Studying abroad; collecting vinyl records: Top personal finance stories
This week we write about how to build a corpus for your children's foreign education and how LP records are back in the groove
 "Studying abroad; collecting vinyl records: Top personal finance stories")
November 14, celebrated as Children's Day, has just gone by. Among Indian parents, higher education for children from a foreign university ranks high in priorities. But the cost of a one- or two-year postgraduate education from a foreign university can easily set you back by $ 50,000-100,000. How should you save and invest to be able to accumulate this massive amount by the time your child is 20-21? In this week's lead story, Himali Patel offers a roadmap.
The second article, by Namrata Kohli, focuses on vintage records, both long plays (LP) and extended plays (EP). The global market for vinyl records was worth $2.17 billion in 2024 and is expected to increase to $4.5 billion by 2031. Despite the rise of digital streaming, vinyl records continue to be in demand due to their superior sound quality and the perceived value of owning physical music collections. Read this article to know about different types of vinyl records and how to choose them.
Most Indian investors prefer not to run credit risk in their fixed-income portfolios. If you belong to this category, consider investing in a corporate bond fund, which invests more than 80 per cent of its portfolio in the highest-rated instruments. If you are looking for a fund from this category, go through Morningstar's review of HDFC Corporate Bond Fund.
After retirement, most senior citizens rely heavily on the interest income from fixed deposits to meet their household expenditures. Banks, too, offer a slightly higher return to senior citizens. If you belong to this category and wish to know which bank's fixed deposits are offering attractive returns, look up Paisabazaar.com's table on fixed deposits rates for an overview of the rates offered by small finance, private, public sector and foreign banks.
NUMBER OF THE WEEK
10 per cent or more correction in Nifty indices
Eleven of the 17 frontline Nifty sector indices are currently experiencing a ‘correction’ phase. An index or a stock is said to be in a ‘correction’ phase when it has dipped over 10 per cent and up to 20 per cent from its recent peak level.
The indices most affected by the recent market decline include energy, automobiles, central public sector enterprises, consumption, and fast-moving consumer goods.
The Nifty Midcap 100 has experienced a decline of 11 per cent from its peak in late September. Similarly, the Nifty Smallcap 100 has declined 10 per cent from its September high.
The decline in Indian markets may be primarily ascribed to a sell-off amounting to Rs 1.14 trillion by foreign institutional investors (FIIs). Rising interest rates in the United States, weak corporate earnings in India, and the relatively high valuation of the Indian market are some of the factors responsible for FIIs pulling out money.
Investors who have recently entered the equity market should remember that corrections are a part and parcel of equity investing. Over the past 45 years, the market has corrected by 10 per cent or more in 41 years. Investors should keep their systematic investment plans in equity mutual funds going.