Page 656 - Personal Finance

Lock in your investments in small savings schemes

The next revision will make the rates similar to those of bank FDs

More young professionals have lifestyle disorders, inadequate health cover

Chronic body pain, obesity on the rise among professionals aged 23-35; many of them depend only on employer-provided cover

Govt to cut returns on small savings schemes by 25 bps

EPFO raises 'interim' interest rate to 8.8%

Dattatreya says rate could be revised later; trade unions demand 8.95%

Identity theft? Flag it immediately

Fraudsters use someone else's identity to apply for loans and do not repay it

Seven ways to survive the stock market downturn

Here are seven tips to not only help you survive this downturn but also come up trumps in the long run

Raise personal IT exemption limit to Rs 4 lakh: Assocham

It also demanded additional incentives for savings and higher tax allowance for expenditure on education and health

Not too late to plan your taxes

Equity-linked savings scheme, PPF and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana are recommended instruments. Getting health and life insurance should be the first priority if you have dependants

How to salvage your foreign holiday

Tweak your travel plans to save on costs in a weaker rupee scenario

Case study

Realty check

Budget: Rs 2.5-3 crore

GDP data led to some confusion

However, quality could improve over long term as more people search for multiple data sources

Investing in IPOs through Asba is convenient, saves time

However, you might face some initial hurdles if you have an account with a bank not designated to offer this

Will tax simplification actually happen?

The government has become used to accounting for TDS as its income even though it knows a significant portion needs to be returned as refund

Debt Counselling: Kuldip Kumar

My company is sending me to the US for a three-year project. Will I be considered a non-resident Indian for this period? Should I file taxes in the US and in India?

Fixed maturity plans out of favour as tax benefits go away

Besides, increase in risk appetite of investors too played a crucial role in making FMPs less attractive

A better tool to evaluate funds

Rolling returns help understand a scheme's performance in different market conditions

Is the yellow metal at an inflexion point?

Gold has risen sharply due to rising risk aversion, but there remains a question mark on whether its current rally will sustain

IRDAI makes e-format must for Rs 10 lakh-plus life policies

Individual health policies of Rs 5 lakh and above, or annual premium of Rs 5,000 and above must also be offered in e-format

Quitting smoking doesn't ensure immediate reduction in premium

Life insurers need applicants to abstain from tobacco for up to five years. However, health insurance firms don't differentiate that much