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• Simple web-based calculator for a single goal
• Comprehensive Google-sheets based calculator for all of your goals
• SIP return calculator: how much corpus will you accumulate by starting a SIP today

Articles

Behaviour (10 articles)

• Don't stop investing when the markets are down

  A common piece of advice given by many people is to stop investing when the stocks markets are down. This article explores if this advice makes sense.

• Why you should chase your target goal corpus instead of returns

  Many investors are obsessed with returns. This post shows a different target to chase to ensure the purpose of investments is met.

• How long does it take to earn what we spend on?

  This article introduces a simple budgeting tool that shows how much time it takes to earn something using our hourly wage.

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Budgeting (10 articles)

• Does the 50/30/20 budgeting rule work in India?

  This article shows you if you can apply the popular 50/30/20 budgeting rule for investing for your goals in India.

• A health insurance premium fund: who needs it and why

  This article shows you a better alternative to paying premiums every month or quarter as well as manage when premiums increase over time.

• What should you do when your home loan interest rates go up?

  This post discusses managing when interest rates go up increasing your home loan EMI.

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Children (11 articles)

• Why parents should invest for the downpayment of their child's first home?

  This article explains why parents should add a new goal in their financial plan to save for their child’s first home in a major metropolitan city.

• What is the best way to invest for your child's college education?

  This article shows you the right way to invest for your child’s college education with the result backed by historical data.

• How to invest for college education goals for teenaged children?

  This article discusses where to invest for college education goals based on when college starts and your retirement date with a focus on lowering taxes.

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Set Goals (26 articles)

• SMART goals: how to create an emergency fund

  An emergency fund is essential to protect yourself from unexpected problems where a lot of money needs to be spent. This article will show you how to create one step-by-step.

• SMART goals: investing step-by-step for buying your dream home

  This article offers the steps for identifying, quantifying and investing for buying your dream house.

• Why you should chase your target goal corpus instead of returns

  Many investors are obsessed with returns. This post shows a different target to chase to ensure the purpose of investments is met.

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Loans (9 articles)

• How does an overdraft loan like SBI Maxgain work?

  This articles describes overdraft home loans like SBI Maxgain and BOB Home Loan Advantage.

• How does your risk profile change with a home loan?

  A home loan is a multi-year commitment to your cash flows and changes your risk profile. So how should you change your income and investing?

• Should you sell your mutual funds to buy a house?

  This article talks about the best funding mix for buying your dream home from investments and home loans.

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House Purchase (14 articles)

• Should you prepay your home loan at the beginning or at the end of the tenure?

  This article helps you decide when to prepay your home loan - at the beginning, middle or end of the total loan period.

• SMART goals: investing step-by-step for buying your dream home

  This article offers the steps for identifying, quantifying and investing for buying your dream house.

• Sec 54F: a hack that can save lakhs in taxes when you buy a house

  This article shows how to save capital gains taxes under income tax Section 54F when you sell other assets to raise money to buy your first or second house.

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Basics (8 articles)

• SMART goals: how to create an emergency fund

  An emergency fund is essential to protect yourself from unexpected problems where a lot of money needs to be spent. This article will show you how to create one step-by-step.

• What is a Personal Accident Insurance policy: who needs it and why?

  This article explains the pros and cons of a Personal Accident Insurance policy and makes a case for getting one to safeguard your financial goals.

• Health insurance: what, why, how much to get and from where?

  This article explains why health insurance is important, how to choose one that suits your needs, the tax benefits and where to buy it from.

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Asset Allocation (19 articles)

• How to construct buckets for your retirement portfolio?

  This article explains how retirees should allocate their investments between equity, debt and cash buckets for their post-retirement portfolio.

• What are target date funds and why do we need them in India for retirement?

  This article introduces the concept of the target date fund and explains why they are a good option for retirement planning.

• How much equity should you have in your retirement portfolio?

  This article shows you an easy way to calculate the equity allocation for your retirement corpus.

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Choosing Investments (31 articles)

• What are the best target maturity debt funds in 2023?

