Fixed Rate or a Floating Rate Loan

You have finalised your dream house to purchase. You have also finalised the bank to take home loan from. You have a long relationship with the bank. You have been informally told that you will get the loan easily given your high repayment ability. You are planning to visit the bank branch tomorrow. The spirits… Continue Reading

Another Reason Not to Opt for HLPP

I got an e-mail from one of the regular readers at EMICalculator.net. He brought to my notice an aspect I had failed to cover in my earlier post on Home Loan Protection Plans (HLPPs). Case Summary His father had taken a loan of Rs 8.95 lacs for a tenor of 17 years from a leading… Continue Reading

Top Credit Card Mistakes to Avoid

Credit cards are easily available these days. The banks keep chasing customers with attractive offers (or so they say) on their credit cards. Personally, I am not against credit cards. If you use your credit cards judiciously, you can save a lot of money. You get an interest free credit period of up to 52… Continue Reading

Tax Benefits on Home Loans Are Overhyped

You have excess cash in hand from the last bonus you received and the fixed deposit that just matured. You have been thinking about how to use the funds. Your financial advisors that include your friends, doctor, lawyer and grocer have suggested that you take exposure to equity mutual funds. Your parents have advised you… Continue Reading

How Do You Invest More?

In one of the earlier posts on Retirement Planning, I had discussed the importance of starting early, portfolio diversification and a few psychological investments to get you on right financial track. By starting early, you get the power of compounding behind you and your small (involuntary) contributions can result in a significant corpus by the… Continue Reading

The Curious Case of 0% EMI Schemes

You were shopping for the latest sofa designs on a leading furniture website. When you moved to payment page after finalizing the product, you saw 0% EMI option on the payment page. On selecting the option, you saw names of a few finance companies with the offer details. You noticed none of the offers was… Continue Reading

Caveats with Assured Return Schemes in Real Estate

Everyone wants to purchase their dream house. The demand for residential property is not just limited for own use. A number of people invest in real estate to gain from appreciation in prices. However, despite the comfort most people have with real estate investments, most developers are running high inventory of unsold flats or apartments.… Continue Reading

Home Loan: How to Reduce Your Interest Burden?

Home Loan EMI is perhaps the biggest monthly expense item for a number of people. EMIs typically comprise 35-40% of take home salaries of individuals. With such high EMIs, very little is left to invest for other financial goals. To purchase their dream house and to keep their EMIs affordable, people go for long tenor… Continue Reading