losses against your own car. This includes damages and losses caused due to accidents and collisions, natural calamities, fires, riots and […]