Tax incentives for NPS have gotten better and better over the last few years. In 2018, NPS almost became an EEE product. Almost. The entire lump sum withdrawal at the time of retirement (60 years) became exempt from tax. The same was notified in Union Budget 2019 too. In my previous posts on NPS, I have solely focussed on if and how much you must invest in NPS. Here is my … [Read more...] about NPS: Your Employer offers to contribute, Should you sign up?
How Marginal Relief helps those who pay Surcharge on Income Tax?
Taxes for the rich (high-income earners to be more precise) are going up. Apart from the usual income tax rates, you may have to pay surcharge too if your taxable income is in excess of Rs 50 Lacs. A Surcharge is levied on the income tax. Until about a few years back, the surcharge was applicable only if your income exceeded Rs 1 crores. Over the last few years, the Government … [Read more...] about How Marginal Relief helps those who pay Surcharge on Income Tax?
Misconceptions about Life Insurance Tax Benefits; Insurance payouts can be taxable too
Myth 1: The entire life insurance premium is eligible for tax deduction. Myth 2: The payouts from the life insurance policies are always exempt from income tax. Reality: You may not tax benefit for the life insurance premium paid. Moreover, the payouts from the life insurance policies may not be tax exempt either. There are a few conditions involved before you enjoy … [Read more...] about Misconceptions about Life Insurance Tax Benefits; Insurance payouts can be taxable too
Final Budget 2019: Taxes for the Rich, Benefits for Buyers of Homes, Electric Vehicles
The Finance Minister presented the final budget for FY2019-2020 on July 5, 2019. Here are the key highlights of the budget. Income Tax slabs unchanged; Surcharge increased for the rich There has been no change in the income tax slabs. There is a sharp increase in surcharge for those earning more than Rs 2 crores. We must understand the impact of the surcharge … [Read more...] about Final Budget 2019: Taxes for the Rich, Benefits for Buyers of Homes, Electric Vehicles
Liquid Funds to have exit load and will now be a bit volatile
SEBI, in June 2019, made a few changes to investment guidelines and valuation of securities in debt mutual funds. These changes enhance credit and liquidity profile of the liquid funds. At the same time, these changes can make liquid funds a bit volatile. Let’s try to understand the new SEBI rules. #1 Liquid funds are now required to hold 20% in liquid … [Read more...] about Liquid Funds to have exit load and will now be a bit volatile
5 Financial Habits that can ruin your Financial Life
Avoiding bad financial decisions is as important as making good ones, but what influences you to make such good or bad financial decisions? Your decisions are a reflection of your financial habits i.e. a reflection of who you are as an investor and as a person. In this post, we will look at 5 financial habits that you can affect your financial lives adversely. #1 Think more and … [Read more...] about 5 Financial Habits that can ruin your Financial Life
Planning to Retire early? A few things to keep in mind
Who does not want to retire early? No bosses to report to. No need to slog or worry about Monday blues. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? By the way, an early retirement does not mean that you will simply sit around and do nothing. It is about the freedom to do what you want to do without affecting the lifestyle you desire. That may mean no work or engaging in something … [Read more...] about Planning to Retire early? A few things to keep in mind
Term Insurance plans with Return of Premium Benefit: Worth it?
Over the last couple of weeks, I had interesting discussions with a relative and a client. Given their requirements, I had asked them to purchase term insurance plans. However, they couldn't reconcile with the fact that they wouldn't get anything back if they survived the policy term. I am sure they are not alone. Just the thought that you won’t get anything back if you … [Read more...] about Term Insurance plans with Return of Premium Benefit: Worth it?
PLR, Base Rate, MCLR and now RLLR (Repo rate linked lending rate)
Home loan interest rate benchmarks have kept on changing over the last decade. We used to have the Prime Lending Rate (PLR), which was replaced by Base Rate. The base rate, in turn, was replaced by the Marginal Cost of Funds based lending rate (MCLR) a couple of years back. Now, SBI is launching a home loan product where the benchmark is linked to the Repo rate. Internal … [Read more...] about PLR, Base Rate, MCLR and now RLLR (Repo rate linked lending rate)
Review: HDFC Life Super Income Plan: Makes sense?
In one of our previous posts, we had reviewed a traditional plan from HDFC Life Sanchay Plus. In this post, let’s look at another popular traditional plan, HDFC Life Super Income Plan. Traditional plans are opaque, provide low life cover and poor returns. Therefore, I do not hold a very high opinion of traditional life insurance plans. However, before writing off any … [Read more...] about Review: HDFC Life Super Income Plan: Makes sense?
