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Karthik Jerome writes for Business Standard on the intricacies of personal finance. He has a decade of experience in banking, having previously worked as a sales officer at HDFC Bank and as a relationship manager at ICICI Prudential, which gives him unique insights into his subject matter.
Karthik Jerome writes for Business Standard on the intricacies of personal finance. He has a decade of experience in banking, having previously worked as a sales officer at HDFC Bank and as a relationship manager at ICICI Prudential, which gives him unique insights into his subject matter.
Choose instrument by matching your investment horizon with tenure of the paper
While prices remained stagnant (2015 to 2021), incomes rose, enhancing affordability. This bodes well for the housing sector in a country facing a shortage of 20 million houses
After three years of price rise, some areas may be growing overheated; proceed with caution
While some portion of your money should go into longer-tenure FDs offering higher rates, diversifying across maturities is also essential
Limit allocation to 10% of equity portfolio and enter with a five to seven-year horizon
Get a confirmation letter from issuer confirming closure, ensure it says you have no dues
Combine base policy with super top-up, buy multi-year policy to cope with rising health insurance premiums
Diversify across bonds with different credit ratings and hold them till maturity
Understand the exclusions in each rider; consider a standalone policy for comprehensive coverage
Monitor these funds closely and be quick to exit, instead of trying to chase the last rupee
Verify the call's authenticity; resist pressure to pay up or share sensitive information
Seniors must strike a balance between premium and co-pay; too low a premium could mean high co-pay, which would pinch at the time of claim settlement
At current elevated prices, prospective buyers should opt for staggered purchases
Only investors with high risk appetite should opt for them; limit allocation to 5-10%
Avoid overleveraging or using these funds to finance non-essential lifestyle expenses
Consider this route after developing a robust domestic portfolio and if you can invest minimum $50,000 annually
Boost health coverage periodically to cope with double-digit medical inflation & access premium healthcare facilities
If risk appetite permits, consider active midcap and smallcap funds, and factor funds in satellite portfolio
Avoid triggering taxation during portfolio rebalancing by buying more of underperforming asset class
Those with a medium-term horizon run the risk of getting caught in a rising rate cycle