Funding assisted fertility; planning holiday: Top personal finance stories

Our best stories this week are what couples must know about the financial impact of IVF and places to go for a Diwali break

Many couples who fail to have a child go for IVF treatment. When that, too, does not bear fruit, some take the surrogacy route. All these procedures entail large financial outlays. In this week’s lead story, Bindisha Sarang delves into how couples should prepare themselves financially before they embark on this journey.

This Diwali, instead of having a get-together at their homes, many families are opting to spend them at holiday destinations. Those who live in North India are trying to escape the gas chamber that this region has turned into. Namrata Kohli lists some of the major destinations you could head to for a celebration away from home.

After the recent run-up in small- and mid-caps, valuations in both these segments have turned expensive. To balance your portfolio, your incremental investments should go into a large-cap fund. If you are hunting for one with a robust track record, look up Morningstar's review of Nippon India Large-cap Fund.

Are you already 30 and don’t have a health insurance cover of your own? Look up Policybazaar.com’s table to know how much premium the country’s leading insurers are demanding for a Rs 10 lakh cover.

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

17.8%: Gold’s return over the past one year

November 10 is Dhanteras, a day that is regarded by many as auspicious for the purchase of gold. The yellow metal (currently priced at Rs 58,970 per 10 gram) has performed very well over the past year, giving investors a return of 17.8 per cent. These returns have come about despite macroeconomic conditions being unfavourable for gold. The US Federal Reserve has hiked interest rates by 525 basis points. When interest rates rise, money usually flows from a non-interest-yielding asset like gold to debt instruments. The dollar index has also gone up by 13 per cent over the past two years. A stronger dollar is also negative for gold.

Despite these developments, gold has done very well. One key factor is heavy purchases by central banks looking to diversify their assets beyond the US dollar. Physical demand has also held steady in markets like China and India. And geopolitical risks, like the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, and more recently, the conflict in West Asia, have added to gold’s attraction.

However, holdings in international exchange-traded funds are at a low level currently. If economies like the US slow down over the next six months to one year (owing to high interest rates), investment demand could increase. This could move the price of gold further up despite the run-up over the past year.

When purchasing gold for investment purpose, one should avoid coins, bars and jewellery. Instead, one should invest in paper gold – instruments such as gold exchange traded funds and sovereign gold bonds.