Insights
Money, explained plainly.
No jargon without a definition, no product pitches, and every article signed by the person who wrote it.
Investing
Direct vs regular mutual funds: what the difference actually costs
A direct plan and a regular plan hold exactly the same portfolio. The direct plan has a lower expense ratio because no distributor commission is paid from it, so it returns slightly more every year. Over a long holding period that small gap compounds into a real number, and it is worth knowing what you are paying for.
ReadProtection
How much term insurance do you actually need?
Enough to clear what you owe, fund your household for the years it would need, and cover any education you have already committed to, minus what you already hold. Multiples of salary are a quick shortcut; the obligations method is more defensible because it starts from what would genuinely have to be paid.
ReadRetirement
How much do you actually need to retire in India?
There is no single number, because retirement is funded against what you spend rather than what you earn. The honest method takes your real monthly outgoings, adjusts them for what changes at retirement, inflates them to your retirement year, and sizes a corpus against a stated life expectancy and withdrawal return.
ReadEstate planning
Nominee and legal heir: why the asset matters
A nomination identifies a recipient for an account or policy, but its effect on ownership depends on the asset and the law that governs it. Do not assume that every nominee is merely a trustee, or that a will always overrides a nomination. Review both together with a qualified legal professional.
ReadTax
The March rush, and why tax-saving investments go wrong
A great deal of tax-driven investing in India happens in the final weeks of the financial year, under deadline pressure, chosen from whatever is in front of the person at the time. That is a poor way to make a decision that locks money up for years, and the deduction is worth far less than people assume.
ReadInvesting
What a SIP is, and what it is not
A systematic investment plan invests a fixed amount into a mutual fund at a fixed interval, usually monthly. It is not a product, not an asset class and not a guarantee of returns. It is a purchasing method, and the thing it buys you is not having to decide when to invest.
Read