Finance

Asked and Answered: February, 2011

Here’s what was asked and answered by Capital Advisor in February, 2011. If you have a question on managing your personal finances, send me an email and I’ll respond at the earliest. If your question’s beneficial to a wider audience, I’ll publish it in a future edition of “Asked and Answered,” without revealing your personal details.


Query #1: On continuing a guaranteed-return life insurance policy.

I have a question regarding my TATA AIG Maha Life Gold life insurance policy. For a sum assured of Rs 400,000, I am paying Rs 35,000 as annual premium for 10 years. After the 6th year, which is this year, the policy gives me a small cash dividend of around 2%. After the 10th year, a guaranteed annual coupon of 5% that is Rs 20,000 would be paid to me. I am not sure if its good to discontinue this policy at this point of time. Please suggest.

I ran the numbers on this situation — you can download my analysis here — and the results were quite shocking. (Note: The sheet doesn’t consider the paltry cash dividend. Even if it did, the results would still be shocking.) And as I told the reader, “if you play around with the Excel sheet, you’ll find that all TATA AIG needs to do is park your money in a FD and they’d still make money off you! But since you’re already in the 6th year (and I don’t find a surrender option), I guess you have no choice but to continue this policy.”

I then ran the numbers on a similar policy from Bharti AXA called Bharti AXA Aajeevan Anand — you can download my analysis here — and the results were equally shocking.

I’d stay away from such policies. In my opinion, the minimum guaranteed coupon should be equal to the current risk-free rate of return, but then that wouldn’t make business sense to the life insurance company, would it?

Just put those premiums in a Fixed Deposit and you’d do far far better.


Query #2: On the New Pension Scheme.

Could you review the New Pension Scheme (NPS)? I want to invest in a Pension Plan without being taken for a ride.

In my opinion, most Pension Plans, these days, take you for a ride — so much so that sometimes I wonder who the pension is for: you or the insurance company.

While I have a general sense of the NPS, I’m not intimately familiar with its structure and working. Therefore, I pointed the reader to a recent article on NPS in ET Wealth for further information.

Personally, though, when it comes to financial instruments, the NPS isn’t on my radar.


Query #3: On infrastructure bonds.

Have you analyzed the Infrastructure Bonds from IDFC and L&T?

I haven’t. But reader Nikhil Shah was kind enough to share his detailed analysis of these infrastructure bonds some time back.

(Note: Follow me on Twitter, and you’ll have advance access to these downloads.)

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