Page 631 - Personal Finance

Individual versus family floater policy

Move to shorter-duration debt funds

Frequency, magnitude of rate cuts will be slow, going forward. Investors should be happy with lower returns

Higher equity share can boost EPF's returns

Rather than one-year returns, look at benefits of long-term investment in equity

Taxi apps Uber, Ola are useful for short distances

If you travel up to 25 km daily, it makes sense to use app-based taxi services. If over 75 km, owning a vehicle is cheaper

HITEC City, Hyderabad: An investment option that offers great deal value

IT houses Microsoft, IBM, Metamor, Toshiba, Oracle and Wipro, beside other leading names

Consumer forums can fight only for consumers

Those who are not consumers cannot get a back-door entry into consumer courts

Ensure smooth transfer of wealth through a trust

While wills are easy to challenge, trusts are more foolproof. But the latter are more expensive

Mixed view on infrastructure

Data indicate the number of stalled projects has climbed in the recent past but there has been some progress in road building

Retail investors can trade in G-Secs directly

If you have a demat account, request your bank for access to RBI's bond trading platform

Innovative health insurance products on the anvil

Final sector regulations will lead to disease-specific covers and lower premium for the healthy

Case study

Business Standard analyses one family's finances and suggests a way forward

Readers' Corner: General Insurance

Place of retirement will be key to your financial planning

NRIs working in West Asia where citizenship is not given need a different strategy than those working in the US and Europe

Home loans for the tech-savvy

Indiabulls Housing Finance's online service allows customers to get loans without going to lender's office

Centralised KYC system to make life easier

Unique number allotted after the process can be used to open accounts in other financial institutions

Benami property holders should watch out

The amendment Bill has made penalties for holding benami properties more stringent but provides for an appeal mechanism

CBDT to come up with FAQs for settling tax litigation

CBDT will also launch a massive publicity drive to make the Dispute Resolution Scheme a success

DHFL NCD suitable for those in lower tax bracket

Inflation-linked option offers no added benefit as underlying benchmark is difficult to predict

Getting emotional about investments will hurt

Many smart investors are unable to admit that their investment decisions may have gone wrong

Rent designer clothes and accessories

Instead of buying, renting offers more choices and leads to savings