Shweta Malviya is finding it difficult to understand the bank manager's logic. &ldquo;He wants me to start paying the equated monthly instalment (EMI) on the entire home loan of Rs 30 lakh, though he is going to disburse only 30 per cent as the first instalment for the under-construction property,&rdquo; she says. And, that too, when she will not get any tax benefit on the principal payment.

Ease your home loan burden

Business Standard

Single-premium Ulips are good for people with erratic income and as gifts for children, but one must opt for a higher sum assured.

One payment, low cover

I spent Rs 30,000 on my wife&rsquo;s post-pregnancy treatment in April last year. Since health insurance policies do not cover medical expenses during pregnancy, I could not claim anything.

Taxation: Homi Mistry

Long-term lease versus short-term &lsquo;leave and licence&rsquo; &mdash; a guide to renting out your commercial property.

Consider tenure along with rentals

Bangalore-based financial planner Anil Rego is recommending index funds to new investors. &ldquo;Although I would prefer largecap diversified funds, index funds are a good option for those who are starting and do not know much about investing in equities. And, this is a good time to begin investing in this asset class,&rdquo; says Rego.

Low price, stable returns

I am a 45-year-old doctor and want to start trading.

Investing: Rishi Nathany

It&rsquo;s that time of the year when everyone rushes to invest to save tax.

Loosen the tax noose

There was an interesting mail from a reader last week. This gentleman had opened an internet trading account with a broker and was operating with a small corpus. He reported that he was mostly using tips provided by the broker. He was told if his transactions were higher than Rs 10 lakh, he would come under the tax net. His mail sought clarifications on the broker&rsquo;s advice. He was confident that since he regularly paid the Securities Transactions Tax, there was no other tax to be paid.

Capital Account: Uma Shashikant

Also hikes rates on domestic-term deposits in two maturity buckets.

SBI raises lending, deposits rates by 25 basis points

Calculation of the tax liability is complicated. Even tax officers grapple with it.

Selling inherited property?

Choose high dividend-paying companies only if you are nearing retirement.

Benefitting from dividends

Both property and equities work over the long term.

Question traditional investment methods

Here&rsquo;s how to create a backup of important documents.

Keep a blackbox of your finances

I am 52 and plan to invest Rs 20 lakh via Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs). My goal is to create a Rs 2 crore corpus before I retire in 2018. I do not have any outstanding loan on the flat I reside in, but pay and EMI of Rs 15,000 on a second home which has been rented out.

Regular monitoring helps

I want to create a retirement corpus of Rs 5 crore in 20 years. I have invested Rs 5,000 in five funds and plan to increase the amount by 10 per cent annually. I am also investing Rs 70,000 in PPF.

First, define. Then, select

Use debt instruments or fixed maturity plans. Going the equity way can be risky.

Planning for short-term goals

I am a 38-year-old entrepreneur, operating a textile manufacturing unit. Two years ago, I took a loan from a bank to fund my facility&rsquo;s expansion. Last year, I began facing problems in my business. I couldn&rsquo;t repay my loan instalments and had to mortgage my wife&rsquo;s jewellery. I have also taken a personal loan and fall back on my credit cards to fund my daily expenses. My only liquid surplus is my current account balance of Rs 5 lakh, which I need to maintain from a business perspective.

Debt Counselling: Sanjay Agarwal

Fidelity India&rsquo;s Children Plan covers education, marriage and savings goals.

A balanced approach

I am a 27-year-old single man, working in a private company. I have been investing in mutual funds (MFs), stocks and fixed deposits (FDs) for the past two-three years. My monthly income is Rs 38,000 and expenses are approximately Rs 15,000. I have Rs 1.85 lakh in my bank account. My other investments include equity stocks: Rs 1.85 lakh (current market value); tax-saving FDs: Rs 82,000; pension plan: Rs 24,000 a year (started in 2009); equity-linked savings scheme (ELSS): Rs 2.04 lakh and equity-diversified MFs: Rs 1.35 lakh. My goals are purchasing a car worth Rs 5-6 lakh (after two years), a house for Rs 10 lakh (after 10 years) and building a retirement corpus of Rs 1.3 crore (over 25 years). At present, I invest Rs 3,000 monthly via the systematic investment plan (SIP) route.

Financial Planning: Sumeet Vaid

Health cover portability to be allowed from July 1, but it may not be simple.

New insurer, same cover

Rajiv Anand, managing director and CEO, Axis Mutual Fund, tells Masoom Gupte that stock markets have given attractive returns over the past 10 years, despite facing several bottlenecks.

Q&A: Rajiv Anand, MD & CEO, Axis Mutual Fund

Personal Finance: Read about the smart strategies for Personal Finance Planning, Investing, Insurance, banking, budgeting, loans Tax Planning, retirement and insurance. Browse Business Standard to learn more on Personal Finance.

Personal Finance: Investing, Planning, Retirement, Loans, & Insurance | Business Standard

Read about the smart strategies for Personal Finance Planning, Investing, Insurance, banking, budgeting, loans Tax Planning, retirement and insurance. Browse Business Standard to learn more on Personal Finance.

Page 850 - Personal Finance