Financial Guides
69 in-depth, calculator-backed guides and articles covering every aspect of personal finance in India — from Budget analysis and tax filing to SIP strategies, salary planning, and retirement corpus calculation.
SIP Calculator Guide 2026
How SIP works, expense ratio impact, SIP vs lumpsum, and fund selection for long-term wealth creation.
Rent vs Buy Guide
Should you buy a home or keep renting in India? Complete guide with NPV calculator for 5 major cities.
Tax Regime Guide
Complete comparison of Old vs New tax regime for FY 2025-26 with deduction analysis and calculator.
EMI Guide
Everything about home loan EMI — calculation, prepayment strategies, and how to save lakhs in interest.
Step-Up SIP Guide
How step-up SIP works, life-stage strategies, expense ratio impact, and LTCG tax planning.
Stamp Duty Guide
State-wise stamp duty rates, registration charges, and savings tips for property buyers in India.
SIP Guide
How SIP works, expense ratio impact, SIP vs lumpsum, and fund selection for long-term wealth creation.
HRA Guide
HRA exemption rules under Section 10(13A), 3 calculation rules, documentation, and tax-planning strategies.
PPF Guide
PPF interest calculation, EEE tax benefit, partial withdrawal rules, and comparison with ELSS and NPS.
FIRE Guide
Plan your early retirement with India-specific FIRE numbers. Factor in EPF, PPF, NPS, health inflation, and safe withdrawal rate.
Capital Gains Guide
Calculate LTCG and STCG on property sale in India. Old regime vs new regime comparison with Section 54 and 54EC exemptions.
Term Insurance Guide
Calculate ideal life insurance cover using HLV, income replacement, and needs-based methods. India-specific premium estimates.
Education Cost Guide
Plan your child's IIT, IIM, MBBS education costs with inflation. Calculate monthly SIP needed for the required corpus.
Emergency Fund Guide
How much emergency fund do you need? 3-12 month rule explained with where to park it for instant access and decent returns.
Rental Yield Guide
Calculate gross yield, net yield, and cap rate on rental property. City-wise rental yield benchmarks for Indian metros.
Gratuity Guide
Calculate gratuity using PGA formula. Covers covered and non-covered employees, rounding rules, and Section 10(10) tax exemption.
NPS Guide
Complete NPS guide covering Tier 1 contributions, 80CCD(1B) tax savings, annuity options, and retirement corpus calculation.
PMAY Guide
Calculate PMAY CLSS subsidy. Eligibility for EWS, LIG, MIG-I, MIG-II categories with exact subsidy amount and reduced EMI.
Lumpsum Guide
When to invest lumpsum vs SIP. LTCG tax impact, inflation-adjusted returns, and timing strategies for Indian markets.
EPF Guide
Complete EPF guide covering 8.25% interest, VPF top-up strategy, salary growth projection, and EEE tax benefits.
SSY Guide
Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana guide with 8.2% interest, EEE tax benefit, partial withdrawal at 18, and maturity calculation.
EMI Prepayment Guide
Should you prepay your home loan or invest the surplus? Strategies to save lakhs in interest with prepayment timing.
HRA Employment Guide
HRA exemption rules for salaried, contract, WFH, and self-employed. Section 10(13A) edge cases and documentation guide.
PPF Strategy Guide
PPF deposit timing, April 5 rule, extension strategy, partial withdrawal rules, and PPF vs other 80C instruments.
Stamp Duty Tips
Legal strategies to reduce stamp duty: women ownership, PMAY, resale vs new, joint registration, and state-specific exemptions.
Tax Slabs Explainer
Complete income tax slab explainer for FY 2025-26. Old vs new regime rates, surcharge brackets, rebate rules, and examples.
Salary Guide
Convert CTC to in-hand salary. Understand EPF, professional tax, HRA, gratuity, and income tax deductions with worked examples.
Section 80C Guide
All Section 80C instruments compared — ELSS, PPF, EPF, NPS, tax-saving FD, SSY, and more. ₹1.5 lakh deduction strategy.
Best FD Guide
Compare FD rates across top banks and small finance banks. Tax treatment, laddering strategy, and FD vs alternatives.
Expense Ratio Guide
A 1% expense ratio difference costs ₹12 lakh over 20 years. Direct vs regular plan comparison with switching guide.
Budget 2026 Tax Changes
Key income tax changes from Union Budget 2026 — new slabs, standard deduction, and what it means for salaried taxpayers.
New Regime 2026-27 Slabs
Updated income tax slabs under the new regime for FY 2026-27 with worked examples and break-even analysis.
Budget 2026 Salary Impact
How Union Budget 2026 affects salaried employees earning ₹10–25 LPA — take-home changes, HRA, and 80C impact.
Capital Gains Tax 2026
Updated LTCG and STCG tax rules post-Budget 2026 — equity, debt, property, and gold with examples.
