Here is a National Pension Scheme NPS Calculator for government, corporate, and individual subscribers in Excel to enable better understanding of how the scheme works. For government subscribers, the asset allocation is fixed: 15% in equity (E) and rest in fixed income (allocation to G – government bonds and C – corporate bonds is not known) The…
Continue reading →Here is how one can choose a term life insurance provider in 30 minutes. Each passing day, more and more individuals are realizing the need for buying a term life insurance plan. However, too much time elapses between when they decide to buy and actually buy. Many cannot choose. They require some kind of ratification…
Continue reading →Due to increasingly specific demands from the boy and girl, arranged marriage is becoming harder and harder to accomplish, at least in urban setups. Has it become an impossible challenge for some communities? A few decades ago, it was important to have a steady job (assuming other more important metrics like caste, religion, sect, sub-sect,…
Continue reading →A discussion on the pros and cons of a manual systematic investment plan (MSIP), instead of setting of automating it with an ECS bank mandate. I have been practising the MSIP for a few years now and when the topic was broached recently at FB group, Asan Ideas for Wealth, I thought I will list…
Continue reading →Here is a comparison between three types of funds (by choosing one in each category): Short-term gilts funds, Long-term gilt funds and ultra short-term gilt funds. In this post, I would like to reiterate a point made earlier about staying away from gilt funds unless we know how to trade in accordance with interest cycle…
Continue reading →Financial services in India are regulated by SEBI. Only those registered as investment advisers with SEBI (SEBI RIAs) are authorised to provide financial planning advice. SEBI recently warned the public not to engage with anyone who is not a registered investment adviser. If you are looking for financial advice, here is how a SEBI registered…
Continue reading →Investors tend to display extreme behaviour. Most of them want the solace of risk-free returns without understanding the impact of inflation. A few who do understand this impact tend to obsess over ‘how much their portfolio made’. A look at why keeping things simple, with minimal effort and systematic investing, is all that is required…
Continue reading →Banks are the pillars of any economy.They create credit, accept deposits, ensure liquidity and serve as the veins and arteries of the financial system. The dream of owning property would remain a dream, but for the loans offered by banks. Yet, to borrow a line from cartoonist Walt Kelly, “We have met the enemy and…
Continue reading →‘How does one define wealth?’ is a question that I often think about, often with a tinge of sadness that there is no universally accepted definition. A compilation of attitudes about wealth based on my insignificant experience. Speaking purely from a financial point of view, wealth is the ability to tackle emergencies. When life chugs along like…
Continue reading →A look at investment options for Indian Senior citizens, taking into consideration, tax, liquidity, capital preservation and ability to generate an increasing pension. This is a dangerous topic to broach! Before retirement, volatility is a friend and inflation a mandatory benchmark for a portfolio return to surpass. After retirement, volatility can either be a friend…
Continue reading →Beware! Corporate fixed deposits that offer 8.25% annual return are being marketed by prominently quoting their ten-year annual yield of 12.09%. A look at how this form of mis-selling based on a technicality. The ad says, Earn assured returns (first line – font size about half an inch) upto 12.09* % p. a. (second line…
Continue reading →Here are five reasons why I will never invest in real estate. This is me taking sides on the equity vs. real estate debate. There is more to investing than returns. So instead of comparing past returns of both asset classes and claiming equity won or real estate won, I would like to consider other…
Continue reading →Here is a compilation of selected posts from the young earner category, meant as a ‘getting started’ money-management guide. I have not made any attempt to connect the posts, but I hope the sequence should make enough sense for the reader to introspect about money management and enumerate the necessary steps to get started. This…
Continue reading →Here are the remaining videos of the “Strategic Personal Finance” workshop conducted by Dr. Uma Shashikant, Managing director, Centre for Investment Education and Learning (ciel.co.in and moneykraft.com), at Bangalore on July 26th 2015. Segments I, II, IV, V, VI, VII, can be found here: Videos: Uma Shashikant on “Strategic Personal Finance” This post has parts III and…
Continue reading →In the 7th version of the automated stock analyzer, two more valuation metrics have been added: The Graham Formula and the Graham Number. Bugs and suggestions made by users have been corrected/incorporated in this edition. The automated stock analyzer pulls annual (standalone/consolidated) and quarterly financials from Value Research online pulls financials from morningstar and analyzes…
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