Page 750 - Personal Finance

Cabinet may approve Rs 1,000/month minimum pension tomorrow

Proposal is listed in the agenda of the meeting of the Union Cabinet scheduled for tomorrow

Kotak Life Insurance launches immediate annuity plan

Plan offers the option to chose a beneficiary other than self

Volatility futures not for retail investors

Good hedging instrument, minimum contract size of Rs 10 lakh is a deterrent

Going after the non-filers: Personal I-T mop-up surges

Growth aided by notices to persons who would high-value transactions but did not file returns

Earning members require critical illness plans

Since these are expensive and cover only a fixed number of diseases, it is difficult to buy too many

Realty check

budget: Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore

Hidden charges, service as important as loan rate

With the difference between lending rates of banks and NBFCs narrowing, base your choice on urgency of requirement

Case study

Banking: Prashant Joshi

Banks will charge for better services

Changes in regulations and the imminent enforcement of some long-standing regulations are pushing up the cost for banks apart from the general cost inflation

Betting on the automobile sector

While these look overvalued, stock prices could double or treble in 2-3 years if the industry turns around

Interest costs a huge burden on students

If it is difficult to repay, try re-negotiating the payment terms to ease the burden

Who is hacking your mobile?

Don't download free apps, among other precautions; we list some

Don't look at life insurance only

Comprehensive home insurance and personal accident covers are important although these don't offer tax benefits

Invest cautiously before elections

Stay invested in bank fixed deposits till the election and then take a call on equities

I-T dept identifies over 2 mn potential non-filers

Tax ombudsman sends letters sent to 50,000 people in first batch

Units of big firms likely to lose PF tax benefits

These companies have failed to get exemption certificates from the EPFO's governing body

Dealing with company deposit frauds

Recovery options for retail investors are few; all they can do is put pressure on the firm through legal channels

Chola MS launches Android app for health insurance customers

Application would offer policy details like coverage, sum insured and renewal reminder and hospital network with geo tagging on Google Maps

Fund pick: Birla Sun Life Top 100 Fund

Superior returns at lower volatility