In Budget 2021, the Government has introduced a tax on interest on employee contribution to EPF over Rs 2.5 lacs in a financial year. The Government rationale is that many HNIs are taking benefit of tax-free interest by contributing heavily to the employee provident fund (EPF) account. Read this Economic Times article for more details. The Government feels it is not right … [Read more...] about Tax on EPF: Will the Interest on Taxable Interest be taxed?
Product Review
How to reduce losses in your Portfolio?
A simple way is to invest in risk-free assets (Government bonds, PPF, EPF, bank fixed deposits). You will never see losses. However, by shunning risk completely, you might have to compromise a bit on the long-term returns. And if you consider risky assets (gold or equities) for higher returns, you must prepare yourself for portfolio losses too. At the same time, avoiding … [Read more...] about How to reduce losses in your Portfolio?
Nifty 50 vs. Portfolio of Banking + Pharma + IT stocks: Which is better?
If you are not fond of actively managed funds, an investment in a Nifty 50 index fund provides you exposure to a diversified equity portfolio. However, Nifty 50 consists of stocks from different sectors (banking, pharma, energy, commodities, IT, consumer goods, automobiles etc). Here is the sectoral breakup of Nifty 50 (as on December 31,2020). Can we better the … [Read more...] about Nifty 50 vs. Portfolio of Banking + Pharma + IT stocks: Which is better?
Review: ICICI Pru Assured Savings Insurance Plan: Should you invest?
A close friend pinged me about ICICI Pru Assured Savings Insurance Plan and asked if it was a good plan to invest. Let’s find out. ICICI Pru Assured Savings Plan: Salient Features ICICI Prudential Assured Savings Insurance Plan is a traditional, non-linked, non-participating plan.Non-linked means the plan is not a ULIP.Non-participating means this is not a … [Read more...] about Review: ICICI Pru Assured Savings Insurance Plan: Should you invest?
Review: SBI Life Smart Future Choices: Should you invest?
SBI Life has launched a new traditional life insurance plan, SBI Life Smart Future Choices plan. In this post, let’s find about this plan in detail. We shall also see if you should invest in such a product. SBI Life Smart Future Choices: Salient Features Non-linked, Participating Life Insurance PlanIt is Not a ULIP. It is a traditional life insurance plan.2 variants: … [Read more...] about Review: SBI Life Smart Future Choices: Should you invest?
50% Equity + 50% Gold: How does this portfolio perform?
My mother, like many housewives, invests exclusively in gold. No bank FDs. No mutual funds. Nothing. Just gold. Why? Gold is easy to buy and sell. It is easy to store. It is easy to hide from husbands. Lack of comfort with any other asset. Huge conviction (that gold price goes up). Super discipline (due to the conviction and since there is no other option). While I … [Read more...] about 50% Equity + 50% Gold: How does this portfolio perform?
Motilal Oswal 5-year G-Sec ETF: Should you invest?
Motilal Oswal AMC has launched a debt ETF (Motilal Oswal 5-year G-sec ETF) to track the performance of Nifty 5-year Benchmark G-Sec Index. Should you invest in this ETF? Before we get to the “Yes” or “No” answer, let’s first look at the Nifty 5-year benchmark, the pros and cons of this ETF, and look at the benchmark performance for the past 15 years. What is Nifty … [Read more...] about Motilal Oswal 5-year G-Sec ETF: Should you invest?
How Retirees can generate high income without taking much risk?
The interest rates have been going down over the last year. If you are an investor who relies on interest income to meet expenses, this is not a happy scenario. In this post, I will demonstrate how you can smartly use annuity plans to increase your income without risk even in this low-interest rate regime. This is more applicable to retirement portfolios. Before we move … [Read more...] about How Retirees can generate high income without taking much risk?
LIC New Jeevan Shanti (Plan 858): A New Deferred Annuity plan from LIC: Review
LIC has launched a new deferred annuity plan, LIC New Jeevan Shanti (Plan 858). This replaces their existing deferred annuity plan, LIC Jeevan Shanti (Plan 850). A brief background. LIC Jeevan Shanti had started as both immediate and deferred annuity plan in 2018. Its immediate annuity variant was withdrawn in August 2020 with the launch of LIC Jeevan Akshay VII. Now, … [Read more...] about LIC New Jeevan Shanti (Plan 858): A New Deferred Annuity plan from LIC: Review
SEBI Mutual Fund Risk Ratings: Is Risk-o-Meter useful?
How risky is your mutual fund scheme? How do you answer the above question? If you ask an investor, the answer will vary depending on, among other things, investor risk profile, investor mood, market sentiment and market outlook. If you ask a mutual fund house, an underappreciation of risk in the investment is guaranteed. As an investor, what should you do? What … [Read more...] about SEBI Mutual Fund Risk Ratings: Is Risk-o-Meter useful?
