There are instances when a consumer changes his/her mind and terminates a contract, despite there being no deficiency in service on the part of the trader or service provider. Some agreements stipulate a penalty for such breach.

Consumers reneging on a contract have to pay a penalty

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According to a recent study by the Credit Rating and Information Services of India (Crisil), stocks that received a higher grade for their initial public offerings (IPOs) are trading at a higher price-to-equity multiple.

Use grades for guidance, not decisions

Maintain a tab on your expenses, keeping them low while starting out.

Pay off your loans first, invest later

With Akshaya Tritaya around the corner, I have been advised to buy units of gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs), instead of physical gold.

Investing: Paras Adenwala

Interest rates on bank gold deposit schemes are low. Retail investors should explore other options.

Learn to earn from your gold holding

Senior citizens&nbsp;should be a happy lot after the Budget. After meeting their long-standing demand of making 60 as the defining age of senior citizens, the finance minister has also introduced a special category &mdash; &lsquo;very-senior&rsquo; &mdash; for citizens over the age of 80, perhaps in tune with the rising life expectancy. The basic exemption limit for this new category will be Rs 5 lakh, double than that for senior citizens.

Age wise, but not exemption-wise

SPENDING: Extra tax on airfare, hotel room and drinking at an air-conditioned restaurant.

Good life will come at a higher price

Filing income tax returns in the coming assessment year should be a much simpler task for small taxpayers. Introducing a form similar to the &lsquo;Saral&rsquo; form, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee proposed to bring in &lsquo;Sugam&rsquo; in his Budget speech on Monday.

After Saral, it's time for Sugam

If you use life insurance as an investment instrument, be prepared for slightly lower yields because of increased taxation.

All unit-linked insurance plan charges to attract service tax

For homebuyers with a budget of Rs 15-20 lakh, the finance minister&rsquo;s Budget speech would have been music to their ears.

Cheaper loans for affordable houses

A day after the Union Budget 2011-12, certified financial planner Suresh Sadagopan is busy attending calls on new investment avenues, which have been opened up by the finance minister. For salaried individuals, one of these could be the new pension scheme (NPS).

Set to become more attractive

Interest rates on home loans up to Rs 25 lakh may ease in the near-term following the government&rsquo;s decision to classify such loans as priority-sector advances.

Rates on home loans up to Rs 25 lakh may ease

Mortgage financier Housing Development and Finance Corporation (HDFC) has increased its retail prime lending rate (RPLR) by 25 basis points (bps) to 15.5 per cent, with effect from March 1. The increase would affect all home loans linked to RPLR and would be applicable to new as well as existing customers, the lender said.

HDFC raises RPLR 25 bps

There are cheaper versions available that work for both decorative and investment purposes.

Making your portfolio arty

Aseem Dhru, managing director &amp; CEO, HDFC Securities, tells Neha Pandey that high commodity prices, inflation and interest rates are likely to slow corporate earnings and the targeted returns from the market by year-end may be around 15 per cent.

Q&A: Aseem Dhru, MD & CEO, HDFC Securities

With the Union Budget introducing service tax on hospitals and health check-ups, your medical bills are likely to get higher.

Create healthcare corpus

We often examine the provisions of every Union Budget with a critical eye due to their near-term impact on investors. However, certain structural changes do not lend themselves to instant analysis, due to lack of familiarity. An instance is the proposal to permit foreign resident individuals to directly invest in Indian mutual funds.

Budget boost for asset managers

Overhauling portfolios or making hasty investment decisions based on the budget will only hurt you.

Events do not impact returnsk

What should I do with my surplus? A question that is commonly asked diligent investors. There are many options. And with marketers piling up all kinds of information, especially on returns from investment, the choice is never easy. But a wrong decision can undo a well-laid financial plan. This decision will vary from person to person.

Insure first, invest later

This fund identifies stocks whose prices are low, relative to historic levels, book values (BV), earnings and cash flow potential. It picks stocks with high potential, at a discount to their inherent value. Selection is focused on the merits of the stock, unperturbed by the market trend. Investors need conviction and investment discipline to realise these gains. It invests in well managed and fundamentally strong companies.

Performers, yet risky

Raising money for a second home can be easier, and there are tax benefits too.

Being property-wise

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.

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