“We do not know what to do with our salary minus expenses, so we just open FD after FD”. This is a common refrain from many employees I have met during my commonsense approach to money management corporate talks. I notice that many women in double-income households are guilty of letting unutilized salaries pile up in…
Continue reading →A reader asks, “Sir, I have just turned 25 and started working since November 2021. I see many of my peers using credit cards. Somehow I am not comfortable with them. Do they really have a use? Can you please an article about this?” A credit card is one of those things that is neither…
Continue reading →Previously, taxpayers could file belated returns up to two years from the end of the relevant assessment year without incurring any penalties other than interest, except that these returns did not allow carry forward of losses. The period for filing belated returns was reduced to one year and then further restricted to the end of…
Continue reading →This is a National Pension Scheme Fund Screener to shortlist consistently performing NPS schemes. You can also spot NPS schemes with a higher return than a benchmark at a lower risk. This is similar in design to the freefincal Equity Mutual Fund Performance Screener. Inside, you get discounted links to our robo advisory tool and…
Continue reading →A reader asks, “Can you please explain why health insurers suddenly hike premiums? I was shocked to see my premium increase by almost 50%. I thought premiums would increase only if we moved from one age band to another.” An insurance company makes money if its customers rarely make claims. Insurers will do everything in…
Continue reading →A reader says, “I was listening to the Let’s Get Rich With Pattu podcast last Sunday, and there was a discussion about what happens when your son inherits your portfolio. Can you help me understand the difference between adding a nominee to a mutual fund and keeping your family as a second unit holder?” “In…
Continue reading →Background of the case: For the financial year 2023-24, a rebate of Rs. 12,500 was available under Sec.87A for the old regime and Rs. 25,000 for the new regime. However, from July 5 onwards, this rebate was not made applicable to special rate incomes in the new tax regime, following a software update. Budget 2025…
Continue reading →We publish a list of stocks with low volatility and momentum each month. We provide data for BSE 500 and BSE 100 stocks. There are now three different screener files available. (1) Stocks with low volatility and momentum from the BSE 100 large cap universe are available as a separate file (2) Stocks with low…
Continue reading →We have released a free New Tax Regime (new slabs) vs Old Tax Regime Calculator after Budget 2025. We now discuss FAQs. 1. Is income up to 12L or 12.75L tax-free? Both. It is 12L for non-salaried and 12.75L for salaried employees, including the standard deduction. 2. Does this mean 12L is the new tax-free…
Continue reading →My name is Aditya, and I’m 36 years of age— currently a Cfo in a listed company. Today, my wealth stands at five crores, broken down into an equity portfolio of 3.25 cr and a bank balance of 25 lacs. Real estate of 1cr and a side hustle business with a valuation of 50 lacs….
Continue reading →NPS Vatsalya is a contributory pension scheme regulated and administered by the PFRDA for all minor Indian citizens. Just like PPF, the account will be opened in the name of the minor and operated by Guardian with the minor as the sole beneficiary. Read our earlier review: What you need to know before considering NPS Vatsalya…
Continue reading →Budget 2025 has further reduced the tax burden in the new tax regime. Use this free calculator to compare the old and new tax regimes (calculations for past new tax regime slabs are also available). This comparison table was originally prepared by Vinay Vittal, modified by Balasubrahmanyan, and then by me after budget 2024. This…
Continue reading →Why did various Fixed-Fee RIAs choose to give up a more lucrative career path to pick a less lucrative career path? SEBI RIA Avinash Luthria asks this question to three Fixed Fee RIAs. About the author: Avinash is a part of freefincal’s curated list of fee-only financial advisors and a Fee-only India member. He was…
Continue reading →Excuse me for stating the obvious. Most people will not be financially independent when they retire. Here is why. Forget about early retirement; Most people will not become financially independent at normal retirement (55-60). Unlike early retirement, this is a mandatory retirement. Otherwise, our quality of life will significantly decrease, and we will depend on…
Continue reading →A reader says, ” I am a 41-year-old self-employed person. I have been following your blog for 2 years. I wish to retire by age 55. I am following a rebalancing and derisking strategy in my retirement portfolio. My debt portfolio is 10% in constant duration gilt fund, 15% in dynamic gilt fund, rest in…
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