You got your annual bonus. You have a home loan too. What should you do? Use the bonus (lumpsum) amount to repay the loan OR Invest the amount in the hope that you will earn a higher post-tax return than the post-tax cost of home loan There is no black and white answer. My stance… Continue Reading
The Finance Minister presented the Union Budget 2021 on February 1, 2021. Here are the key highlights. Tax Slabs Remain Unchanged No changes have been made to the existing income tax slabs. Interest on EPF Becomes Taxable If you contribute more than Rs 2.5 lacs to your EPF account every year, the interest earned on… Continue Reading
Question 1: Interest rates have gone down. I want to buy a house. While I can fund the purchase with own funds, I think taking a home loan is a good idea since the interest rates are low. I can earn a higher return than the loan interest rate on my investments. Plus, I will… Continue Reading
Budget 2020 gave a choice to the taxpayers and a reason to rejoice to the tax accountants. As a taxpayer, you have the following two options. Take tax deductions and continue with the old tax regime Opt for the new tax regime and don’t take tax deductions As a taxpayer, this choice seems relatively simple.… Continue Reading
The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, presented the Union Budget 2020 in the parliament yesterday. In this post, let’s look at the highlights of the Budget proposal. We will look at the proposals from personal taxation perspective only. #1 Restructuring of Income Tax Slabs, Lowering of Personal Tax Rates and a Choice There is a major… Continue Reading
Union Budget 2019 announced an exclusive tax benefit of Rs 1.5 lacs for loans taken to purchase electric vehicles. Good news for those who plan to purchase electric bike or car in the next few years. The tax benefit is under Section 80EEB. I briefly touched upon the tax benefit in my post on Union… Continue Reading
For most young professionals, buying a house tops the list of priorities. Even those who do not believe real estate makes for a good investment, do not have second thoughts about purchasing a house to stay in. Not only does it give you the comfort of living in own house, it also provides financial security… Continue Reading
Even when you plan to purchase a house through a loan, you still must make the down-payment from your own pocket. Your home loan wouldn’t fund the complete purchase amount. You must fund some percentage of the purchase from own pocket. What if you didn’t plan well and you do not have funds to make… Continue Reading
Real estate is expensive in India, at least in major cities. It is difficult to purchase a house without a loan. And it takes many years to repay the loan. Despite all this difficulty, the desire for house does not end here. For the fortunate few who have been able to purchase their first house,… Continue Reading
When we book an under-construction property, the only outcome that we think of is getting possession of the property in a few years as promised. You either plan to set up your home there or bet that the price will go up quickly. Have you planned for any other eventualities? Likely not. In other words,… Continue Reading