  This article gives you the latest view on target maturity debt funds for investors in 2023.

• What is the latest PPF rate? What are the historical rates for PPF?

  This article gives you the current and historical interest rates for PPF so that you can decide if investing in PPF is the right option for your portfolio.

• What are the best tax-saving ELSS mutual funds in 2023?

  This post sifts through 38 options to find the best ELSS funds for investing in 2023.

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Mutual Funds (22 articles)

• Which category of debt mutual funds is best for rebalancing?

  This article helps you decide which debt mutual fund category to choose when rebalancing between debt and equity.

• The myth of the 15*15*15 or crorepati rule for mutual funds in India

  This article debunks the myth of the 15 * 15 * 15 or crorepati rule for mutual funds in India, revealing that a common marketing tactic for selling mutual funds does not work in practice.

• The lie of wealth-creation via SIP in mutual funds

  This article shows you that investing via SIP in a mutual fund does not create wealth.

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Risk (6 articles)

• How conservative investors risk falling short of their goals

  A reader query prompted this post on the risks of not investing in volatile assets for long term goals.

• The unknown risk in NPS that few people talk about

  What should you do if there is a fall in your NPS corpus just before retirement at 60? This post details the problems and shows how to remediate the risk.

• How does your risk profile change with a home loan?

  A home loan is a multi-year commitment to your cash flows and changes your risk profile. So how should you change your income and investing?

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Portfolio Construction (42 articles)

• How much returns should you estimate for your goals?

  This article helps you estimate the returns from your investments to help you decide how much you need to invest.

• How to invest for a single goal using Target Date Funds in India?

  This article extends the concept of a target date fund for one-time goals like house downpayment for investors in India.

• How to invest in a target date fund for retirement in India?

  This article explains how to create a target date fund to simplify retirement planning in India.

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Portfolio Review (24 articles)

• Which category of debt mutual funds is best for rebalancing?

  This article helps you decide which debt mutual fund category to choose when rebalancing between debt and equity.

• Are you invested in these worst-performing mutual funds?

  This article lists mutual funds with the worst historical performance over 3, 5, 10, 15, and 20 years.

• What is the best way to invest for your child's college education?

  This article shows you the right way to invest for your child’s college education with the result backed by historical data.

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Insurance (14 articles)

• Why shouldn't you buy term insurance up to age 80? Or 100?

  This article explains why it is a waste of money to buy a term insurance policy beyond the usual retirement age of 60.

• A review of the LIC Tech Term plan in 2023

  LIC has relaunched its popular online-only term insurance plan as “New Tech Term” in Nov-2022. If you are looking for a new term insurance policy should you consider this?

• How to calculate term insurance coverage amount?

  This article gives you an easy-to-use calculator to know your term insurance coverage amount.

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Calculator (14 articles)

• What is CoastFIRE? How to achieve CoastFIRE in India?

  This article explains the concept of CoastFIRE and lets you calculate when you can achieve CoastFIRE.

• Should you break your FD and create a new one at new higher rates?

  This article lets you calculate if you should break your old FD and create a new one at higher interest rates after adjusting for premature breakage penalty.

• How to calculate term insurance coverage amount?

  This article gives you an easy-to-use calculator to know your term insurance coverage amount.

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Retirement (33 articles)

• How to construct buckets for your retirement portfolio?

  This article explains how retirees should allocate their investments between equity, debt and cash buckets for their post-retirement portfolio.

• How to invest in a target date fund for retirement in India?

  This article explains how to create a target date fund to simplify retirement planning in India.

• What are target date funds and why do we need them in India for retirement?

  This article introduces the concept of the target date fund and explains why they are a good option for retirement planning.

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FIRE (11 articles)

• What is CoastFIRE? How to achieve CoastFIRE in India?

  This article explains the concept of CoastFIRE and lets you calculate when you can achieve CoastFIRE.

• FIRE journey in India: what happens if you work just a bit longer

  This article shows the effect of postponing early retirement by just a little since it allows you to spend more in retirement.

