Ek Croreएक करोड़
एक करोड़

The first crore is the hardest. Start here.

Tax, investing, salary, insurance and credit — in plain English, for young Indians who earn well but haven't had time to figure out where it all goes.

Tax20 articles
Investing13 articles
Credit Cards4 articles
Insurance4 articles
Salary6 articles
This Week5 articles
◆ FeaturedThis WeekTopical

This week: 8 new articles on gratuity, PF transfer, ELSS lock-in, emergency fund, and SGB — plus June 15 advance tax deadline

Eight new articles: gratuity formula, PF withdrawal tax trap, ELSS 3-year SIP lock-in, PPF rules, emergency fund framework, SGB tax after Budget 2026, personal loan vs credit card, and Z2O Ch2 begins. Plus: advance tax instalment due June 15 — 8 days away.

7 Jun 2026 · 4 min readRead →

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Investing

Step-up SIP: how increasing your monthly SIP by 10% each year changes your final corpus

A flat ₹10,000/month SIP at 12% CAGR for 20 years gives ₹99.9 lakh. The same SIP with a 10% annual step-up gives ₹2.07 crore — a ₹1.07 crore difference. The step-up directs salary increments into investment before lifestyle adjusts. Here's the corpus comparison, how to set it up, and what step-up % to choose.

11 Jun 2026·7 min read
Insurance

Health insurance in India: how to compare room rent limits, co-payment, and no-claim bonus before you buy

Two ₹10L health insurance policies can give very different payouts in a real claim. A room rent limit of 1% of sum insured can reduce your entire ₹3.2L hospital bill reimbursement to ₹1.92L through proportionate deduction. This guide explains room rent limits, co-payment, NCB, and PED waiting periods — the four clauses that determine what you actually get.

11 Jun 2026·8 min read
Personal Finance

The extra ₹50,000 NPS deduction under Section 80CCD(1B): who should use it and how

Section 80CCD(1B) lets you deduct ₹50,000 in NPS contributions over and above the ₹1.5L Section 80C limit — but only under the old tax regime. At 30% bracket, that saves ₹15,600 in tax. This lesson explains when it's worth using, the lock-in trade-off, and who benefits most.

10 Jun 2026·6 min read
Investing

LTCG harvesting: how to use the ₹1.25 lakh annual exemption before March 31 and reset your cost basis

The ₹1.25L annual LTCG exemption on equity doesn't carry forward — if you don't use it, it lapses. LTCG harvesting means selling equity fund units to book exactly ₹1.25L of gains (tax-free), then buying back immediately to reset your cost basis. Each year of harvesting saves ₹15,625 in future tax.

10 Jun 2026·8 min read
Salary

How to read your salary slip: what every component means and what to check each month

Basic, HRA, special allowance, LTA, EPF, TDS, professional tax — your payslip has 10+ components and the gap between CTC and in-hand can be ₹20,000 or more. This guide decodes every line with a worked example for Rahul at ₹83,200 gross, and shows five things worth verifying every month.

9 Jun 2026·7 min read
Personal Finance

Is health insurance premium deductible in the new tax regime?

No — Section 80D (health insurance premium deduction) is not available under the new tax regime. But whether you get a tax benefit should not determine whether you buy health insurance. This lesson explains what 80D covers under the old regime, the maximum ₹75,000 deduction with senior citizen parents, and why under-insuring to save premium is the wrong trade-off.

9 Jun 2026·5 min read
Tax

FD interest: how it is taxed, TDS rules, and the accrual trap that catches most ITR filers

FD interest is fully taxable at your slab rate — TDS at 10% is not the final tax. For a ₹80,000 FD interest in the 20% bracket, you owe ₹8,000 more after TDS. Cumulative FDs accrue interest each year and must be declared annually, not at maturity. Your AIS will show more than your TDS certificate.

8 Jun 2026·8 min read
Investing

Home loan EMI: how it is calculated, how much is interest, and whether to prepay

At ₹50 lakh, 8.5%, 20 years — your EMI is ₹43,391/month and you pay ₹54 lakh in total interest on top of the loan. In Year 1, 84% of your EMI is interest. A ₹5 lakh prepayment in Year 3 saves ₹6–7 lakh in future interest. Here's the full EMI formula, prepayment math, and home loan tax deductions.

8 Jun 2026·8 min read
Personal Finance

Can I claim 80C deductions in the new tax regime?

No — Section 80C deductions (EPF, PPF, ELSS, life insurance, home loan principal) are not available under the new tax regime. Your investments still happen and still grow; you just don't get the upfront deduction. Only standard deduction (₹75,000) and employer NPS contribution (80CCD(2)) survive in the new regime.

7 Jun 2026·6 min read

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◆ Series · 14 chapters

Zero to One

From your first salary slip to a coherent financial plan. No jargon, no sales pitch.

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One to Ten

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Calculators

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SIP Calculator

How your monthly SIP compounds

Tax Regime

Old vs new — your numbers

EMI Calculator

Plan your loan repayments

HRA Exemption

Your tax-free rent amount

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