One outcome of the devastating, once-in-a lifetime pandemic is a grim realisation about our lack of preparedness for unexpected tragedies. Those who have lost loved ones over the past 20 months had to run the harrowing gauntlet of succession issues, while trying to come to terms with their...

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People with Employees' Provident Fund and Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) contribution of over Rs 2.5 lakh per financial year will now have two separate PF accounts.   Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced, in this year's budget, that PF contribution of more than Rs 2.5...

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At a time of low interest rates and rising inflation, it is natural for money to seek higher returns. Every asset class has its own risks and some may have liquidity issues as well. We need to understand these risks and assess our risk appetite in money terms before venturing into new...

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A couple of years back we heard this tragic story about a well-off, retired couple. Mrs Iyer was diagnosed with stage IV cancer and passed away soon after. A year later, Mr Iyer was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Friends and extended family rallied around, wanting to help but were...

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COVID’s virulent second wave has had a horrific impact on ‘people like us’ who believed that our social standing, savings and insurance would get us adequate healthcare and protection in a crisis.   The virus has shown us the deadly reality. Entire families have been wiped out; young...

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We save and invest in the hope of providing a better life for ourselves and our loved ones. But death is inevitable. So what happens to our mutual fund (MF) units when we die?   Transmission of MF units is a process whereby units held in the name of deceased unit-holder are...

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Death in a family is an unsurmountable loss to family members and it takes a lot of time to come to terms with it. We have observed that accessing fixed deposits (FD) of the deceased person often becomes a long drawn, stressful process for legal heirs even as they grapple with their grief....

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There is a positive development for holders of Government of India bonds who are using the demat account of Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL). Since 13th April, their ‘system’ has started accepting applications for nomination in the case of joint-holders of GoI...

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Summer is here and there is a heat wave in the stock market too. Everyone wants to pile on to the rally and it seems the market will keep rising. The lack of depth and breadth in our markets acts as a major accelerator. And strong earnings recovery in the big companies plus record commodity...

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Most of the above random investments start with the intention of tax saving, capital protection, avoiding risks, etc. But, they don’t have any end objective in place like a specific financial goal attached to them.   Random investing approach versus goal planning approach   A...

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Knight Frank, an international property consultancy, in their Attitudes Survey 2021, cited that 84% of Indian ultra high net worth individuals (UHNWIs) have reassessed their attitudes to succession planning in light of COVID-19.   UNHWI's from countries such as Canada (90%), Turkey...

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Whether sudden or unexpected, the death of a loved one/parent is a harrowing time for us. It becomes even more so if the person happens to be the family's breadwinner. In the circumstances, handling finance matters while coping with emotional pain, can be stressful. The survivors/legal heirs...

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The world is going through an unprecedented crisis due to the Coronavirus pandemic. What began as a health calamity has now transformed itself into a full-blown economic crisis which has not only affected large industries and national economies, but also individuals’ and households’ financial...

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Public Provident Fund (PPF) continues to be one of the most preferred tax efficient savings products in India to build a retirement corpus. PPF investments of up to Rs1,50,000 (per financial year) are eligible for tax deduction under Section 80C, and the amount received on maturity is...

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Provident fund (PF) or employee provident fund (EPF) is a popular government of India run scheme, which functions as a useful social security net for individuals employed with eligible organizations. Under the scheme, the employees contribute around 12% of their basic pay plus dearness...

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It is that time of the year, when you receive your appraised salary along with bonuses, which could be a compelling reason to go on a spending splurge. While a retail therapy may sound too good to be true, it is always advisable to put your salary to good use. One of the best ways to utilise...

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Credit card bills to pay. Outstanding personal loans.  Late bill payments.  Insufficient money coming in to cover up the required spending.    When it comes to money, life is not simple. You may be worried about debts, insufficient retirement kitty, and other financial...

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The real estate market in India is one of the most promising sectors for starting a business today. From a size of USD 120 billion in 2017, it is expected to grow to USD 1 trillion by 2030. Yes, this sector is flourishing at a jet speed, thereby attracting people from all backgrounds to start...

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Whether the real estate market remains bullish or bearish, non-resident Indians (NRIs) prefer a place back in India - not just for investment returns but also to remain rooted in their country of origin. Previously, NRIs (like most other buyers and investors) had every reason to be leery of...

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When financial planners and relationship managers present an investment scheme or plan, they emphasise mainly the wealth generation aspect of the product, enough to make their clients drool.   What they often hide, or ignore, is an important component—inflation. Money inflation is an...

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