Page 688 - Personal Finance

All you need to know about life insurance and its tax implications

Most people don't buy right insurance products; they just given in to best sales presentation

Passwords are passe; biometrics is the future of banking

Banks are now adopting voice recognition software to authenticate customers

Service tax: Once in, never out

Even if entrepreneurs bill less than Rs 10 lakh after the first year, they will still have to pay tax

Participate in car recall to avoid claim rejection

Insurance can repudiate claims or make part payment if there's an accident

Earthquake panic leads to surge in insurance enquiries

Industry says that awareness remains a big problem

Don't buy MF schemes for bonus, dividends

Choose growth option that will help multiply money due to compounding

We are considered serious competitors now: Leo Puri

Interview with Managing Director of UTI Mutual Fund

Case study

Neeraj is a manager (sales) in a real estate company. His wife, Ishita, is a homemaker

Readers' Corner: Taxation

There is no tax on making gifts

Boisar: An upcoming residential hub in Mumbai's outskirts

Boisar is currently governed by a gram panchayat, to soon be converted into a nagar palika (a municipality)

How to make gold monetisation scheme work

A lot of issues with the GDS had to do with incentives to a bank for this scheme

You can afford a yacht

Companies offer partial ownership and timeshare, beside other combinations

Address structural issues for infra boost

Govt's focus area is infra, which is underperforming. Incremental approaches haven't paid off so far

Use SIPs to enter long-term bond funds

Investors can hope to get double-digit returns over 12-18 months if interest rates fall 50-100 bps. There are options if this doesn't work out

Fine print in govt-promoted insurance schemes

Personal accident cover is good but life insurance plan isn't cheap and pension plan is rigid on withdrawals

Panel suggests a new disclaimer for use in insurers' ads

Wants greater transparency to enable policy holders to understand boundaries of coverage in their policies

A tax checklist for returning NRIs

Disclose foreign assets, redesignate NRO a/c and open a Resident Foreign Currency a/c to park forex earnings

Panel on health insurance wants 5-year products on pilot basis

These products would cover risks otherwise generally excluded today, with option to renew or not after 5 years

Arbitrage funds can be a better alternative to FMPs

If an investor remains invested for more than a year, he doesn't have to pay tax. For the short term, an investor can go for dividend option

Bajaj Allianz General sees 37% rise in net profit

Company reports Rs 962 crore in settled claims due J&K floods and Hudhud cyclone in eastern India