Page 615 - Personal Finance
Returns not hampered by too many or too few stocks
Schemes with a higher number of stocks have performed on a par with those having an ideal portfolio
 "Returns not hampered by too many or too few stocks")
Give yourself no exemption from tax planning
Get up to Rs 7 lakh or more tax relief through proper documentation
 "Give yourself no exemption from tax planning")
Banks: New dimension of strain
Price correction in real estate could trigger a higher rate of defaults
Dealing with digital black holes
Electronic transactions are rising fast, so are cases of payment failure and delayed settlement
 "Dealing with digital black holes")
Now FDs with 8% interest for senior citizens: Should you invest?
Exhaust the post office scheme limit before investing in this
 "Now FDs with 8% interest for senior citizens: Should you invest?")
Harsh Roongta: A way without the Will
State governments can also do their bit by amending Cooperative Housing Societies Act
 "Harsh Roongta: A way without the Will")
Your money: Insurance gets e-commerce boost
Irdai's push will make insurance cheaper for consumers & enable a consolidated view of all policies
 "Your money: Insurance gets e-commerce boost")
Systematic Investment Plans fail to live up to promise
Over the past 30 months, the SIP trend has surged and there are now over 10 mn of these a/cs
 "Systematic Investment Plans fail to live up to promise")
Your Money: Opt for short-term debt funds as an alternative to FDs
These funds carry low risk & should be able to beat the returns from fixed deposits
 "Your Money: Opt for short-term debt funds as an alternative to FDs")
Look at credit rating carefully before investing in NCDs
While interest rate is 100-200 basis points higher than bank FDs, quality of issuer is important
 "Look at credit rating carefully before investing in NCDs")
Banks cut lending rates: Here's why shifting home loans isn't cheap
If gains are spread over four-five years, it really does not make sense to switch
 "Banks cut lending rates: Here's why shifting home loans isn't cheap")
Close to city centre yet affordable
Hotspot: Barasat, Kolkata
Readers' Corner: Life Insurance
Arijit Basu, MD and CEO, SBI Life, answers your questions
 "Readers' Corner: Life Insurance")
HDFC, Indiabulls Housing take on SBI, ICICI with home loan rate cuts
HDFC is offering 8.65% to women borrowers for loans up to Rs 75 lakh, and 8.7% to other borrowers
 "HDFC, Indiabulls Housing take on SBI, ICICI with home loan rate cuts")
Use flexible STP, variable SIP to tackle market volatility
These stay invested for at least 3-4 years to capture market trends
 "Use flexible STP, variable SIP to tackle market volatility")
Unhappy with hospitality? Don't have to pay service charge while eating out
Full legal right not to do so, govt states; not really, says hotels body
Your Money: Customers on base rate should shift to MCLR
Though banks charge 0.5% of the outstanding amount, it makes sense to shift, given fall in rates
 "Your Money: Customers on base rate should shift to MCLR")
Restaurants can't force you to pay service charge: Dept of Consumer Affairs
Eateries must inform customers that the charge will be waived if they aren't happy with the service
 "Restaurants can't force you to pay service charge: Dept of Consumer Affairs")
Black money chase: Don't panic if you receive a tax notice
Prepare your replies with expert help and keep relevant documents ready to support your replies
 "Black money chase: Don't panic if you receive a tax notice")
On-demand video platform options
Netflix and Amazon Prime have launched operations in India with attractive price points
 "On-demand video platform options")