Page 19 - Financial Investment

Return of premium term plans can be avoided

You will be better off buying a plain- vanilla term plan, which costs less, and invest the balance in MFs

New home insurance plans are much better

Insurers cover the house on market value, and not on construction cost. They also don't insist on bills when giving the policy

Tightrope walk for next RBI governor

Managing Brexit, inflation and banking reforms, along with the political environment, will be tough

Combi plans for those with no cover

Life-cum-health plans don't allow customisation. Separate term, health plans can provide higher coverage

Case study

Realty check: Budget - Rs 30-50 lakh

Simple steps to resolve procedural tangles

Many people struggle to claim or liquidate investments and insurance policies due to procedural issues. Follow these well-defined rules

Readers' Corner: General Insurance

Problems for NRIs remitting salary to India

Interest on NRE accounts is tax-free, but the I-T department creates hurdles to tax these accounts

Make a classic investment

But do it for the love of owning such a vehicle because there is no guarantee of return on the money spent

Time for NRIs to file returns

Individuals with taxable income in India above the basic exemption limit should file their returns by July 31

Pay heed to your spouse's credit score

Your partner's poor credit score could mar your chances of getting a joint loan, so work on improving it while there is time

Balanced funds good for first-timers, retirees

With AMCs providing as many as 4-6 balanced fund options, investors need to be cautious before buying

New Ulips still not ideal investment tools

They suffer from the problem of mixing investment with insurance; also, lesser choices compared to MFs

Diversify to counter volatility

Continue SIPs, look at other foreign funds to protect your portfolio and even benefit from the uncertainty

Gold's comeback in portfolios

Despite having run up substantially in the past year, recent events like Brexit can lead to further gains

Title insurance to come to the aid of property buyers

Irdai plans to introduce scheme to compensate for loss arising from litigation or unauthorised transfers

Next destination for Pune's mid-segment buyers

Case study

For regular cash flows, bet on commercial property

Annual yield of 9-11% and the opportunity arising from Reits are driving high net worth investors towards the commercial real estate segment