Page 49 - Investment

Group health insurance premiums might go up

Buy a cheaper top-up plan over your employer-provided base policy. Or buy a family floater and accumulate a no-claim bonus

No tax on gratuity of up to Rs 10 lakh

If gratuity is received in earlier years then exemption at time of retirement will reduce to that extent, subject to the overall limit

Make children's corpus inflation-proof

Start early and use a mix of debt and equity to meet short-term and long-term goals

A home for travellers away from home

Setting up a homestay is easy if there is extra space in your house. Facilities can vary from basic to luxury but be prepared to go the extra mile as host and to meet the basic rules

Realty check

Budget: Rs 30-Rs 50 lakh

Taxation: Kuldip Kumar

Claim settlement can't be disputed once payment is accepted

Consumers should be careful about the inference of "implied discharge". They should promptly record their protest, reserving their right to take recourse to legal action for the balance claim amount

40 Years Ago...and now: Mutual mayhem

The evolution of the mutual funds sector in India has been marked by crises that have hurt investors time and again

Teach your child to be financially savvy

Using examples that children can understand, teach them concepts such as saving for a goal, risk-reward ratio and delayed gratification

Choose a young nominee for your investments

Avoid nominating parents or minors, as the former could die and the latter not be money wise

Rethink your fixed deposit strategy

Given that interest rates are likely to fall in the coming months, lock into FDs of five to seven years now. Shop for the best rates available before locking in

40 Years Ago...And now: The rise, fall and rise of credit cards

This business got off to a shaky start but the advent of credit bureaus de-risked it

Best to exit stocks stuck in regulatory mess

These could fall sharply, eroding your wealth; also, as recovery might take long, booking losses might be sensible at times

Follow FIIs on large-cap segment alone

Use the buy-and-hold strategy for three to five years and you are most likely to be a winner

Life Insurance: Anuj Agarwal

Good connectivity to Delhi, Gurgaon; reasonable prices

Hot Spot: Bhiwadi

Shift from precious metals to debt funds

Investors should maintain equity exposure. But those who have active strategies should look for higher exposure to domestic rate-sensitives

Tour organiser can be held liable for deficiency

Tour operators cannot be ignorant of the tour itinerary and let the tourists undertake the tour at their peril

7 benefits if Insurance Bill is passed

It will allow more transparency in policies and flexibility in premium payment, besides improving processing of claims

Case study