The “Code on Wages”(“Wage Code”) Act, 2019 aims to transform the old and obsolete labour laws into more accountable and transparent ones. The Act seeks to simplify the wage definitions and universally regulate the provision of minimum wages for all workers in India. In this article, we explain in simple terms what the new wage…

Each year, I evaluate my retirement portfolio’s performance and my son’s future portfolio in a personal finance audit. Published since 2013 these audits hopefully would encourage similar action among readers. This year, readers have started sharing their audits – How Suhas tracks his MF investments and reviews financial goals. Two more such audits will be…

If you had Rs. 1000 in the year 1980, it would just be worth Rs. 63 in 2021 (down from Rs. 66 in 2020 and Rs. 68 in 2019) if we use the cost inflation index (CII) data published by the government. The trouble is this index is an underestimate and out lifestyle has changed…

In this article, we talk about the financial considerations in deciding between buying a new car vs used car and how to optimise our purchase and maintenance. We will touch upon other non-financial and practical considerations too.  You may also refer to the prequel article in which we talked about the general Financial Considerations and…

Everyone amongst us shops online these days. Online shopping offers us the convenience of buying at our fingertips, doorstep delivery of goods, discounts on the MRP and much more. While we as finance enthusiasts tend to look at only the returns on our investments, savings also play a significant role- especially when your total corpus…

Here are three apps that can help track and manage your expenses. There are two schools of thought when it comes to expense management. Those who wish to track to a reasonable extent and those who think if we spend after planning investments, tracking is not necessary. Each school of thought has its pros and…

This weekend, make a little alone time to list your new year resolutions and implement them from Dec 1st. If those resolutions have anything to do money management, here are two free-books and free seminar that could help. Why you should make new year resolutions in November and implement them from Dec 1st? In his…

Buying a car is a dream for most of us, and these days it is a reality. Hence the dream has become a desire, and slowly now the desire is becoming a necessity. Behind buying a home, a car would be the second biggest big-ticket purchase in our lives. Hence we need to give it…

A look at how young earners, middle-aged earners or impending retirees can improve their financial life and make better decisions with a study group consisting of like-minded co-workers or friends. When you join an organisation, you become friends with some batch mates. These relationships can last a lifetime. I have seen 30,40-year friendships that originated…

This was a question posed in Facebook Group, Asan Ideas For Wealth: “Say I have 100rs and I am a highly risk-averse Individual and want 8% return YoY in the current economy. What are the options available? My investment horizon is 5 years”. This answer to this interesting question involves essentials of risk and reward…

A question that often worries young earners is, “What percentage of my salary should I invest each month? Is 10% okay? Or should it be 20%?” Often this is asked when a person wants a quick rule of thumb to check if they are on the right track so they spend free from guilt. Unfortunately,…

A SIP in the NIfty 50 started 15 years ago would have resulted in a real return of about 2%. A real return is an excess return over inflation and a measure of how purchasing power has been preserved over time. Rather surprisingly a SIP in the Nikkei 225 (flagship Japanese equity index) would have…