Card interest of roughly 36–42% a year beats any return you can reasonably assume. Here is the math, and an order for clearing debt while keeping a small SIP going.
A child born this year needs three things set up early: cover for you, a medical buffer and an 18-year education SIP. Here is the order and the numbers.
Buying funds starts with the product; goal-based investing starts with the date and the amount. Here is how the two differ in practice, with numbers.
A plan you never revisit drifts. Here is a 7-point yearly review that takes about two hours and catches most of the costly mistakes.
A ₹20 lakh wedding today can cost about ₹32 lakh in 7 years at 7% inflation. Here is the math and the monthly SIP to fund it.
The old "100 minus your age" rule is too crude. Here is how an equity glide path actually works, by goal timeline rather than birthday.
Insurance premiums, festivals, school fees and car service never feel monthly, but they are. Here is how a sinking fund turns yearly shocks into a small monthly habit.
₹2 crore at 50 supports about ₹50,000 a month in that year's money for 40 years. Whether that is enough depends on what you spend today.
Two retirees can earn the same average return and end up with very different corpuses. Here is why the order of returns matters once withdrawals begin.
Starting at 40 roughly triples the SIP a 30-year-old needs, but a yearly step-up, your EPF and a few other levers close most of the gap.
Lump sum has historically won more often for long goals, but an STP lowers regret. Here is how to decide, and where the bonus should go first.
A return-of-premium term plan costs about twice as much, and its refund earns roughly 3.5% a year. Here is the math against pure term plus investing.
There's no single "best mutual funds" list that stays best — here is the actual framework to pick funds that fit your goals, not last year's chart-toppers.
A working formula for sizing health cover in India: a modest base policy plus a large, cheap super top-up, by city tier.
Gold belongs in most Indian portfolios at 5-10% - but Sovereign Gold Bonds stopped issuing in 2024, so here is what actually replaces them.
A side-by-side on EPF, VPF, and PPF for salaried Indians deciding where to route extra retirement savings beyond mandatory EPF.
A worked example showing when buying a home actually beats renting and investing the difference, and when it does not.
Pausing your SIP during a market fall feels safe but it locks in losses and skips the cheapest units you would ever buy.
A flat 20% rule is a fine starting point, but the right SIP percentage depends on your goals and life stage, not a single number.
The extra ₹50,000 NPS deduction saves up to ~₹15,600 in tax, but locks the money till 60 — here's when that trade actually pays off.
Most Indian investors hold too many overlapping funds thinking it means diversification — here is the number that actually works.
Prepaying a home loan is a guaranteed return equal to your loan rate; investing the surplus can beat it over a long horizon, but not without risk.
The new regime wins for most salaried Indians; the old one only pays off when your deductions cross roughly Rs 4 lakh. Here is how to check.
Your HRA exemption is the lowest of three numbers. Here is the formula, a worked example, and the rent level that actually maxes it out.
Keep it, make it paid-up, or surrender it? A clear framework for traditional life insurance policies in India, and what to do with the money you free up.
Salaried with a stable job: about 6 months of expenses. Self-employed, single income or a volatile sector: 9 to 12 months. Here is how to size it and where to keep it.
If you have 20 years, roughly Rs.10,100/month gets you to Rs.1 crore at a 12% assumed return. Start later and the number climbs fast. Here is the full table and why your real number is different.
A rough target is 25 to 30 times your expected annual expenses at retirement. For many mid-career Indians that runs into several crore. Here is why, and how a step-up SIP makes it reachable.
A course that costs Rs.15 lakh today can cost around Rs.63 lakh in 15 years at ~10% education inflation. Here is how to work out your child's number and the SIP behind it.
A common answer is 10 to 15 times your annual income, adjusted for loans and what your family already has. Here are two ways to get to your real number.
ELSS if you want growth and the shortest lock-in, PPF for guaranteed tax-free safety, NPS for an extra Rs.50,000 deduction and retirement. Most people use a mix. Here is how to choose.
A SIP that rises 10% each year can build 60 to 90% more than a flat SIP over 20 years, or let you start about a third lower. It works because it matches your investing to your rising income.
For a car 3 years away, keep the money mostly in debt and liquid funds, not equity. An Rs.8 lakh car needs roughly Rs.20,000 a month. Here is why the mix matters for a short goal.
Plan Our Future · AMFI-registered Mutual Fund Distributor (ARN-360754). Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully.