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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 (12 articles)

• Should you invest in hybrid funds via SIP for short-term goals?

  This article shows you how different categories of hybrid funds have performed for regular SIP investments for short durations.

• How to balance FOMO and loss-aversion in the case of foreign RSUs?

  This article gives you a few pointers about what to do with your foreign RSUs that have appreciated a lot in value.

• 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.

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Budgeting (12 articles)

• Don't Get Caught in the Credit Card Debt Trap: Unmasking Interest Calculation & GST Charges

  This article unveils the secrets of credit card interest, from EMIs to GST impact. Stay informed to avoid financial traps!.

• How to review your sinking fund to always have money since cost of goals are increasing?

  This article shows you how to review your sinking fund so that you can keep pace with the inflation of your periodic expenses and short-term goals.

• 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.

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Children (17 articles)

• How Sukanya Samridhhi Yojana (SSY) and Public Provident Fund (PPF) can together take your daughter from college to PhD?

  This article shows you how much corpus you can create via SSY and PPF for your daughter’s education from college to PhD.

• How to pay for an IIT Engineering degree with only PPF investment?

  PPF is a great safe and guaranteed investment that can be used for investing enough to pay for a 4-year IIT engineering degree.

• Why LIC Amritbaal policy is a complete wastage of money: how to invest for your child in the right way

  We review the new LIC Amritbaal insurance cum investment plan so that parents are aware that the plan is not good for most people. We will also show what to do instead for your kid’s goals.

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Set Goals (28 articles)

• Are Your MF Investments Do it Yourself? Make Plan it Yourself Your New Mantra for Success

  This article explains how DIY investors can move from a shoot & aim to aim & shoot approach towards their investments.

• How to map your mutual funds to your investment goals?

  This article shows how investors can map their various investments, like mutual funds, FDs, NPS, stocks etc., to different goals.

• 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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Loans (17 articles)

• What are the best ways to pay off a large credit card balance quickly?

  This article gives the list of people to whom you can give or receive gifts like cash, property, stocks, mutual funds or any other assets without paying tax.

• Should you take a personal loan to invest in the stock market or mutual funds?

  This article looks at the effects of leverage while investing in risky assets like the stock market by directly purchasing stocks or via mutual funds.

• Home Loan Eligibility for Joint Applicants: how to buy a bigger house

  This article shows you an easy way to calculate how big a house you can buy based on your family’s combined monthly salary.

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House Purchase (29 articles)

• Should you withdraw from your EPF to buy a house?

  This article explains what happens if you withdraw from your EPF to buy a house and who should or shouldn’t withdraw from EPF for this reason.

• How to save tax using Section 54F for an under construction house?

  This article shows you the right way to apply Section 54F to save tax when you sell shares and mutual funds to buy an under-construction house.

• What should be your income to buy a luxury property in India?

  This article shows the minimum income needed to buy a luxury property in India.

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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 (21 articles)

• Portfolio allocation models for Indian investors

  This article shows how different asset allocation models for Indian stock and bonds have performed over the years.

• Should Indian investors invest 100% in equity for their goals?

  This article shows a comparison of different asset-allocation values for debt and equity for different holding periods for Indian investors.

• How have different portfolios of stocks and bonds performed in India?

  This article shows the historical performance of stocks and bonds in India since 1999 for different asset allocations.

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Choosing Investments (40 articles)

• SENSEX vs PPF report card 2024: should you invest 1.5 lakhs in PPF in April?

  This article compares how the PPF has performed against the SENSEX since 1979 to help investors decide if they should invest a lump sum in PPF in April 2024.

• What are the best tax-saving ELSS mutual funds in 2024?

  This post sifts through 39 options to find the best ELSS funds for investing in 2024.

• Sweep FDs: An Easy Way to Keep Your Money Liquid and get High Interest Income

  This articles explains the concept of how sweep FDs can help you earn higher interest rates while keeping your money liquid and safe.

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Mutual Funds (46 articles)

• How to update your KYC to continue investing in mutual funds from 1st April 2024?

  This article shows you the easy steps to update your KYC so that you can continue your mutual fund investments without any hassles.

• Which are the best performing tax-saving ELSS mutual funds in Apr 2024?

  This post sifts through 43 options to find the best performing ELSS funds for the 3-year period ending before Apr 2024.

• How to calculate and save tax on mutual funds?

  This article is expected to give investors in India a complete guide on the topic of calculation of taxes on mutual funds.

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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 (53 articles)

• How much lower portfolio value do you end up with if you do not invest for a few years in between?

  This article shows how to understand the impact on your portfolio if you stop investing for a few years between today and retirement.

• Which stage of your career is most important for wealth creation?

  This article looks at the various stages of your career from the perspective of maximum wealth creation.

• How much portfolio return do you need over your lifetime to meet all your goals?

  This article shows the calculation for your portfolio’s lifetime XIRR which allows you to meet all your goals.

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Portfolio Review (27 articles)

• How should couples invest for their goals?

  This article shows how couples should invest together for their financial goals to manage their portfolio without any hassles.

• How to clean up your mutual fund portfolio?

  This article shows you various strategies to clean up your mutual fund portfolio.

• What are lazy portfolios and why you should implement them for your goals?

  This article shows what lazy portfolios are and how investors can quickly implement the concept to make reaching their goals more manageable.

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Insurance (16 articles)

• Why LIC Amritbaal policy is a complete wastage of money: how to invest for your child in the right way

  We review the new LIC Amritbaal insurance cum investment plan so that parents are aware that the plan is not good for most people. We will also show what to do instead for your kid’s goals.

• Term Insurance with Return of Premium: a Complete Waste of Money

  This article explains why Term insurance with return of premium (TROP) is more expensive and wastes money that you should invest instead.

• 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.

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Calculator (25 articles)

• How much portfolio return do you need over your lifetime to meet all your goals?

  This article shows the calculation for your portfolio’s lifetime XIRR which allows you to meet all your goals.

• How to save tax using Section 54F for an under construction house?

  This article shows you the right way to apply Section 54F to save tax when you sell shares and mutual funds to buy an under-construction house.

• How to correctly calculate returns from an under construction flat?

  This article gives an easy-to-use calculator for knowing the returns from buying and later selling an under-construction property.

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Retirement (38 articles)

• Building Generational Wealth through an Alternative Retirement Portfolio Planning Technique

  This article discusses an alternative retirement portfolio construction method for generational wealth transfer.

• Late to plan retirement: how much money does this 48 year old investor need to invest per month to retire at 60?

  Many investors are late to start retirement planning. This article shows what they should do to catch up.

• How much money does this 39 year old investor need to invest per month to retire at 58?

  A quick retirement calculation for a reader query who has a good amount of corpus already saved for retirement.

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FIRE (13 articles)

• Case study: can this double income single kid family reach FIRE at 50?

  This article shows how a double-income couple with a 2-year old reach their FIRE dream at the age of 50.

• Case study: how a family in their mid-30s with a newborn kid can FIRE and invest in real estate?

  This article shows how a double-income couple with a newborn child can invest for their future goals of FIRE and real-estate investment.

• 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.

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Pension (8 articles)

• How to get guaranteed income in retirement by combining dividends and pension?

  This article shows how to combine dividends from an equity portfolio with pension plans to get guaranteed income for life.

• Understanding dividend investing: should you invest in stocks or mutual funds for dividend income?

  This article explains the concept of dividends and shows which option is better for dividend income: stocks or mutual funds.

• 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.

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Market Movements (16 articles)

• How well did the Indian stock market perform in 2023?

  This article shows the report card for the Indian stock market for 2023 vs the last 25 years.

• How to invest a lump sum amount when the stock market is at an all-time high?

  This article shows how an investor should invest a lump sum amount in the stock market when the market has reached an all time high.

• Nifty above 21000: what should you do with your equity SIPs? Start, stop or continue?

  As the market keeps rising to new all-time high figures, how much returns should equity investors expect from their investments running in SIP form.

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Tax (59 articles)

• When should you verify your Income Tax return as per the new rules effective from 1st April 2024?

  This article explains the new rules regarding income tax return verification which are now in place for tax returns to be filed 1st April 2024 onwards.

• What should an US NRI do to become compliant with PFIC and FBAR rules on their Indian investments?

  This article advises on the steps a US-based Non-Resident Indian (NRI) should take regarding unreported mutual funds in India under FBAR and PFIC rules.

• Which tax regime is better if you want to invest in PPF or ELSS or have a home loan?

  This article allows you to calculate the best tax regime to choose based on your investments and salary structure.

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NRI (19 articles)

• What should an US NRI do to become compliant with PFIC and FBAR rules on their Indian investments?

  This article advises on the steps a US-based Non-Resident Indian (NRI) should take regarding unreported mutual funds in India under FBAR and PFIC rules.

• The complete guide for transferring money to an NRE account: NRO to NRE and resident to NRE covered

  This article looks at the tax and compliance rules to keep in mind for transferring money to an NRE account by resident Indians, from NRO accounts and from abroad.

• How much money can NRIs in the US gift to their parents in India in 2024?

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

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Reader Questions (8 articles)

• How to balance FOMO and loss-aversion in the case of foreign RSUs?

  This article gives you a few pointers about what to do with your foreign RSUs that have appreciated a lot in value.

• What are the best ways to pay off a large credit card balance quickly?

  This article gives the list of people to whom you can give or receive gifts like cash, property, stocks, mutual funds or any other assets without paying tax.

• How much money does this 39 year old investor need to invest per month to retire at 58?

  A quick retirement calculation for a reader query who has a good amount of corpus already saved for retirement.

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Real Estate (7 articles)

• How to correctly calculate returns from an under construction flat?

  This article gives an easy-to-use calculator for knowing the returns from buying and later selling an under-construction property.

• How to include your property with a home loan in your portfolio?

  This article shows the right way of valuing your property with a home loan for your investment portfolio.

• How much real estate should you hold in your portfolio?

  This article discusses the role of real estate as an asset class. It shows a few options for valuing and including it in your portfolio.

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International Investing (12 articles)

• How to balance FOMO and loss-aversion in the case of foreign RSUs?

  This article gives you a few pointers about what to do with your foreign RSUs that have appreciated a lot in value.

• Why you must declare your foreign shares and RSUs during tax filing?

  This article gives you an overview of the tax-related tasks and calculations needed for resident Indians who hold foreign shares.

• How the government has provided relief to travellers and international investors by tweaking the LRS and TCS rules from 1st Oct 2023?

  This article provides the latest updates to the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) and Tax Collected at Source (TCS) rules as applicable from 1st Oct 2023.

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Gold (21 articles)

• SGB issued in Mar 2016 has given 126% return in 8 years. How does that compare with FDs and equity mutual funds?

  The Mar 2016 SGB showcased a fantastic return on maturity compared to other investment avenues like fixed deposits and some equity mutual funds.

• SGB return vs issue price: what returns do you expect to get from SGB?

  This article compares the currently active SGBs vs the latest SGB issue price to see what returns are implied for investors who are already invested.

• SGB issued in Feb 2016 has given 141% return in 8 years. How does that compare with FDs and equity mutual funds?

  The Feb 2016 SGB showcased a fantastic return on maturity compared to other investment avenues like fixed deposits and some equity mutual funds.

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Review (15 articles)

• Why LIC Amritbaal policy is a complete wastage of money: how to invest for your child in the right way

  We review the new LIC Amritbaal insurance cum investment plan so that parents are aware that the plan is not good for most people. We will also show what to do instead for your kid’s goals.

