- DON’T give out your credit card number(s) online unless the site is a secure and reputable site. Sometimes a tiny icon of a padlock appears to symbolise a higher level of security to transmit data. This icon is not a guarantee of a secure site, but might provide you some assurance.
- Don’t trust a site just because it claims to be secure.
- Make sure you are purchasing merchandise from a reputable source.
- Make sure the transaction is secure when you electronically send your credit card number.
- Do your homework on the individual or company to ensure that they are genuine.
- If you are making online purchase from a previously unknown seller, try to obtain the physical address rather than a post office box and a phone number. Call the seller to see if the number is correct and working. Do not buy from sellers who won’t provide you with this type of information.
- Don’t judge a person/company by their website.
- Be cautious when responding to special offers (especially through unsolicited e-mail).
- Be cautious when dealing with individuals/companies from outside your own country.
- If anything looks suspicious or if you lose your credit card(s) contact the card issuer immediately and deactivate the card.
From February, equity mutual funds have to change their benchmarks to account for dividend payments. Until now, funds used price-based benchmarks alone. TRI or total return indices assume that dividend payouts are reinvested back into the index. What this does is lift the overall index returns, because dividends get compounded. For example, the Sensex TRI index will consider dividend payouts of its constituent companies while the Nifty50 TRI index will consider dividends of its constituents. Using TRI indices as benchmarks comes on the argument that an equity funds earn dividends on the stocks in its portfolio, which they use to buy more stocks. Therefore, using an index that also considers dividend reinvestment would be a more appropriate benchmark. Shrinking outperformance With a stiffer benchmark, it is obvious that the margin by which an equity fund outperforms the benchmark would shrink. Rolling one-year returns from 2013 onwards, the average margin by which largecap funds out...
