Protecting Streedhan, tailored dressing: Top personal finance stories

Our top stories this week tell you about a woman's inalienable financial right and why tailored clothes are better than readymade

A recent Supreme Court judgment underlined the position that Streedhan is entirely the woman’s property. Even if she allows her husband to use it, he must return it. In this week’s lead story, Bindisha Sarang outlines how women can protect their Streedhan and the legal recourse available if the husband or his family tries to usurp it.

The second piece, by Namrata Kohli, explores the benefits of bespoke tailoring and the role it can play in personalising style and enhancing comfort. It highlights the range of bespoke services available, from traditional tailors to modern tech-driven startups.

Smallcap funds are on fire. They have registered a category average gain of 57.1 per cent over the past year. Only a couple of sector/thematic fund categories (PSU and infrastructure) have outperformed them. If you are looking for an option from this category, check out Morningstar’s review of Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund, which has an 18-year track record.

If you are facing a short-term money crunch, consider taking a personal loan. While it is convenient to take it from the bank with which you already have a relationship, it may not be cost-effective. Check out Paisabazaar.com’s table to get an overview of all the options available.

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

$58,390: Price of Bitcoin

From $71,570 on April 8, the price of Bitcoin has fallen to $58,390, a decline of 18.4 per cent.

Several factors have contributed to this decline. The major one is long-term investors booking profits after the stupendous run up over the past year. Another factor is increased selling by miners to cover operational costs and to capitalise on the current price.

The debut of exchange-traded funds in Hong Kong also failed to provide the expected tailwind.

Macroeconomic factors, such as the higher-for-longer stance on interest rates adopted by the US Federal Reserve, have also contributed to investors’ bearish outlook. When interest rates are slated to remain high, interest-bearing instruments gain while non-interest-bearing instruments lose out.

Investors should only enter Bitcoin with a longer-term horizon of four years or more. Moreover, they should expose only a limited portion of their portfolio (about 5-10 per cent, depending on their risk-taking ability) to this highly volatile asset class. Financial experts say you should only invest that portion of your wealth in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies that you can afford to lose.