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Guide to pension plans in the form of Insurance

  Pension plans ensure that you are financially secure during your golden years. Take a look at the important aspects that you must keep in mind while opting for one...      Gone are the days when a leading criterion for choosing an employer was the type of pension plan that came with your salary package. Today, more important issues like matching of skill sets to job requirements, scope for personal and financial growth, etc. have come to the forefront. However, this has left individuals with the responsibility of financially planning for their golden years. And it's all for the best as there are a variety of pension plans available in the market to suit different individuals and their specific needs. WHAT ARE PENSION PLANS?     In a pension plan, you are required to pay premiums for a certain number of years and once you reach the retirement age, the insurer returns a lump sum amount that can be then used to purchase an annuity or stream of income for the rest of your life....
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All about "Derivatives"

What are derivatives? Derivatives are financial instruments, which as the name suggests, derive their value from another asset — called the underlying. What are the typical underlying assets? Any asset, whose price is dynamic, probably has a derivative contract today. The most popular ones being stocks, indices, precious metals, commodities, agro products, currencies, etc. Why were they invented? In an increasingly dynamic world, prices of virtually all assets keep changing, thereby exposing participants to price risks. Hence, derivatives were invented to negate these price fluctuations. For example, a wheat farmer expects to sell his crop at the current price of Rs 10/kg and make profits of Rs 2/kg. But, by the time his crop is ready, the price of wheat may have gone down to Rs 5/kg, making him sell his crop at a loss of Rs 3/kg. In order to avoid this, he may enter into a forward contract, agreeing to sell wheat at Rs 10/ kg, right at the outset. So, even if the price of wheat falls ...
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ICICI Prudential Balanced Fund

 ICICI Prudential Balanced Fund scheme seeks to generate long-term capital appreciation and current income by investing in a portfolio that is investing in equities and related securities as well as fixed income and money market securities. The approximate allocation to equity would be in the range of 60-80 per cent with a minimum of 51 per cent, and the approximate debt allocation is 40-49 per cent, with a minimum of 20 per cent. An impressive show in the last couple of years has propelled this fund from a three-star to a four-star rating. The fund has traditionally featured a high equity allocation, hovering at well over 70 per cent, which is higher than the allocations of the peers. But in the last one year, the allocation has been moderated from 78-79 per cent levels to 66-67 per cent of the portfolio. ICICI Prudential Balanced Fund appears to practise some degree of tactical allocation based on market valuations. Within equities, well over two-thirds of the allocation is parked i...
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Time to go for value picks

Though the stock market is on a slide, disciplined investors need not worry if they go for value picks The US bailout package was expected to cheer the market. Many investors were hoping that it may give a fillip to the market sentiments world-over. However, no such luck for investors on Dalal Street. Most market participants believe that foreign investors are likely to withdraw more money from the market. They also believe that the credit crisis in the US is far from over and it may soon lead to a global recession. The bailout package is not the end of our woes It is still not clear what will happen next. Investors have to be patient for some time So, are we really looking at the end of capitalism as some doomsday experts predict? Will the US financial crisis lead to a prolonged global recession? The economic slowdown in the US and Europe is a reality But to think that the stock market is never going to recover is illogical. The market will definitely rebound, but when that w...
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Tax Planning: Income tax and Section 80C

In order to encourage savings, the government gives tax breaks on certain financial products under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act. Investments made under such schemes are referred to as 80C investments. Under this section, you can invest a maximum of Rs l lakh and if you are in the highest tax bracket of 30%, you save a tax of Rs 30,000. The various investment options under this section include:   Provident Fund (PF) & Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) Provident Fund is deducted directly from your salary by your employer. The deducted amount goes into a retirement account along with your employer's contribution. While employer's contribution is exempt from tax, your contribution (i.e., employee's contribution) is counted towards section 80C investments. You can also contribute additional amount through voluntary contributions (VPF). The current rate of interest is 8.5% per annum and interest earned is tax-free. Public Provident Fund (PPF) An account can be opened wi...
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