Investing
Should I buy a house or keep renting and invest the difference? The P/R ratio framework
13 Jun 2026·9 min read
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एक करोड़ रुपया · रुपया एक करोड़
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एक करोड़ रुपया · रुपया एक करोड़
रुपया एक करोड़ · एक करोड़ रुपया
एक करोड़ रुपया · रुपया एक करोड़
रुपया एक करोड़ · एक करोड़ रुपया
एक करोड़ रुपया · रुपया एक करोड़
रुपया एक करोड़ · एक करोड़ रुपया
एक करोड़ रुपया · रुपया एक करोड़
रुपया एक करोड़ · एक करोड़ रुपया
एक करोड़ रुपया · रुपया एक करोड़
रुपया एक करोड़ · एक करोड़ रुपया
एक करोड़ रुपया · रुपया एक 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.
◆ 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 →
Recent articles
All articles →Investing
What is VPF and why it beats PPF for salaried employees: the 8.25% vs 7.1% comparison
VPF lets salaried EPF members contribute extra into their EPF account at the same 8.25% interest — no contribution cap, same EEE treatment. On ₹10,000/month over 20 years, VPF builds ₹62L vs PPF's ₹49L. It's set up through HR as a payroll deduction and automates the entire savings process.
13 Jun 2026·7 min read
Personal Finance
Can I switch between the old and new tax regime every year?
Yes — salaried employees can switch between old and new regime every financial year. Tell your employer in April for TDS; choose your final regime at ITR time in July. You can switch to old regime even after the employer deducted TDS for new regime — you'll get a refund. Employees with business income have one-time exit rules.
12 Jun 2026·6 min read
Personal Finance
Section 87A rebate: when it applies, the ₹12L cliff in the new regime, and what it does NOT cover
The Section 87A rebate makes income up to ₹12L taxable (₹12.75L gross) completely tax-free under the new regime. But at ₹12.25L taxable, your tax suddenly jumps to ₹66,300 — a cliff effect where a ₹25,000 raise costs you ₹41,300 in net income. And the rebate doesn't apply to equity STCG or LTCG at all.
12 Jun 2026·6 min read
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
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