RBI Repo Rate Feb 2026
RBI monetary policy impact on home loan EMIs, FD rates, and savings — what the repo rate change means for you.
SSY vs PPF
SSY vs PPF comparison — interest rates, lock-in, tax benefits, and which is better for your daughter's future.
Gold Buying Guide
Compare Sovereign Gold Bonds, digital gold, and physical gold — returns, tax, liquidity, and storage costs.
XIRR vs CAGR
When to use XIRR, CAGR, and absolute returns — with examples from SIP, lumpsum, and real estate investments.
Rupee Cost Averaging
How rupee cost averaging works in SIP investing, when it helps, and the market conditions where it fails.
Direct vs Regular MF
The real cost of regular vs direct mutual fund plans — expense ratio gap, long-term impact, and how to switch.
Index vs Active Funds
Data-backed comparison of index funds vs actively managed funds in India — SPIVA scorecard, costs, and returns.
Asset Allocation Guide
Age-based asset allocation strategies for Indian investors — equity, debt, gold mix with rebalancing rules.
File ITR 2026
Step-by-step guide to filing your income tax return for AY 2026-27 on the new e-filing portal.
Which ITR Form
Choose the right ITR form — ITR-1 Sahaj, ITR-2, ITR-3, or ITR-4 Sugam based on your income sources.
Form 16 Explained
Decode every section of Form 16 — Part A, Part B, salary breakup, deductions, and TDS details.
Save Tax ₹15 LPA
Practical tax-saving strategy for a ₹15 LPA salary — old vs new regime, 80C, 80D, HRA, and NPS.
TDS on Salary
How TDS is calculated on salary, when to submit investment proofs, and how to reduce TDS deduction.
Form 15G/15H Guide
How to submit Form 15G/15H to avoid TDS on FD interest — eligibility, deadline, and common mistakes.
Beyond 80C
Tax-saving options beyond the ₹1.5L 80C limit — NPS 80CCD(1B), health insurance 80D, home loan 24(b), and more.
First Salary Checklist
Got your first salary? A 30-day checklist to set up your bank, emergency fund, insurance, and first SIP.
Planning in Your 30s
Financial priorities in your 30s — term insurance, home loan strategy, FIRE planning, and portfolio allocation.
First Home Cost
Total cost of buying a home in India — down payment, stamp duty, registration, legal fees, and hidden charges.
Retirement Corpus
Calculate your retirement corpus with inflation — the 25x rule, 4% withdrawal rate, and India-specific adjustments.
Wedding Budget 2026
Average wedding costs in India by tier, budgeting tips, and how to save with an SIP or FD strategy.
Hike Allocation
How to split your salary increment — step-up SIP, loan prepayment, insurance, and lifestyle allocation.
CTC vs In-Hand
Why your in-hand salary is lower than CTC — EPF, gratuity, professional tax, and income tax breakdown.
Salary Slip Explained
Decode every line on your salary slip — basic, HRA, special allowance, EPF, PT, TDS, and net pay.
Negotiate CTC
Which CTC components to negotiate — base pay, variable, ESOP, joining bonus, and in-hand impact analysis.
Cost of Raising a Child
Data study: total cost of raising a child to 21 in metros vs tier-2 cities — education, health, and lifestyle.
Take-Home Pay Data
Data study: actual take-home salary at ₹10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 LPA under new tax regime with EPF and HRA.
₹10K SIP 20-Year Returns
Data study: ₹10,000/month SIP in Nifty 50 from 2005 to 2025 — actual returns, XIRR, and year-wise growth.
Buy vs Rent 10 Cities
Data study: rent vs buy NPV analysis across Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, and 5 more cities.
Rupee Inflation 2000–2026
Data study: ₹100 in 2000 is worth ₹37 today — category-wise inflation impact on food, education, and health.
FD Rates 40 Banks
Data study: fixed deposit rates across 40 banks — best rates for 1, 2, 3, 5 year tenures including small finance banks.
Best Tax Saving 2026
Ranked list of tax-saving investments — ELSS, PPF, NPS, tax-saving FD, SSY, and life insurance compared.
Invest ₹10 Lakh
How to invest ₹10 lakh in India — risk-based allocation across MF, FD, PPF, NPS, and real estate.
Short-Term Parking
Where to park money for 3–12 months — FD, liquid mutual funds, arbitrage funds, and savings account compared.
Invest Bonus/Windfall
How to invest a bonus, inheritance, or windfall — STP vs lumpsum, tax implications, and allocation strategy.
NRI MF Investing
NRI guide to mutual fund investing in India — KYC, FATCA, tax on gains, and repatriation rules.
NRI Property Sale
NRI guide to selling property in India — TDS at 20%, capital gains tax, repatriation, and lower TDS certificate.