Skip to main content

Tips for tax saving for Indians

IT IS that time of the year when the buzz in the office is all about tax-saving investments and the newest tax saving plans in the market.


For those who woke up late and are yet to make investment decisions, here is a quick guide on investment instruments to consider, the ones to avoid and the issues to factor in before taking a decision.


Ulips are not for last minute pick: Unit-linked insurance plans (Ulips) are best avoided for investment at this point of time, according to financial experts.


People want a receipt immediately to show a proof of investment at their offices.
So they often end up choosing a Ulip product on their colleague's recommendation. Specifically, stay away from the ones that come with the pledge of `highest NAV guarantee'. People may not have the time to check out various Ulip plans and the charges levied on them. So it is better to avoid them at this point


Go with assured return products: Some of the best investment options can be Public Provident Fund (PPF) or a good term policy. Also non-market related instruments such as retirement plans, post office schemes or pension plans could be good options, financial planners say. While returns on such products can be conservative, they are assured returns and these are safe instruments.


HRA plus home loan benefit: If you are eligible to avail the benefits of both house rent allowance (HRA) exemption and housing loan interest, go for it. In cases where an employee owns a house and stays in a rented house for various reasons, s/he can get the benefit of both HRA exemption as well as exemptions available on a home loan.

This is applicable even i in cases where both the owned and rented houses are in the same city.


Go beyond the Rs 100,000 limit: It is possible to go beyond the Rs 100,000 investment bracket under Section 80C to gain tax benefits. Investing in a mediclaim policy can help you get additional tax exemption for up to Rs 15,000, while investing in infrastructure bonds can add another Rs 20,000 to your exemption limit


Factor in age and risk-taking ability: A 56-year-old father may advice his 25 year old son to invest in National Savings Certificate (NSC) for tax exemption. NSC is a good option for the father, who is close to retirement and cannot take risks, as it is a safe investment avenue.

But the 25-year-old son can take risks and invest in equity-linked saving schemes (ELSSs) that offer higher returns.


Early birds get the worm: It is common knowledge, but is worth repeating that starting to plan early for tax-saving has its own benefits.

The best time to start is the April-June period when one submits the investment plan for the year. When you know that you have to invest Rs 100,000 by the end of the year, it is better to take a systematic investment plan and invest about Rs 9,000 a month rather than investing the whole sum in the last few months and go without salary for a month or two.

Happy Investing!!

We can help. Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

Leave your comment with mail ID and we will answer them

OR

You can write back to us at PrajnaCapital [at] Gmail [dot] Com

 

---------------------------------------------

Invest Mutual Funds Online

Transact Mutual Fund Online

Download Mutual Fund Application Forms from all AMCs

Download Mutual Fund Application Forms

Best Performing Mutual Funds

    1. Largecap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock Top 100 Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Focused Blue Chip Fund
      3. Birla Sun Life Front Line Equity Fund
    2. Large and Midcap Funds Invest Online

      1. ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan
      2. HDFC Top 200 Fund
      3. UTI Dividend Yield Fund
    1. Mid and SmallCap Funds Invest Online

      1. Reliance Equity Opportunities Fund
      2. DSP BlackRock Small & Midcap Fund
      3. Sundaram Select Midcap
      4. IDFC Premier Equity Fund
    1. Small and MicroCap Funds Invest Online

      1. DSP BlackRock MicroCap Fund
    1. Sector Funds Invest Online

      1. Reliance Banking Fund
      2. Reliance Banking Fund
    1. Gold Mutual Funds Invest Online

      1. Relaince Gold Savings Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Regular Gold Savings Fund
      3. HDFC Gold Fund

 

 

