Your Money

Benefits, pitfalls of maternity cover you should be aware of before buying

Watch out for sub-limits and waiting periods that often accompany this cover

What NPS' new asset allocation, withdrawal options mean for you

Surrender of annuity will be allowed only if it meets the terms of the contract

SC's benami ruling: What families can do if ownership comes under scrutiny?

Check who actually paid for the property and whether the payment trail matches the registered owner

Contra funds: Can you weather the long periods of underperformance?

Make sure the fund manager does not abandon this strategy in a bull run

After run-up in precious metals, what steps should investors take?

Rebalance away from gold and silver and towards equity and debt

Pharma, healthcare funds are in recovery mode. Should you enter them now?

Hold existing investments if you have a long horizon; book partial profits if exposure exceeds 10 per cent

NSE's Electronic Gold Receipts: What needs to be checked before investing

Costs, liquidity, and the mechanism for conversion to physical gold are aspects you must understand before taking the plunge

Treat these novel strategies as diversifiers, not as core holdings

Treat SIFs as satellite holdings, not replacements for core mutual fund holdings, as management and threshold compliance risks remain

Why you should have a separate health corpus to tackle rising medical costs

Rising medical costs and insurance gaps make building a dedicated health corpus essential for long-term financial security

Corporate fixed deposits: Use laddering strategy to tackle rate uncertainty

Chasing high returns by investing in lower-rated instruments could result in loss of principal

Home insurance: Do not alter fire-damaged property before insurer survey

Preserve evidence of damage by taking photographs or videos

₹1 crore-plus health covers offer safety, but affordability remains key

Health insurance premiums tend to rise rapidly at older age

Gold bars, coins: Factor in premiums, making charges and GST costs

Indians continue to favour physical gold for tradition and security, but ETFs offer a more efficient, low-cost route for long-term investment

Investing in NCDs: Assess credit ratings and financials, diversify holdings

With equity returns uneven, non-convertible debentures are gaining traction as a middle path between FDs and stocks-but investors must weigh credit risk, liquidity, and issuer quality before investing

Mid, smallcap fund recovery may not sustain; experts urge cautious moves

New investors should enter only if they have the required investment horizon and risk appetite, not merely because these funds have rallied

Presumptive taxation: Explain income-investment gap with clear proofs

Reconcile investment details with bank records, Form 26AS and AIS before tax filing

Young buyers dropping health cover risk savings, debt, investment setbacks

Combine base policy with super top-up, opt for policy with favourable bonus norms to manage premium cost

Life insurance onboarding: Disclose ailments, habits; take tests if needed

Appoint a guardian for minor nominees; update nominations after major life events

Multi-asset fund-of-funds: Active option suits alpha, risk control seekers

Multi-asset FoFs offer diversification in one fund, but investors must weigh costs, tax rules, and active vs passive strategies before investing

Old vs new tax regime: Higher allowances, HRA changes warrant a review

Employees whose cost to company includes these components may find the old regime more beneficial this year