• How long will your money last if you retire today?

  This article shows that if you decide to retire today, how long will the corpus last realistically based on real rates of return.

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Pension (6 articles)

• How to mix an SWP from an equity mutual fund with a pension plan in retirement?

  This article shows how much you can withdraw from an equity mutual fund if you have a pension plan as well in retirement.

• How can children help their retired parents to set up their finances?

  This article shows the steps to set up an investment portfolio for retirees with the help of their children.

• Can you retire by keeping money only in FD or pension?

  This post explores the pros and cons of keeping money only in fixed income throughout retirement

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Market Movements (10 articles)

• How many bear markets have we seen in India?

  This article gives you a brief history of bear markets in India, where the stock market has fallen by 20% or more and has taken some time to recover.

• How did the Indian stock market perform in 2022?

  This article shows the report card for the Indian stock market for 2022 vs the last 25 years.

• The stock market has reached an all-time high. Should you buy or sell?

  This article shows a way to decide what to do when stock markets reach all-time or lifetime highs. Should investors buy more or sell to book profits?

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Tax (19 articles)

• How can NRIs in the US gift money to their parents in India in 2023?

  This article discusses the mechanics and tax exemption rules applicable to US-based NRIs who wish to gift money to their parents in India.

• What are the best tax-saving ELSS mutual funds in 2023?

  This post sifts through 38 options to find the best ELSS funds for investing in 2023.

• Should you invest in ELSS Index Funds like the new IIFL ELSS fund?

  This article discusses a new category of ELSS funds relaunched in India that are run as index funds. Should investors invest in ELSS index funds for tax-saving purposes?

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NRI (5 articles)

• How can NRIs in the US gift money to their parents in India in 2023?

  This article discusses the mechanics and tax exemption rules applicable to US-based NRIs who wish to gift money to their parents in India.

• Can NRIs retire in India with only safe investment options like a fixed deposit?

  We discuss if it is a good idea for conservative NRI investors to create a retirement portfolio in India only with safe and risk-free investment options.

• How can NRIs easily manage their parents’ finances in India?

  This article shows the steps NRIs can take to easily manage their family’s finances in India.

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Real Estate (4 articles)

• Why parents should invest for the downpayment of their child's first home?

  This article explains why parents should add a new goal in their financial plan to save for their child’s first home in a major metropolitan city.

• Should you stretch to buy your dream home?

  What do you do if your dream house is above your budget? How to know if you can stretch?

• Where to save for the downpayment of a home?

  If you have decided how much you need to save for your downpayment, this post will show you where to invest.

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International Investing (8 articles)

• Which mutual fund has lower tax - international funds at 20 percent vs domestic at 10 percent?

  This article settles the question of which type of capital gain calculation is better - debt-type funds taxed at 20% with indexation vs equity-type at 10%.

• Should you invest in the DSP Global Innovation Fund NFO?

  A new Fund of Fund wants to capture the alpha from innovative technology companies globally. Should you invest?

• What is the best way to invest in US stocks?

  The recent bull market rally in US markets is generating a lot of interest in US stocks. How should you invest?

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Gold (6 articles)

• What will create a higher corpus for children's marriage: buying physical gold vs SIP in stocks

  The article shows you if you there is a better alternative to buying gold over time for your child’s marriage goals.

• Frequently asked questions on Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGB): the complete guide

  This article compiles an exhaustive list of FAQs for Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGB).

• A tactical trading opportunity in gold vs. equity

  A case study on tactical asset allocation: a divergence in the prices of gold and equty offers a trade. What can you do and when?

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Review (11 articles)

• A review of the LIC Tech Term plan in 2023

  LIC has relaunched its popular online-only term insurance plan as “New Tech Term” in Nov-2022. If you are looking for a new term insurance policy should you consider this?

• Should you invest in ELSS Index Funds like the new IIFL ELSS fund?

  This article discusses a new category of ELSS funds relaunched in India that are run as index funds. Should investors invest in ELSS index funds for tax-saving purposes?

