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.

Tax18 articles
Investing8 articles
Credit Cards3 articles
Insurance3 articles
Salary5 articles
This Week4 articles
◆ FeaturedThis WeekTopical

This week: TDS on salary explained, June 15 advance tax deadline, and ITR filing is open

New article on TDS under Section 192 — how your employer calculates the monthly deduction and the job-switcher trap. Plus: advance tax first instalment is due June 15, and ITR filing for FY 2025-26 is now open with a July 31 deadline.

31 May 2026 · 3 min readRead →

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Salary

Should I withdraw or transfer my PF when I change jobs — and what is the tax if I withdraw?

Withdrawing your EPF when you change jobs costs far more than most people realise: TDS at 10%, slab-rate tax on the full amount, and broken continuous service that makes your next withdrawal taxable too. Rohan's 3-year EPF of ₹2.8L becomes ₹2.24L after tax if withdrawn — vs ₹4.99L if transferred and left to compound.

2 Jun 2026·8 min read
Investing

ELSS mutual funds: how the 3-year lock-in works for SIP investments, and the tax at redemption

ELSS is the only mutual fund that qualifies for 80C. The 3-year lock-in is per unit, not per SIP — a 24-month SIP started in January 2024 won't be fully redeemable until December 2027. All ELSS gains are LTCG (taxed at 12.5% above ₹1.25L). Here's the complete guide with worked tax examples.

2 Jun 2026·8 min read
Investing

Emergency fund: how much to keep and where to park it in India

An emergency fund covers 3–6 months of monthly expenses — not income. For Meera with ₹44,300 in monthly expenses, that is ₹1.33–₹2.66 lakh. Keep 1–2 months in a savings account (instant access) and the rest in a liquid mutual fund (T+1). Here's the full framework and what not to do.

1 Jun 2026·7 min read
Investing

PPF account in India: interest rate, contribution rules, withdrawal, and how to open one

PPF earns 7.1% tax-free, is government-guaranteed, and gives you EEE treatment — contributions deductible under 80C, interest tax-free, maturity tax-free. ₹1.5L/year for 15 years grows to approximately ₹40.7 lakh. This guide covers how to open one, partial withdrawal rules, and what to do at maturity.

1 Jun 2026·8 min read
Tax

Section 80C deductions: complete list for FY 2025-26, what qualifies, and how to use the ₹1.5 lakh limit

Section 80C gives you ₹1.5 lakh in deductions — but EPF already uses part of it automatically. At ₹40,000 basic salary, EPF alone accounts for ₹57,600. This guide lists all 12 qualifying instruments, confirms what doesn't qualify (health insurance, employer PF), and shows how to fill the remaining limit efficiently.

31 May 2026·8 min read
Salary

Gratuity calculation in India: formula, eligibility, the 5-year rule, and what you will actually receive

Gratuity = (basic salary × 15 × years of service) ÷ 26. At ₹50,000 basic after 10 years that is ₹2.88 lakh. This guide shows the exact formula, how the 5-year rule is counted (and why 4 years 8 months often qualifies), what counts as basic salary, and four worked examples.

31 May 2026·7 min read
Tax

TDS on salary: how your employer calculates it, why you might be overpaying, and how to fix it

Your employer deducts TDS under Section 192 based on a projection of your annual salary. If you haven't submitted investment declarations (Form 12BB), they assume no deductions — and deduct far more than you owe. This guide explains the exact formula, the job-switcher trap, and how to verify and recover excess TDS.

25 May 2026·9 min read
Investing

How SIP compounding actually works: the real maths, the inflection point, and why the last 5 years matter most

At ₹10,000/month for 25 years, the final 5 years add ₹90 lakh to your corpus — 3x more than all 25 years of contributions combined. This guide shows the actual SIP formula, the lifecycle table at 10%, 12% and 14% CAGR, and the inflection point where compounding overtakes your contributions.

24 May 2026·8 min read
Salary

What is EPF and EPS: where does your employer's 12% go and how does the split work?

Your employer's 12% PF contribution is not all going to your EPF account. ₹1,250 every month goes to the Employee Pension Scheme (EPS) for your retirement pension. This guide explains the exact split at five salary levels, what EPS pension you'll actually receive, and how EDLI insurance works.

24 May 2026·7 min read

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