Financial Planning

Reverse EMI

Which is better – EMI or SIP (monthly savings)?

Can I buy IPhone-11 on Sept 27 th ?

Last night we ganged up for dinner, to celebrate my dear friend’s birthday. Amid talks on life, markets and bosses, one specific topic that caught everyone’s attention was that our birthday girl gifted herself a Scooty!

She narrated her story on how she was saving for over a year to buy this Scooty, and how her travel will now be so damn easy. Sounds so nice.

As usual, one of us, the Wise-guy interrupted, giving Gyan on using the EMI option, thru which the birthday girl could have got the Scooty much earlier. To this, our birthday girl smiled and replied that she doesn’t like a loan on her head, also the interest on the loan would just add up on the burden. Saving is easy for her, living with a loan (however small), is difficult. Though that’s her perspective, but not many of us bought this logic last night 😉.

It’s the same story across the millennials, where instant gratification is the buzz word. IPhone-11 will be launched on Sept 27th, and I know many of us are just waiting for the day to grab & show the latest asset around.

It all looks attractive (EMI I mean), but none of us gets down to calculate the devil in it, the interest we end up coughing, to achieve this goal. Let’s understand this thru a very basic example, i.e. Rs.5,000/- paid as EMI for 12 months and Rs.5,000/- saved as SIP for 12 months.

EMI Option: Rs.5000/- EMI per month, for 12 months means that, one can purchase product worth Rs.56,275/- only, as rest of the amount i.e. Rs.3,725/- will be paid as Interest to the bank. Noting comes free.

Savings (SIP) Option: Rs.5000/- saved per month, for 12 months goes to a RD account in bank, @8%, end of year one will have Rs.62,665/-in the account or Rs.6,390/- extra compared to EMI above. On the other hand, if same goes to Mutual Funds, with higher returns, depending on tenure & risk profile, this extra amount could be more.

Idea is not about the last minute purchase, but the discipline to start savings at the first instance, i.e. first salary… which also means, since I started saving from day 1, I can literally buy my IPhone-11 costing 65k on Sept 27th 😉.

Stranger on a Train

It’s not about the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock psychological thriller, but about my commute, and an invigorating conversation with a stranger 😉.

Few days back, while travelling home from the office, a co-passenger in metro asked me directions to an address. The chat started through an address, which I explained him descriptively. He shared some details about him business travel and told that he learns new routes every time he visits a new city. When he asked me about my whereabouts, I introduced myself as a Mumbaikar and a financial advisor.

He couldn’t wait for me to complete… and started discussing his equity and mutual fund portfolio. This wasn’t new for me, as I had many such experiences in the past. In India, whenever we see a doctor or financial advisor, we start with our illnesses or portfolio discussions.

(more…)

Why the word “Diversification” is given so much importance in Financial Planning?

diversification Importance

There’s very common saying “Do not keep all your eggs in same basket. Diversification means same, do not invest in only one asset class/only one sector. In India people generally prefer in investing in only two asset classes which are Gold & Real Estate.Historically they are known to give good returns & less risky,But in order to secure your portfolio from all ends & to earn more than inflation rate “Diversification” is very important.

(more…)

Why Disclosure of Income is Important

disclosure of income

Once you have selected the financial advisor/planner of your choice, the next step will be to meet them and discuss about your financial plan. Your advisor will need to ask you questions related to personal and professional matters to get to know you better and to device suitable plan for you. This means that you should be honest with your advisor with questions relating to these matters, especially when it comes to disclosing your income.

(more…)

Things To Consider Before Finalising Financial Goals

Things To Consider Before Finalising Financial Goals

The purpose of financial planning is to achieve your goals. Your goals help you to shape your investments as per your requirement. Therefore, you must be very clear about your goals before you start planning your finances. Your financial advisor will also be able to help you better if you are clear with your goal. Here’s what you should consider before finalising financial goals.

(more…)

What are Portfolio Management Services?

PMS

Portfolio Management Service (PMS) is a financial service designed for High Networth Individuals (HNI). HNI investors generally prefer customized investment options and thus PMS is suitable for such investors. PMS is offered by various entities such as asset management companies, banks and brokerages registered with SEBI. PMS Managers are highly qualified investment professionals with extensive knowledge and research experience.

(more…)

How should You Choose Financial Advisor/Planner

How to choose right financial planner

When it comes to planning you finances it will be best if you seek help of a financial advisor. Not everyone has knowledge about financial matters and it will be better if you take professional advice for managing your finances. By managing your own finances or taking advice from friends and relatives, you may not be able to successfully manage your finances and thereby miss your goals.

(more…)

LTA Tax Exemption – Leave Travel Allowance

LTA Tax Exemption – Leave Travel Allowance

LTA doesn’t need any introduction; but has a tricky claim process & understanding.

First & foremost, one can claim LTA only for 2 years in a block of 4 years (current block is 2018-21). In case of no-claim in this block of 4 years, you are allowed to carry forward one-year, i.e. if you have not claimed in previous block (2014-17), now for current block, you can claim for three years 😉.

(more…)