• The 2022 Arthgyaan Year in Review

  This blog completes its second year with 100+ new posts in 12 months. Here’s looking back.

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News (6 articles)

• What is the latest RBI repo rate? What is the latest RBI reverse repo rate?

  This article shows you the current and historical values of the RBI repo and reverse repo rates.

• Do you need multiple mutual funds to keep your money safe?

  Given that mutual fund scams and issues are happening regularly, should you invest via many AMCs to ensure that you always have access to your money?

• How does the SEBI ban on pool accounts affect your mutual fund investments?

  Explained: how a recent SEBI rule change affects how you will be investing in mutual funds post 1st-Jul-2022.

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Life Stages (2 articles)

• Life stage investing: how should couples manage finances

  Having a common understanding of the role of money is one of the pillars of a successful life as a couple.

• Life stage investing: how to manage finances when you are joining your first job

  This post from our life stage series shows how your finances need to be managed when you transition from being a student to joining your first job.

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NPS (5 articles)

• Which is better: save tax by investing 50,000 in NPS or 35,000 in equity mutual fund?

  This article shows you if it is better to take advantage of Section 80CCD to save up to 15,000 tax by investing in NPS Tier 1.

• Is NPS the right option for your retirement planning?

  This article talks about if investors should go with NPS for retirement planning or look at other options which give them more control.

• Asset allocation for NPS: equity or debt / active or auto?

  This article provides guidance on choosing the right combination of equity and debt along with an allocation plan for NPS subscribers.

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Step by step (9 articles)

• What are the best mutual funds for first-time investors?

  This article shows new investors’ steps to choosing their first mutual fund.

• What are the best index funds for new investors in India?

  This article shows the steps that a new index fund investor can follow to shortlist an index fund for investing

• SMART goals: how to create an emergency fund

  An emergency fund is essential to protect yourself from unexpected problems where a lot of money needs to be spent. This article will show you how to create one step-by-step.

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FAQ (4 articles)

• Frequently asked questions on Tax Deducted at Source (TDS): the complete guide

  This article compiles an exhaustive list of FAQs on the concept of Tax Deducted at Source (TDS).

• Frequently asked questions on Credit Rating: the complete guide

  This article compiles an exhaustive list of FAQs on the concept of Credit Rating.

• Frequently asked questions on Public Provident fund (PPF): the complete guide

  This article compiles an exhaustive list of FAQs for Public Provident fund (PPF).

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Health Insurance (4 articles)

• What are top-up and super-top-up health insurance policies? Do you need either?

  This article talks about deductible-based health insurance plans like top-up and super-top-up and shows which one you should buy and why.

• How to make a health insurance claim that ensures you get back the claimed amount?

  This article shows the steps to correctly file a health insurance claim so that it gets processed quickly and you get back as much as possible.

• Health insurance: what, why, how much to get and from where?

  This article explains why health insurance is important, how to choose one that suits your needs, the tax benefits and where to buy it from.

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Safe Withdrawal Rate (5 articles)

• How to mix an SWP from an equity mutual fund with a pension plan in retirement?

  This article shows how much you can withdraw from an equity mutual fund if you have a pension plan as well in retirement.

• What happens if you do an SWP from an index fund in retirement?

  We examine the results of running a long-term SWP in index funds for retirement.

• How long will your money last if you retire today?

  This article shows that if you decide to retire today, how long will the corpus last realistically based on real rates of return.

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Case Study (3 articles)

• Case study: how this double income recently married family can perform DIY goal-based investment planning

  This article shows how a young just-married couple can invest for future goals using the Arthgyaan goal-based investing tool.

• Case Study: How should couples in their 40s with a new baby plan their financial future?

  Did you welcome a bundle of joy in your 40s? This article will discuss ways of planning the child’s (and your’s financial future)

• Case study: how this double income single kid family can perform DIY goal-based investment planning

  This article shows how a very typical salaried couple with one child can invest for future goals using the Arthgyaan goal-based investing tool.

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