Money & Work
Spend less than you earn, invest the rest
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The financial instruments you actually need in India: term insurance, health cover, EPF, PPF, and index funds. Most other products are sold, not bought.
Index funds beat picking
An investment approach where a passive low cost fund replicates a market index (such as the Nifty 50) rather than trying to pick winning stocks, on the basis that after fees most active managers lose to the index over long horizons.
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Insurance: term + health, full stop
A protection strategy that uses pure term life insurance to replace lost income for dependants and a separate indemnity health policy for medical costs, deliberately avoiding bundled products that mix protection with investment.
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Tax-advantaged accounts in India (PPF, NPS, ELSS)
Government-backed accounts that reduce your tax bill today, grow tax-free or tax-deferred, and have specific lock-ins, used to compound long-term savings more efficiently than a regular taxable account.
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Term insurance vs ULIP trap
Buy pure life cover (term insurance) and invest separately in low cost mutual funds, rather than buying a bundled product (ULIP, endowment, money back) that hides charges inside an insurance wrapper.
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Liquid and arbitrage funds
Low volatility Indian mutual fund categories used as parking spots for emergency cash or short term goals, with tax treatment that often beats a bank savings account or short FD.
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NPS asset allocation
Actively choosing the split between Equity (E), Corporate Debt (C), and Government Securities (G) inside the NPS, rather than defaulting to the auto choice glide path.
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Term insurance sum assured rule of thumb
A guideline for how much life cover a term policy should provide, typically 10 to 20 times annual income plus outstanding liabilities.
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Health insurance basics and India OPD trends
A medical insurance policy that reimburses or cashlessly pays hospital and increasingly outpatient costs, against an annual premium.
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Estate planning basics (India: will, nominee vs heir)
The process of arranging how your assets will pass to family on death, through wills, nominations, and joint ownership, in line with Indian succession law.
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Emergency fund
3-6 months of essential expenses kept liquid and accessible.
SIP
Systematic Investment Plan, automatic monthly investment into a mutual fund.
Expense ratio
Annual % a fund deducts to run itself. Lower = better, all else equal.
Index fund
Fund that tracks a market index (e.g. Nifty 50). Low fee, no stock-picking.
Term insurance
Pure life-cover for a fixed term. No payout if you survive, that's the point.
Inflation
General rise in prices, the silent tax on cash.
Compounding
Earning returns on past returns. The longer the runway, the bigger the effect.
ELSS
Equity-Linked Savings Scheme, tax-saving mutual fund under Section 80C in India, with a 3-year lock-in.