Paisa Sherpa - Personal finance and investment guide

We’ve all heard parents and elders say “in our times milk used to cost mere Rs. 5 a liter or petrol was Rs. 20 a liter". We have all blamed the greedy grocers, shop owners or governments for your ever increasing general expenses for necessary purchases. However, what really caused the price to rise? The answer is inflation . Not knowing inflation and how it affects you could be seriously harmful to your financial, mental and even to your physical health. Inflation is the general rise of prices of goods and services in an economy. The main reason of inflation is the increase in money supply and is related to the monetary policy of a country's economy. The effect of inflation is reduced purchasing power of the currency over time. This is the reason for incrementally increasing prices that are needed to pay for the same quantity of goods or the similar services over a period of years. Let us now look at various financial impacts of inflation and care that you must take in ...

Credit Card Credit cards can be a useful tool when used correctly and judiciously; but for first time users it can also be a bit confusing. In this post, we want to break down the ABCs of credit cards that one must know including few important concepts that are applicable - minimum amount due, interest charges. Have you wondered that if you buy something today with your credit card, and have to pay for it after 30 or 50 days, what exactly is in it for the credit card companies? Worry not, we will also try and understand how credit card companies make money so you know the habits to avoid. Let's dive in! What is a credit card? A credit card is essentially a loan. This is offered to the user by the issuer and allows the user to borrow the money (to make purchases) for a specific period of time. Debit Cards on the other hand, use the money which is available in your bank accounts, Credit Cards allow you to borrow money from the issuer and pay it back in full or in installments over a...

Importance of Financial Planning The Importance of Financial Planning: Your Path to Financial Success Financial planning is extremely important in your personal finance journey. In fact, your financial journey begins with a sound financial plan, it is the first step . Whatever are your financial goals - be it buying your first house, saving for your children’s education, or ensure a comfortable retirement - a well-crafted financial plan is the roadmap to meet these goals. In this blog, we will look at the essential aspects of an effective financial planning process that will put you on the path to achieving your financial goals . What is Financial Planning?  Financial planning is the process of setting your financial goals, evaluating your current financial position - analyzing your income, expenses, savings, and investments, and taking steps toward the financial goals. In short, it’s about preparing a framework for your  financial decisions . An effective financial plan...

 Lack of goals This is pretty basic. You need to have a clear idea of your destination in order to set a path to reach it. Similarly, we need to set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals in our financial journey. Lack of proper goal setting means we are only shooting in the dark. Without goals, there will be no visibility of the future. Only when the goals are clear, can one start to save, invest and work towards achieving the required financial objectives.  The financial goals will be different for every person and vary on the basis of various factors - family size, age, incomes, liabilities, future capital requirements for milestone events like marriage, home purchase, education, etc.  Ad hog investments Picture this - it is mid March and you are trying to "complete your investments for the year". Does this happen to you? Do you believe that investments start and end at the Rs. 1.5 Lac contribution towards 80C and have to be done before...

What do you mean by co-operative bank? Is co-operative bank private or government? Is co-operative bank under RBI regulation? Many such doubts might have popped up in your minds recently due to the news of RBI restrictions on the Mumbai based New India Co-operative Bank and the Rs. 122 Crore financial fraud by one of its employees.   How safe are Co-operative banks? Is it poor financial decision making to keep deposits in Co-operative banks? We want to answer all your doubts, so read on. Co-operative Banks  Co-operative banks started in the India with the noble purpose of offering financial solutions to rural and semi-urban areas. The co-operative banks have members who are also its customers that own the bank. The decision making is done in co-operational manner. The co-operative banks are regulated both by the RBI and the Registrar of co-operative societies of respective state governments. The RBI regulates the banking aspects like risk control, lending, etc. and the st...

The terms ‘saving’ and ‘investments’ are often used alternatively, but what they really mean is vastly different in many ways. Understanding the difference between savings and investments is the first step towards financial literacy. So, what do these terms mean exactly? Are Savings and Investments the same?  Savings Saving is the money that we put aside, often gradually, so that it is readily available when needed. Growth of the money is not the purpose of saving. The money is kept aside not for it to grow, but for a certain short-term need. This short-term financial goal could be buying a car, down payment of a loan, security deposit for a rental space, an emergency corpus, or even the expenses for the next few months. The money saved is highly “liquid” – it is easily and immediately accessible. Generally, savings are parked in liquid financial instruments like bank saving accounts, short term FDs, etc. where there is little or no financial risk of the saved money being ...

  We have all faced this - it’s the 20 th of the month and we are deep in thought of how we’ll manage finances till the next salary. At the start of the month, we eagerly await that message from the bank “xxxxx credited to your account”. Tragically this is very quickly followed by few more messages which go like “Rs. xxxx debited from account” – the EMIs for purchases against credit cards, home loans, etc. By midmonth, we are in a bad mood; come 20 th , we are dreaming of the salary day. If your story is somewhat similar, don’t worry we are one of millions who are in the same (sinking) boat. Forget about savings and investments, we are talking about merely getting through the month.   Conversation over drinks is often about how ‘my salary is a joke’ and ‘I’m have terrible luck’ but you will be surprised to know that there’s a lot that you can do to get out of this misery. It might involve a hard look at the mirror and some difficult lifestyle decisions, but it CAN be done. ...

Financial literacy is an absolute essential and should be a continuous learning right from your school days. Unfortunately, that is not the case. We are woefully unaware of basic financial concepts and this ignorance can be really harmful - both mentally and physically. Here are 5 important things that one should know about personal finance. Savings & Investments The very first thing to know is that savings and investment are two totally different things. Saving is the money kept aside from your income for short term needs and can be easily accessed whenever required. Investment on the other hand, is the part of the saving that is employed for the purpose of growing its value to meet long term financial goals. Investment needs a good bit of financial knowledge – taxation, pros and cons of the multitude of investment options, cognizance of one’s risk appetite, well defined financial goals. It also requires consistency and discipline and of course the motto is “START EARLY”. To kn...

Medical Insurance A comprehensive medical insurance is an important safeguard to ensure a financial cover in case you need to avail medical care. Some working professionals only use the corporate medical plan that is offered by their employers. However, it is always prudent to have a personal plan as well which comes in handy post retirement. Also, you might need medical insurance for your dependent parents who are retired. Selecting the right plan can often be confusing. There are too many clauses, a lot of information that one doesn't really know or understand. Generally one looks at the cover amount while selecting a policy and only when the time comes to make a claim that one gets to know about the numerous clauses and conditions in the policy.  Many policies have hidden costs , unclear wording, and conditions buried in fine print. Clauses like Co-Payment , Room Rate Cap , Waiting Period , and Restoration Benefit can drastically change how much you actually receive d...