Blog Posts by Money Today

By Shweta Punj

It was a rare occasion in the Lok Sabha which had both United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj smiling together in approval, while most of the other members burst into applause. Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, in his Budget speech, had just announced plans to set up a PSU bank exclusively for women. It was only later that many began to ask: does India really need such a bank?

The country already has many women's cooperative banks and self-help groups with considerable experience in handling credit issues related to women.

Would the government have done better to make gender-neutral public sector banks more financially inclusive? Is Chidambaram's move a mere ploy to woo women with general elections a year away?

"I think a women's bank is a misnomer. There should be a women's only credit line," says Biocon CMD Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.

Article continues below Slideshow

Slideshow: Women and Budget: Things that matter

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By Sowmya Kamath

The investment scenario had been buoyant in 2012. The domestic stock market is going strong. Commodities and debt, too, have given decent returns to investors.

During the year, the government woke up from its slumber and put economic reforms back on track, giving investors hope. As we enter the New Year, the Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex is not far from its all-time high of 21,000. It is set to close the year just a few hundred points from the 20,000 mark.

A slight nudge can create a new landmark. There is also hope that commodities, including gold and silver, will continue to give decent returns. Debt, of course, will be the preferred option for the risk-averse. And then there is real estate, which always promises to add to your wealth.

Should you invest in equity? If yes, in which stocks? Is there steam left in the yellow metal, which has had a dream run over the past five years? Will debt do well as the interest rate cycle looks set for a reversal, pushing up bond

Read More »from How to build and protect wealth in 2013

Education is expensive, especially if one is aiming for a premium institution or a foreign degree. Education loans can be a big help. According to Google AdWords Keyword tool, used to track internet search volumes and advertising, over one lakh people from India key in the words 'education loan' or similar phrases every month on the search engine.
Student loans have grown more than ten times since 2004, when they were introduced in the Union Budget by then Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha.
A report by Espírito Santo Securities reveals that education loans grew 35 per cent annually between 2004 and 2012. Banks expanded overall credit by 23 per cent in the period.
Education loans are part of the priority lending category (along with housing loans). The government insists the facility should not be denied to any student who meets the parameters.
While taking an education loan is easy, paying back requires careful planning.

DO NOT DEFAULT
Along with an increase in lending over the years, there

Read More »from How to manage your education loan burden

By Sowmya Kamath
 
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala is perhaps the most tracked Indian equity investor. A chartered accountant, Jhunjhunwala started his investing career in 1985 with modest sums. Forbes puts his net worth at $1.1 billion (about Rs 5,720 crore) in March 2012, with most of the wealth coming from equity investments. He is both a long-term investor and a trader. Known for his shrewd investment acumen, Jhunjhunwala manages his own portfolio as a partner in his asset management firm, Rare Enterprises.

In an interview with Sowmya Kamath, he talks of his optimism about the future of the Indian market.

The Indian equity market witnessed a huge rise after the government announced a series of reforms measures. Do you see scope for more upside? Where is the Sensex and Nifty heading?

The market went up as there was policy action by a completely paralysed government and due to optimism on the international front. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) have been continuous and determined buyers, just

Read More »from 'The (Indian Equity) Market Will Not Give Up Its Gains Easily'

You have lost your job. A new one is yet to come by. But you still have to pay your utility bills, children's school fees and car and home loan equated monthly installments or EMIs.

Such a situation may not be very common, but is not improbable either, given that most of us work in private companies, which have a strict hire-and-fire policy.

If a job loss is 'unlikely', how about a medical emergency befalling you or your family member, requiring you to arrange an amount that is much more than your savings?

What's an emergency fund?

How can you cope with a situation where your regular income stops or you incur sudden heavy expenses?

For times like these, you should build an emergency or a contingency fund, which is nothing but savings parked in liquid options to be used during crises such as job loss and medical situations. Liquidity, or the ability to turn into cash, differentiates an emergency fund from other investments.

While building an emergency fund, the two important things to be Read More »from Have you saved enough for an emergency fund?

By Pritam P Hans

The Internet is a fascinating realm. Not only does this virtual world serve as a repository of information and a communication highway, it also opens up opportunities for enterprising individuals . In the ever-expanding Web, online economy becomes bigger and more sustainable.

You do not need to quit your job to join the huge population of netizens who use the Net to generate an income. With a bit of creative thinking, you can set up online properties and businesses that bring a regular flow of income with minimal effort.

We list a few ways of generating a passive income.

CREATE CONTENT

Blogging is one of the most popular ways of making money online for beginners. You can start blogging almost instantly using free-hosted blogging platforms such as Blogger.com. You can also create self-hosted blogs using platforms such as WordPress, TextPattern and Typepad.

Start by writing articles, posting videos and audio clips about things you enjoy. It can be movies, cycling, books,

Read More »from How to earn regular income from a one-time effort

By Chandralekha Mukerji

If you have got a pay rise this year, you are among the privileged lot. The economy is weak and average increments have been a mere 8.5-10 per cent. In fact, there is news of employees getting pink slips in distressed sectors such as aviation and telecom.

This means you must make all the more effort to make the best possible use of this additional cash flow. This does not involve just buying a product that will fetch you high returns. The investment must gel with your overall plan and, if possible, get you a tax rebate as well.

"Most people start looking for investment avenues in February-March, that is, just before the financial year closes, and buy just any tax-saving instrument without considering if it supports their overall financial plan or not," says Rahul Rege, business head, retail,Emkay Global Financial Services.

Keeping surplus money in a savings account and investing at the end of the year means you lose a year's interest. It is, therefore, wise to

Read More »from Got a pay rise? Use the additional income wisely

The past one year was a test of character for mutual fund managers as they struggled to balance objectives of their schemes and aspirations of investors amid market upheaval.

Some did exceptionally well by cruising along the path laid down by their fund houses. The fact that they did not have the luxury of acting outside the in-house fund management rules and scheme objectives made their job tougher.

To give you the view from the other side, we interviewed some of country's finest fund managers and asked not just about their style and strategies but also the reasons for being bullish on some sectors, exposure to stocks with specific market caps and their view of what the markets hold for investors. We also asked how they managed to keep losses in check and beat their benchmark indices in a turbulent 2011-12.

Fortunately for us, they were fairly open with their responses and eager to explain their strategies for the past three years.
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"Valuations are

Read More »from Money managers reveal their secrets