Page 15 - Your Money

MAAFs: After sharp equity run-up, diversify with these all-weather funds

Both return and tax treatment can vary widely based on each fund's asset allocation mandate

Non-linked insurance plan: Surrender or stay? Do the math before deciding

The new norms contained in IRDAI's exposure draft, if implemented, will make surrendering less painful

TMFs: Capture current high yields by staying invested till maturity

Select a fund with a longer duration to gain from possible rate cuts next year

Rebalance portfolio, avoid overexposure or complete exit from equities

Book profits in mid- and small-cap segments, allocate money to fixed income and gold

Leverage HUF to max tax benefits by distributing income, availing deduction

By distributing income and availing of deductions, it can facilitate tax savings

Children's fund: Lock-in is useful if you tend to exit amid high volatility

Before investing, understand the fund's portfolio composition, and whether it suits your risk appetite and horizon

2.5% interest, tax exemption on maturity make gold bonds attractive

But there's a lock-in of five years and investors lose tax exemption if they exit prior to maturity

Sectoral, thematic funds: Investors should avoid extrapolating past returns

Such behaviour leads to chasing funds that are past peak performance

US Federal Reserve's potential 2024 rate cuts may extend rally in silver

Investors must, however, be prepared for greater volatility in white metal

Upbeat outlook amid stable credit environment, high portfolio yield

Take moderate exposure to these funds, given the potential for defaults and downgrades in their lower-rated portfolios

Private credit: The rise of a diverse capital solution

Private credit has the potential to serve a larger market need, supplant traditional and alternative pools of capital

Sovereign green bonds for NRIs offer credit-risk-free returns in long term

Investors should be mindful of exchange rate risk and limited liquidity in secondary market

EV insurance: Ensure all-round protection for battery with add-on cover

Return-to-invoice, zero depreciation for major components are must-haves

Retirement planning for self-employed: Invest in NPS, PPF and MF SIPs

Instead of reinvesting all surplus in business, invest a part in accumulating a corpus

Plan in advance for high costs of IVF, surrogacy; consider insurance

Couples opting for surrogacy must bear medical expenses, buy health insurance for the surrogate

Go for gold bonds if you have long horizon, ETFs if you need liquidity

Buy jewellery for consumption; it is inefficient for investment purposes

Planning to buy a car? Minimise tenure, maximise down payment on loan

Selling the old car independently, rather than going for an exchange offer, may fetch better value

Avoid withdrawing more from National Pension Scheme than you need

When the subscriber reaches superannuation or the age of 60, 60 per cent of the total corpus accumulated in NPS can be withdrawn as a lump sum

Prioritise paying off high-cost debt with Diwali bonus you receive

It would also be prudent to channel some of it into replenishing emergency corpus

Want regular income sans credit risk? Invest after exhausting SCSS limit

Younger investors in wealth accumulation stage and those unwilling to lock in for seven years may steer clear