Personal Finance

Labour ministry eyes universal, flexible pension scheme under EPFO

Labour Ministry is considering a universal pension scheme under EPFO that would let workers contribute flexibly at any time, aiming to widen retirement coverage across formal and informal sectors

Income tax return filing: How to avoid errors, notices and refund delays

Make sure to match Form 16 with AIS and Form 26AS, choose the correct ITR form, and compare tax regimes before filing

Home loan to medical bills: How to match investments with your goals

Write down your goals before putting money in any product and then set a deadline for returns

How to use salary hikes without derailing your long-term financial plan

Instead of moving to a more expensive house immediately, wait and see how stable your income and expenses are

Setting goals to reviewing returns: 10 steps to build a financial plan

Before investing in any product, you must know what the money is for and when you will need it

Save, invest: How to balance retirement goals with family responsibilities

Build your own financial security early in your career, no matter your family situation is

How to evaluate a mutual fund: Factsheet, SIP, expense ratio, fund size

Before looking at a fund's performance, you must understand its structure

How to build a disciplined investing process: The power of rebalancing

Change your portfolio only if your plan has and do not react to temporary market movements

Target, capacity, constraint: How to plan for big expenses without debt

As you work to achieve your goal, check whether you're on track and adjust for cost changes

List goals, set timelines: How to choose investment products with clarity

Don't put your savings in one place and instead, divide them across different buckets

Fixed deposit to mutual fund: Calculate your post-tax return investments

Judging investments only by their returns and ignoring taxes can lead to poor financial decisions

Could your income tax return face complete scrutiny under CBDT's new rules?

The CBDT has identified six categories of taxpayers for mandatory complete scrutiny in FY27. Understanding the triggers can help taxpayers stay prepared

Filed your ITR? Tax dept highlights 6 categories that could face scrutiny

ITR scrutiny: From surveys to tax evasion inputs, these returns may be picked for closer review

Market sentiment: How to shield retirement savings from emotional decisions

Review your portfolio once every three to six months but checking it daily can lead to stress and poor decisions

Coverage to exclusion: 8 terms to check in a policy before buying insurance

Some other things that matter include waiting period, deductibles and claim conditions

How to choose between growth and stability in your retirement investments

Your portfolio should change over time and not be something you set once and forget

Loans, bills, groceries: How to make a household budget & follow it

You do not have to track every transaction: A too-detailed budget becomes harder to follow consistently

Don't panic and know how to handle notices, demands from income tax dept

Notices are likely to be routine and arise due to mismatches, missing details or system-generated checks

Security & growth: How to choose investments for your financial goals

Every investment comes with a trade-off: Pick ones that matter for your situation

Build a year-round record system, make tax-filing season stressless

Documents need continuous review and updating at least every quarter to ensure they are handy at the time of filing returns