• The 2023 Arthgyaan Year in Review

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

• What is Deposit Insurance and How Does it Protect Your Money?

  This article explains the concept of Deposit insurance that protects bank depositors from losing their money, up to a certain amount, if a bank fails.

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News (18 articles)

• When should you verify your Income Tax return as per the new rules effective from 1st April 2024?

  This article explains the new rules regarding income tax return verification which are now in place for tax returns to be filed 1st April 2024 onwards.

• How to update your KYC to continue investing in mutual funds from 1st April 2024?

  This article shows you the easy steps to update your KYC so that you can continue your mutual fund investments without any hassles.

• Bajaj Auto Buyback record date is 29-Feb-2024: should you buy the stock?

  With only a few days to go, is it possible to make money by buying the Bajaj Auto stock before the record date?

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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 (7 articles)

• Latest NAVs - National Pension System (NPS)

  This article helps you get NPS NAV data via an easy-to-read table that is always updated.

• What is the NPS Tier II default scheme? Should government sector subscribers opt for it?

  This article explains the PFRDA announcement about a new default scheme under NPS Tier II for government employee subscribers.

• 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.

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Step by step (15 articles)

• How to Buy Your Dream Home Without Any Savings: A Step-by-Step Guide

  This article shows how sufficient cash flow is the key to purchasing a house, even if you are yet to save for the down payment.

• How to file TDS for Property Purchase: A Step-by-Step Guide

  This article explains the steps for paying TDS on purchasing property in an easy step-by-step manner.

• Where to invest your monthly income if you spend only 45% a month?

  This article answers a question about investing a certain percentage (here 55%) of your monthly income.

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FAQ (12 articles)

• Frequently asked questions on saving tax via Hindu Undivided Family (HUF): the complete guide

  This article compiles an exhaustive list of FAQs on the concept of tax saving by creating an HUF.

• What is MFCentral and why you should be using it?

  This article introduces MFCentral as a one-stop-shop for transacting in mutual funds for Indian mutual fund investors.

• Frequently asked questions on Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs): the complete guide

  This article compiles an exhaustive list of FAQs on the concept of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).

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Health Insurance (5 articles)

• Frequently asked questions (FAQs) on Cashless Everywhere facility in health insurance

  This article gives you a list of common questions and their answers on the concept of “Cashless Everywhere” introduced for health insurance.

• 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.

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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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Market Data (7 articles)

• Latest NAVs - National Pension System (NPS)

  This article helps you get NPS NAV data via an easy-to-read table that is always updated.

• What are the historical Cost Inflation Index (CII) values since 1981?

  This article lists the historical Cost Inflation Index (CII) values since 1981 which are to be used for capital gains tax calculation for assets purchased before 2001.

• What are the latest Small Savings Scheme rates?

  This article shows you the latest Small Savings scheme rates as a ready reckoner for intvestors looking to invest in such schemes.

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Case Study (6 articles)

• Case study: how can this middle-aged investor with two children plan for retirement and children's goals?

  This article shows how a single-income middle-aged couple with two small children reach their retirement and children’s goals.

• Case study: can this double income single kid family reach FIRE at 50?

  This article shows how a double-income couple with a 2-year old reach their FIRE dream at the age of 50.

• Case study: how a family in their mid-30s with a newborn kid can FIRE and invest in real estate?

  This article shows how a double-income couple with a newborn child can invest for their future goals of FIRE and real-estate investment.

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Research (5 articles)

• Arthgyaan India Active Fund Scorecard (Dec-2023)

  This is the first release of the Arthgyaan India Active Fund Scorecard to help mutual fund investors in India make better investment decisions.

• Portfolio allocation models for Indian investors

  This article shows how different asset allocation models for Indian stock and bonds have performed over the years.

• How much Long-Term Wealth has been Built with Equity Investing in the US Stock Market?

  This article explores how much return has come from the US stock market using data from the 1870s.

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