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

ICICI Bank Home Safe Plus — A Review

When it comes to financial planning, everyone wants to leave behind an asset for their families. Nobody wants to leave behind a liability. And when it comes to your house, you want to ensure that your family inherits your house and not your home loan. Repayment of a home loan is a long term activity.… Continue Reading

Budget 2016 — Salient Points

The latest Union Budget is a mixed bag for many investors. Though the budget had many sops for the borrowers & middle class folks, there were a few setbacks too. Let’s look at ten most important takeaways from the latest budget. 1. Tax Relief for First Time Home Buyers First time home buyers have been… Continue Reading

Focus on Your Financial Goals While Planning for Taxes

As the financial year draws to a close, the hustle for tax-saving products grows stronger. The human resources department of your company is after you for proofs of tax-saving investments.  Last quarter of the financial year is anyways quite hectic. You are already under so much work pressure. Amidst that you need to find time… Continue Reading

SBI FlexiPay Home Loan Scheme

State Bank of India has recently come out with a home loan product, SBI FlexiPay Home Loan scheme.  As with all the SBI home loan products, it has created a lot of buzz among the prospective borrowers. In this post, I will discuss the important features of this scheme and what makes it different from… Continue Reading

Tax Benefits on Joint Home Loans

With real estate prices at elevated levels, purchase of a dream house is not easy anymore. Higher residential real estate prices lead to requirement for higher value loans too. If the bank or housing finance company feels that your salary is not enough to service the loan comfortably, it can even decline your loan application.… 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

Understanding Tax Benefits on Home Loan (Updated)

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