Fifty six-year-old V P Verma is a happy man. He has fulfilled all his responsibilities and is waiting to retire. Being a Central government employee, income after retirement is also not a big concern for him. On retirement, Verma will be entitled to a pension of Rs 25,000 a month.

Seek safety with returns

Business Standard

I have been saving money for my sister&rsquo;s wedding for a few years now and have managed to create a corpus of Rs 2 lakh. The wedding is in January 2011. Since I still have a few months, I want to invest the money until then. I have heard that fixed maturity plans (FMPs) give the highest returns in debt funds.

Investing: Paras Adenwala

Desist from thematic and sector funds; lower midcap, smallcap fund exposure.

Market rally a chance to correct past mistakes

I have heard insurers are launching new, improved unit-linked insurance plans (Ulips), in terms of lower charges. I own two Ulips, one two years old and the other six.

Life Insurance: Kamesh Goyal

Employed individuals are default beneficiaries of group insurance policies bought by a company on behalf of the employees. While these are convenient for individuals who want to avoid the hassle of buying an insurance cover themselves, these may not be enough to solely depend on for medical emergencies. In fact, these may often play spoilsport in your planning.

Take add-ons with group insurance plans

My insurance broker approached me with a new unit-linked insurance plan (Ulip) last week. He said after the changes introduced in Ulips from September 1, these were a more attractive investment option as compared to mutual funds (MFs). I want to start investing in the equity market with a horizon of 20 years.

Financial Planning: Gaurav Mashruwala

Having a house of one&rsquo;s own is a dream for most people. Amol Dethe is no different. Two years ago, this 28-year-old&rsquo;s excitement knew no bounds when he spotted his dream house, which was also within his budget.

Secure a loan before you can own a home

Active investors face two key questions while monitoring their portfolios: What should I buy? And, what should I sell? When the markets are red hot as they are now, these questions are relatively easy to answer.

Easier to figure in high market what to buy or sell

Duplication of paperwork makes the procedure of buying financial products cumbersome.

Know your compliance

Beware, impulse buying could spin your financial budgeting out of control.

Festive binge can lead to debt trap

The best way to teach kids about money is to let them handle it early on. That&rsquo;s why pocket money can be a powerful way to teach kids the basic utility of money, savings, prudent spending, budgeting, record keeping and accountability.

Baby steps for accountability

Identifying the problem is the first step towards solving it. Your financial health, for instance, can be diagnosed by look ing at a few ratios. These ratios are easy to calculate and simple to use.

Diagnostic tools for monetary health

The term of my life insurance policy is over, but I have misplaced my policy bond.

Life Insurance: Deepak Sood

It&rsquo;s called the 10/90 scheme &ndash; pay 10 per cent of the apartment&rsquo;s cost now and the rest after possession. Banks will pay construction-linked payouts to the developer, but your equated monthly instalments (EMI) will begin only after you move in.

The 10/90 scheme goes high-end

In the last six months, investors have consistently booked profits and taken out money from both the secondary market and mutual funds. Since April, Rs 14,624 crore has been redeemed from mutual funds and another Rs 4,838.92 crore from the equity market.

Booked profits? Be careful about re-entering

We have created and nurtured a society where insanity works. For example, take the recent advertisements where builders are selling flats with only 10 per cent upfront down payment. And, the balance is to be paid on possession.

Market-Speak: Parag Parikh

With banks offering special deals for the festive season, buyers should look at loans that are fixed for a longer tenure.

Opt for dual rates

The country&rsquo;s biggest lender, State Bank of India (SBI), announced a token increase in its base rate, softening the blow of an increase in cost of funds for its new borrowers.

SBI limits base rate increase to 10 bps

With Kaun Banega Crorepati 4 going on air last week, diehard fans of Amitabh Bachchan have yet another opportunity to meet him. In addition, many stand a chance of becoming millionaires overnight. The only glitch is that the winner does not take the entire winnings home.

Tax toll on winnings

Two years ago, I took a home loan. I quit my job recently and want to start my business. My savings after excluding all personal and business-related expenses over the next six months will not be sufficient to pay the equated monthly instalments (EMIs) for my home loan.

Debt counselling: Sanjay Agarwal

Entering the equity market through a broker is supposed to make life easy for investors. But the number of cases investors lodge with stock exchanges shows the contrary.

Finding arbitration solutions to client-broker disputes

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 880 - Personal Finance