Page 6 - Harsh Roongta

Wanted, a panel to settle tax disputes

The government should constitute a panel to examine disputes, especially those where the Department has lost in the lower forums and appealed in a higher one

Chipping away at EPFO's benefits

If the Centre only enforces mobility between the EPFO and NPS, the subscribers will settle the argument by voting with their feet

Use only 'mad money' to invest in fads

Investors with a compulsive need to participate in any ongoing action should do so by having a 'mad money' allocation-money they can afford to lose

Short claim procedure needed for old policies

Section 45 of Insurance Act says claims can't be rejected in policies older than three years. Then why demand so many papers in such cases?

How you use a loan determines tax benefit

Interest paid on even a loan against property is tax deductible if you can prove that the loan was utilised for your child's higher education

Assess your advisor on long-term performance

If you assess your advisor on short-term returns, he will use riskier products to generate them, which could result in losses

Will you be rich?

On doing the math, I discovered I would be able to achieve most of my goals provided I made some adjustments and invested more resources

Statutory nominations can reduce disputes

The life insurance kind of 'statutory nomination', which confers final ownership on the nominee, is the need of the hour for all assets

To use artificial life support, or not to

Throw in the financial consequences and you know that your loved ones will be under tremendous pressure if they have to make this decision

Action is the best antidote to helplessness

The highest satisfaction has come from using my professional skills to help reconstruct the financial records of a family that lost its breadwinner

KYC norms hindering financial penetration

CKYC is failing to have the desired impact due to lack of clear directions from the regulators, and lack of connectivity between the stakeholders and the repository

Only banks can provide retail push to G-Secs

Retail investors need banks to play the role of market maker, facilitate KYC, and turn G-Sec into an FD-like product from the government

Budget: Trust in financial system will rise if promises implemented well

The writing is on the wall. The next investment product to lose the unwarranted tax exemption will in all likelihood be traditional life insurance products

Make jewellers partners in gold deposit scheme

The number of places where gold can be tendered is limited and the staff there is ill-trained, making the scheme a non-starter

Immobilise unregistered digital lending apps

Forget lack of faith, there is fear of the law enforcement machinery even among educated, sophisticated, middle-class people

Experience is the best antidote to fear

Later, I did the same trek using the same route. The exposed section was still scary, but less so. I felt a sense of achievement on completing it

Outsource asset allocation to a fund

Raising equity allocation when the market is down and reducing it when it is soaring is difficult. Let dynamic asset allocation funds do it for you

Saving face can be an expensive business

Interest waiver relief was a complete waste of taxpayers' money. It only enabled the government to provide the Supreme Court judges a face-saving way out of the mess of their own making

When job loss wrecks your finances

Continue to pay your loan EMIs and insurance premiums for term and health policies (not investment-based policies) on time

Borrowers need fair rates, not just waiver

With portability, a large number of borrowers will move to a 1-2 percentage points lower rate and enjoy handsome savings