Reader Subrata asks: Is leave encashment on superannuation taxable? I’m nearing retirement and would have accumulated 300-days of leave. I have absolutely no clue on this topic (and I can’t remember the last time I accumulated leave). Therefore, I thought I’d open it up for a wider audience right away. Do you know the answer?
Though I advocate against it now, early in my career, I made a couple of investments purely with the objective of reducing my income tax liability. These investments simply don’t fit in with any of my financial goals. That led me to this thought: a “for income tax savings only” investment portfolio. You could put […]
I faced this dilemma not too long ago. Before I post my choice and my rationale behind it, I’d like to know your opinion. [polldaddy poll=3879430] Does the age when you need to make this choice matter?
This one’s for the married/soon-to-be-married folks. Came from a thought I had while writing on marriage and finances. [polldaddy poll=3851710]
Thought I’d ask this question that many of us face when changing jobs. The choice becomes all the more difficult especially when you know that your EPF corpus is a significant amount. [polldaddy poll=3823702]
What do you think of the Card Protection Program India? [polldaddy poll=3747054]
[polldaddy poll=3716207]
A comment on this post caught my attention. Why shouldn’t a medical check-up be mandated prior to buying health or life insurance? What do you think? [polldaddy poll=3675968]
In a recent issue of Outlook Money, I came across Debt Doctor — a debt consolidation program. Outside of India, Debt Management Programs are a lucrative business. But given the local psychology, my question is: [polldaddy poll=3669598]
Suppose you start at the age of 30. You save the maximum possible (currently, Rs 70,000) each year for the next 30 years. Then, [polldaddy poll=3647752]
D asked, I know there are clear-cut rules on your liability and what you should do upon losing your credit card. But what are the rules with respect to debit cards? What’s your liability and what should you do? I’m asking because my debit card doesn’t have my photo on it. Nor does the merchant […]
I have a question: In general, is it possible to make part prepayments (towards the outstanding principal) on your car loan? My specific situation: a car loan from Axis Bank that I intend to close by the end of this year. If the answer to my question is a YES, how do I go about […]
In response to my post on why you shouldn’t opt for a decrease in your Employee Provident Fund contributions in lieu of an increase in your take home pay, reader Siva commented: But, in need, it’s always a problem to get back your money from the Government PF office. When a friend wanted to start […]
D, had an interesting question to ask. Suppose I’m unable to collect cash from the ATM cash dispenser within the stipulated time (usually 30 seconds). What happens to such a transaction? Is it automatically reversed? What happens if this situation occurs at a third-party ATM? I couldn’t find an answer to this question. Have you […]
In response to my post about guidelines on detection and impounding of counterfeit notes at Indian Banks, a reader asks, Has anyone got a fake currency note through an ATM? What is the process to be followed in such a case? Does the bank keep track of each and every note fed into the ATM? […]
A reader asks, I have lost my acknowledged (i.e. stamped) income tax returns (form ITR-V) for last year. What is the procedure for obtaining a duplicate? My opinion: Visit the income tax office in your geography and meet your assessing officer. A requisition letter along with an unacknowledged copy of your income tax returns (Form […]
A reader asks: I am shopping for a term insurance plan and am a bit confused. Having seen the travails of insurance companies such as AIG et al., I am inclined to go with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) given their sovereign guarantee. But LIC’s premium for term plans seems to be 40-50% […]
Following my post on failed ATM transactions, a reader wrote in with his story. On October 15, 2008, I tried to withdraw Rs 4,000 using my Citibank debit card at an HSBC ATM. The peculiar thing about HSBC ATMs is that the transaction slip is printed before the cash is dispensed. Unfortunately, there was a […]