It is important to reduce risk in your investments

• The Marars have struck a balance between their debt and equity exposure
• My learning has been to not invest in the wrong products and to focus on goals rather than just the returns that can be generated out of investments, say Marar

How much tax do you pay on your bond investments?

• All portfolios should be diversified between equity and debt so that the overall risk is controlled
• Take a look at the applicable taxation before investing.

‘Next friend’ of minor can be appointed as trustee by filing a court petition

• Sections 73 and 74 of the Indian Trust Act, 1882 provides for the manner in which new trustees can be appointed
• The persons who can act as the 'next friend' of the minor are set out in order XXXII Rule 4 of the Civil Procedure Code, 1908

Make the most of your hike: Repay loans, bills first

• Companies are likely to give 9.7% average pay increase in 2019 as firms expect a positive economic outlook, backed by high economic growth expectation, high domestic demand and low inflation
• If you are working in sectors that indicates a raise, here is how you should use your increment this year

Capital gains arising from redemption of gold bonds is exempt from tax

• The equity returns are best delivered over long term and a period of two years of low or even negative returns should not be a reason to change the asset class
• Both gold and debt schemes are low risk investments as the targeted return over a longer period in both the asset classes is in proximity to inflation

Should you have Embassy Office Parks REIT in your portfolio?

• Embassy REIT has a good quality underlying office portfolio with reasonable net distributable cash flow projections stemming from in-line occupancy and rental forecasts
• ICRA has assigned provisional credit rating of AAA (stable) for Embassy Office Parks REIT, considering a consolidated view of the REIT along with the asset-owning SPVs proposed to be acquired by it

How millennials can reduce lifestyle borrowing

• Easy access to credit is making millennials borrow more. Evaluate the rates and loan repayment capacity and ensure that you don’t fall into a debt trap
• Short-term loans are opted more by millennials who recently entered the workforce and started earning

Light the FIRE and lose the fear of getting fired

• While everyone wants to retire early, evaluate your finances and see if it is viable
• Evaluate whether you want to scale back on work or retire altogether; then see at what age you can do this

NRIs are not allowed to make fresh deposits in PPF account

• NRO account balances can be used to make cheque payments in India
• RBI rules require that NRIs must convert all their resident savings and deposit accounts to non-resident accounts upon their departure from India

What a personal loan costs you

• As personal loans come with high interest rates, continuous default will put you on a downward spiral
• Here are some of the lowest personal loan interest rates offered by various banks

India’s first REIT is finally here. Should you invest?

• Though REITs are less volatile, there is no historical data for comparison in India
• REITs shall be tax exempt except the interest income received from the SPV and rental income from property owned directly by REITs

Opinion | Markets don’t help you create wealth. Responsible investing does

Key to wealth creation via equities is to select a basket of high quality low risk stocks

Timeline for issuance of tax return intimation is 12 months

• The timeline for issuance of intimation is 12 months from the end of the financial year in which the return is filed
• You can also login to the income tax portal to check the status of the tax return or call the help desk of the CPC

How joblessness eats into household savings

• The dent on India’s savings rate will eventually affect investments into areas the country needs badly
• Given that consumption rates are estimated to have risen in FY19 to 59.5%, the savings rate may have fallen again this fiscal. 

MCLR rate cut: How it impacts your loans

•  If you are opting for a floating rate loan, MCLR is the benchmark rate to which you loan will be linked
•  If your home loan MCLR is linked to 6-month MCLR, your interest rate will get reset only after the completion of six months in case there is a change in the rate at the time of the reset

Opinion | Cryptocurrency: The scene in India

Indian entrepreneurs are moving their base to the cryptofriendly countries to experiment their innovations

A person with life interest in a property can’t always sell it

• A person with life interest generally does not have the right to sell or transfer property to the detriment of absolute owner
• A Will has to be read as a whole and isolated clauses of the Will should not be relied upon for ascertaining the true and correct intention of the testator

How India pays for fitness

• An average Indian works out only 4-6 times a month as against the global average of 12-18 times and eventually ends up overpaying, says a study
•  Kiran Raj says the pay-per-use sessions at the gym works for him best

CPSE ETF opens to investors next week. Should you invest?

• The CPSE ETF was launched in 2014 and has seen three tranches since then. The current offering is the fourth tranche
• The CPSE ETF has 11 PSUs, but just 4 companies—ONGC, NTPC, Coal India and Indian Oil—make up as much as 77% of the ETF

What is pink tax and are you paying it ?

• Pink tax refers to the invisible cost that women have to pay for products designed and marketed specifically to them
• One way to beat pink tax is to not fall for packaging that dresses products in a pretty shade of pink to get your attention