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One of the positive aspects of a housing loan is it offers several income tax benefits to the person taking a home loan. These benefits cover the housing loan interest as well as capital component of the home loan repaid through equated monthly instalments ( Home loan EMIs) over the tenure. But many a time it [...]

Bonanza year 2009 ended on a happy note and would be remembered for many reasons. Indian stock markets recovered remarkably from their March 2009 lows and went on to register the best year-to-date (YTD) performance in the history of Indian stock market since 1991, with more than 80 per cent return in 2009 and above [...]

Being a disciplined investor pays off in the long run. For example, those investing in equity mutual funds through Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) or debt instruments such as post office or bank deposits through recurring plans reap richer benefits in the form of higher growth and returns. However, maturity benefits in these plans remain limited to the returns assumed and to the total instalments paid in case of the unfortunate event of death. ‘LIC Jeevan Saral’ – an innovative offering by Life Insurance Corporation of India – takes care of this point. The endowment assurance plan provides not only financial protection in terms of death benefit throughout the term but also long-term capital growth. One of the unique features of the scheme is it provides risk coverage to the extent of 250 times the monthly premium. No wonder, it helped LIC win the Golden Peacock Innovative Product/Service Award 2009.

It’s showdown time for the two biggies in the housing finance sector: SBI and HDFC. After the economic meltdown, most banks switched their attention from not-so-profitable commercial lending to retail lending, which have formed a sizeable part of their credit portfolio in the recent past. State Bank of India (SBI) was the frontrunner with its [...]

Guaranteed return products are undoubtedly very popular among us Indians. We use at least one of these products, say, bank deposits, NSC, KVP, PPF, REC Bonds, etc., to pick up a decent fixed return. For long, the market was dominated by the government-backed guaranteed return products, but now private players have entered the fray to give them a stiff competition. Sensing the money-making opportunity, private players have experimented with capital protection plans and market-linked guaranteed return plans. The latest offering is by ICICI Prudential which has introduced ICICI Pru Pinnacle, a guaranteed return unit-linked insurance plan (ULIP). But the question remains as whether this plan will succeed in attracting investors by offering something new or fall flat.