Page 730 - Personal Finance

Know about the taxes on under-construction flats

VAT and service tax will push up the final cost of property. So, make your investment with care

Common services centres fail to draw insurance firms

Irda's licence to CSCs is valid for three years, after which it can be renewed for another three years

What should you do with FMPs?

It is a toss-up between liquidity and higher returns; if the tenure is more than three years, FMPs score

Don't wait to buy health cover

The waiting period can trip you if there is sudden illness. Buy a top-up policy along with employer's cover to get additional benefits at an early age

Cost of closed-end schemes

They're multiplying and have a plus for those lacking investment discipline but you cannot do an SIP in these

Ensure that your TDS reaches the income-tax department

If not, an assessee might be charged interest for not paying TDS on time

How special is the offer?

Banks, builders and white goods manufactures are dangling the discount carrot this festive season. Choose attractive invitations with care

Case study

Realty check

Budget: Rs 2.5-3 crore

Fixed deposits, NCDs score for one-year horizon

For a three-year period, fixed maturity plans are better, but consider the quality of the portfolio

Thinking smart can help

Internet technology and rapid advances in computing power have transformed financial trading radically

Fixed-rate home loans are back - should you take them?

The last time we had long tenure fixed-rate home loans at interest rates that were so close to the floating rate loan was way back in 2003-04

Readers' Corner: General Insurance

New PF rule may lower take-home pay

But increase in the statutory contribution will boost retirement corpus

Fixed-rate home loans: Not many followers likely for ICICI Bank offer

ICICI Bank's fixed rate loan will reduce the difference between the fixed and floating rates to a bare minimum of 10 basis points

Students look for options as banks trim education loans

Credit to the education sector increased only by 1.9% in July-March period this year

Benefitting from stock splits

Ideally, it should be a zero-sum game but in reality, investors stand to gain due to price rise and higher liquidity

Don't let your insurance policy lapse

Your agent may not remind you about renewal; set alerts & pay premia on time

Let's make some money

Market experts say booking profits could be unwise. If you are nervous, go for dividend-yield stocks

Annual SIP helps only in a sustained bull run

In a volatile market, it cannot give the benefit of rupee cost averaging