Popular posts from this blog

Rs 14,000 Crore worth of tax free bonds coming soon from NHAI , PFC

  NHAI, PFC file prospectuses, coupon rate not yet decided MORE debt investment options have opened up for investors with AAA rated tax-free bonds worth over Rs 14,000 crore lined up. The National Highway Authority of India ( NHAI ) and Power Finance Corporation ( PFC ) are offering Rs 10,000 crore and Rs 4,033.13 crore worth of tax-free bonds, respectively, as per prospectuses filed with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi). Of a Rs 5,000 crore issue by PFC, Rs 966.87 crore has already been raised through private placement on September 28 and November 1. Tax-free bonds give investors tax-free return on any amount invested. In another kind of bonds, the long-term infrastructure bonds, investments up to Rs 20,000 are tax exempt, that is this cap amount can be deducted from the taxable income. Accordingly, the NHAI prospectus has clarified that only the amount of interest from -and not the actual investment on -its new bonds will be tax-free. "NHAI's publ...
Read more

Change in Fund Manager for some of HSBC Mutual Fund Schemes

Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Mutual Funds Online Download Mutual Fund Application Forms Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India) However, this facility is only available to Unit holders who have been assigned a folio number by the AMC.   HSBC Mutual Fund has announced that the below mentioned schemes shall be managed by the new fund managers as stated in the table. The effective date will be July 02, 2012.   Amaresh Mishra 's will be Vice President and Assistant Fund Manager. Having done a Post graduate diploma in Business Management and Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, he has over seven years of experience in Equities and Sales.   Mr. Piyush Harlalka's designation shall be Vice President- Fixed Income. Qualified as a C.A., C.S. and holding M.B.A.( Finance degree), he has over six years of experience in Fund management and ...
Read more

How EEE and EET Tax affect Retirement Investments

  An important factor while choosing a financial product is its taxation , and for retirement savings, this is even more important as the sums involved are usually life-long savings. Here's a look at the current tax treatment of three major long-term retirement planning products, which are - Employees' Provident Fund (EPF), Public Provident Fund (PPF) and National Pension System (NPS). EPF The tax treatment is EEE, which means your money is exempt from taxes at the time of investment, accumulation and withdrawal. At the time of investment, the tax deduction is under the limit of section 80C of the Income-tax Act , which is currently Rs 1.5 lakh. Partial withdrawals are also tax-free if made after 5 years of continuous service. If withdrawals are made before 5 years of service, 10% tax will be deducted at source. Exceptions have also been provided for transfer of amount and conditions wherein the subscriber is unemployed for more than 2 months or the loss of job was beyond th...
Read more

Personal Finance: You can insure your wedding

But luck may not always be on your side. With the frequency of such attacks, as also other risks and unforeseen accidents growing, a wedding insurance is something you may want to look at if a marriage is being planned in the family. Event insurance plans like this is still in its nascent stages due to low awareness. And given the sacred nature of the ritual, nobody wants to discuss or think negative. But as wedding spends and risks grow, it makes sense to cover the potential monetary loss. The policy in those countries even covers the loss of the wedding ring, the wedding gown not reaching on time and even the expenses/loss due to late or non-appearance of the photographer which may mean staging the event once again for the photograph. In India, most insurance companies — including ICICI Lombard General Insurance, Oriental Insurance, Bajaj Allianz and National Insurance — offer wedding insurance. The policy is tailor made to individual requirements and needs. The sum insur...
Read more

DSP BlackRock MidCap Fund

Best SIP Funds Online   HOW HAS DSP BlackRock Small & Mid Cap Fund PERFORMED? With a 10-year return of 14.61%, the fund has outperformed both the category average (12.34%) and the benchmark (10%) by a good margin. Should you invest in DSP BlackRock Small & Mid Cap Fund? This fund invests predominantly in mid-cap stocks but takes a sizeable exposure in small-caps as well. The focus is on nascent companies with high growth potential. The fund manager places emphasis on quality and avoids inferior businesses even if these look tempting from a valuation perspective. Over the past year, the fund portfolio has grown, having added to some of the underperforming sectors like chemicals and healthcare. Its portfolio churn has come down significantly. The heavily diversified portfolio is run completely agnostic of its benchmark index— most bets are from outside the index—which can at times lead to bouts of underperformance as seen in the recent years....
Read more
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds Download Any Applications
Transact Mutual Funds Online Invest Online
Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Now