A reader asks, “Does investing Rs. 1.5 Lakhs in PPF before April 5th make sense anymore since I will be choosing the new tax regime?” – a discussion. The short answer is that dropping everything and investing Rs. 1.5 Lakh before the 5th of April every financial year never made sense. Now that most taxpayers…
Continue reading →When people say, “Over the long term, equity will provide good returns”, they often forget or do not want to consider how monthly or annual return sequences combine to result in the final annualized return (CAGR). Sometimes, the sequence of returns can be good or bad. This is known as sequence of returns risk, sequence…
Continue reading →Whenever I use my retirement planning slide deck to explain the importance of retirement planning, I get a few comments: “It is a waste of time to plan for retirement”. A comment on the Let’s Get Rich With Pattu in Tamil Part 1 Episode 10 goes, “Retirement planning is a big joke. Nobody knows how…
Continue reading →A reader says, “Can I manage with only 20% equity MFs for retirement? I am scared of more exposure to the stock market. I have about 24 years to retire.” The main aim of investing for long-term goals is to keep pace with inflation. That is, the purchasing power of the future corpus should be…
Continue reading →Most personal finance content implicitly assumes the reader is salaried and can access monthly fresh cash flow. We all know that the number of entrepreneurs and small business owners has significantly increased over the last few years. So have freelancers or jig economy participants. Here are essential personal finance tips for such folk. 1 Cash…
Continue reading →These are the freefincal handpicked list of mutual funds. New and old investors can use it according to their specific needs. The list is called “PlumbLine” and has been published since September 2017 for beginners to accompany the freefincal robo advisor tool. Most important! Plumbline is a mix of my opinions + skin in the…
Continue reading →I’m Rajkumar, a 40-year-old professional who has been part of the hospitality industry since 2006. My investment journey began the same year, sparked by an early encounter with *Rich Dad Poor Dad* during my college days. Though the book ignited my curiosity, the equity markets truly captured my imagination. I started small, with SIPs of…
Continue reading →In this article, Dr Varunkumar Jayapaul, a faculty member at IIT Mandi, shares his thoughts on who should choose the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and who should choose the Unified Pension Scheme. Our NPS vs UPS coverage Revised UPS vs NPS Calculator after Jan 2025 Gazette Notification Unified Pension Scheme Formula Explained How does the…
Continue reading →“My income is quite low. Is there any hope for me? How do I create a retirement corpus?” is a question we often receive. The rules of personal finance are the same regardless of income and net worth. Those earning less feel like they will never have the experiences or wealth of those who earn…
Continue reading →The unified pension scheme regulations were released as a gazette notification on March 19th 2025. We have extensively covered the UPS earlier: If you have not yet understood how the UPS works, start with the second or third link below. Revised UPS vs NPS Calculator after Jan 2025 Gazette Notification Unified Pension Scheme Formula Explained…
Continue reading →This article compares my stock portfolio with an equivalent investment in a Nifty index fund and the Nifty 100 Low Volatility 30 TR index. We post this comparison each month. Before we begin, new readers need to appreciate the context of these investments. Update: We recently added a new tool to the freefincal investor circle…
Continue reading →A reader says, “This is about your article ‘Is 87 A Rebate Applicable for Capital Gains after Budget 2025‘ dated 3 February 2025 on your site. Can I avail of the Rs 12,500 rebate for FY 2024-25 on equity LTCG if my taxable income is within Rs 5 Lakhs?” Tax expert Manmohan Sethumadhavan responds. …
Continue reading →The unified pension scheme regulations were released as a gazette notification on March 19th 2025. The scheme rules were earlier announced: Jan 2025 Gazette Notification. This is our coverage of the Unified Pension Scheme. Revised UPS vs NPS Calculator after Jan 2025 Gazette Notification Unified Pension Scheme Formula Explained How does the Unified Pension Scheme work?…
Continue reading →“How would you explain ULIP compared to a direct mutual fund to a layman?” Tax expert Manmohan Sethumadhavan answers. About the author: Manmohan Sethumadhavan is a freelancer, investor, and personal finance enthusiast “in search of the absolute truth.” You can follow Manu on Twitter @ManuTsr. Also, read his articles: Capital Gains Taxation Rules Ready Reckoner for FY…
Continue reading →The usual response to “Can I buy term life insurance if I have no dependents?” is, “No, it is unnecessary. Life insurance is only for those with dependents”. While this is perfectly fine, my view on this – initially aligned with the standard answer – has changed over the years. Often, young, unmarried earners ask…
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