Guides
Reference guides, built to be returned to.
Long-form, structured walkthroughs — read start to finish, or jump to the section you need.
Personal Finance
11Financial Scam Protection Guide 2026
A practical defense guide to India's most active financial scams in 2026, UPI collect requests, digital arrest, fake trading apps, KYC fraud and deepfake ads, plus the golden rules and the first-hour steps if you have already been scammed.
ReadRetirement and FIRE Guide
How to calculate your real FIRE number in India, why the American 4% rule and 25x corpus understate what you need here, and which accounts (NPS, EPF, PPF, equity, SWP) actually build and fund early retirement.
ReadFinancial Planning in Your 20s
Why your 20s are the highest-leverage decade for building wealth in India, the habits worth building now, the mistakes that cost the most, and a simple money plan for the decade.
ReadFirst Salary Guide
A first-month checklist for a fresh earner in India: right bank accounts, avoiding lifestyle inflation, starting an emergency fund, buying term and health insurance young, and starting your first SIP without falling for EMI traps.
ReadPersonal Finance Roadmap
The exact order to deploy every rupee, from stable income and budgeting to emergency fund, insurance, killing high-interest debt, SIP investing, and retirement or FIRE, explained step by step for Indian earners.
ReadInflation Guide
Understand inflation and CPI in India: how roughly 6% inflation halves your purchasing power over time, why idle savings-account money loses real value, and how equity and gold have historically outpaced inflation.
ReadFinancial Goals Guide
How to set specific, time-bound financial goals in India and match each one to the right instrument, from a 1-year bike goal to a 20-year retirement goal, adjusted for inflation.
ReadLifestyle Inflation Guide
Lifestyle inflation explains why your bank balance barely moves even after a big salary hike. Learn what causes it, the psychology behind it, and the save-the-raise rule that actually fixes it.
ReadMonthly Budgeting Guide
Why most budgets fail, the 50/30/20 rule, zero-based budgeting and pay-yourself-first explained simply, with a full ₹40,000 Indian salary broken down line by line.
ReadNet Worth Guide
Learn how to calculate your net worth in India: what counts as an asset vs a liability, why your salary is not your wealth, how to build a net-worth statement, and why a young person's negative net worth is normal.
ReadEmergency Fund Guide
How much emergency fund you actually need in India (3 to 12 months of expenses depending on your income type), where to park it across savings accounts, liquid funds and sweep-in FDs, and how to rebuild it after you use it.
ReadBanking & Savings
8NEFT vs RTGS vs IMPS Guide
A full comparison of NEFT, RTGS and IMPS in India, minimum and maximum amounts, speed, 24x7 availability and charges, and exactly which transfer type to use for any amount and urgency.
ReadNominee Guide
What a nominee actually is, why a nominee is not automatically the legal owner, and why every bank account, FD, mutual fund, demat account, insurance policy and PF needs one added or updated.
ReadUPI Guide 2026
How UPI works, the real 2026 transaction limits for P2P, merchants, UPI Lite and Autopay, why P2P UPI is free, and the security rules including collect request bans that protect you from India's most common payment scams.
ReadBanking Charges Guide
Every common bank charge in India explained: minimum balance penalties, ATM fees, SMS alert charges, debit card fees, cheque bounce charges, branch NEFT/RTGS fees and locker rent, plus exactly how to avoid each one.
ReadRecurring Deposit (RD) Guide
How Recurring Deposits work in India, RD versus FD versus SIP compared, RD interest taxation and TDS rules, and when an RD suits your goal better than an SIP, and when it does not.
ReadCurrent Account Guide
A clear breakdown of current accounts in India: who actually needs one, how they differ from savings accounts, why they pay no interest, and why a salaried employee almost never needs one.
ReadFixed Deposit (FD) Guide
How Fixed Deposits work in India, 2026 interest rates at big banks versus small finance banks, DICGC insurance, FD interest taxation and TDS thresholds, premature withdrawal penalties, and when an FD makes sense versus when you should invest instead.
ReadSavings Account Guide
A practical guide to Indian savings accounts: regular, salary and zero-balance types, real interest rates, minimum balance penalties, the sweep-in feature nobody uses, and why idle cash quietly loses to inflation.
ReadLoans & Credit
7Loan EMI Guide
The EMI formula explained, how amortisation splits principal and interest over a loan's life, why a longer tenure raises total interest, and practical ways to cut what you pay, with a side-by-side tenure comparison on a ₹5,00,000 loan.
ReadCredit Card Guide
How credit card billing cycles and grace periods work, why interest runs 30% to 45% a year, the Minimum Amount Due trap that snowballs debt, and how to use a card in India for rewards and CIBIL building without falling into interest.
ReadCredit Score (CIBIL) Guide
How the 300 to 900 CIBIL scale and score bands work, the five factors that build your score, the 2026 move to weekly reporting, and a concrete plan to build a strong score from zero in India.
ReadGold Loan Guide
How gold loans work in India, the new tiered LTV rules effective April 2026, bank vs NBFC rates, auction risk, the new 7-day gold release rule, and a real strategy to shrink a family gold loan and get the jewellery back faster.
ReadEducation Loan Guide
How education loans work in India: interest rates, collateral rules by loan size, the moratorium period, Section 80E tax deduction, and the new PM Vidyalaxmi collateral-free scheme.
ReadHome Loan Guide
Everything you need before taking a home loan in India: current interest rates, down payment and LTV rules, EMI math, Section 24(b) and 80C tax benefits under the old regime, and fixed vs floating.
ReadPersonal Loan Guide
A complete guide to personal loans in India: interest rates from 10% to 24%, how your CIBIL score decides your rate, when a personal loan actually makes sense, and when it will quietly wreck your finances.
ReadInvesting
7Stock Market Guide
How the Indian stock market actually works, NSE and BSE, Nifty and Sensex, demat accounts, IPOs, and the honest truth about why most beginners are better off in index funds than picking individual stocks.
ReadIndex Funds Guide
What an index fund is, how it copies the Nifty 50 or Sensex, why passive beats most active funds after fees, and how taxation, expense ratios and SIPs work for index fund investors in India.
ReadMutual Funds Guide 2026
What a mutual fund is, the main types (equity, debt, hybrid, index), direct vs regular plans, how NAV and expense ratio work, mutual fund taxation in India for 2026, and how to pick your first fund. The complete plain-English starter guide.
ReadETFs Guide
What an ETF is, how it differs from a stock and a mutual fund, the types available in India (index, gold, silver, debt, international), why they are so cheap, how ETFs are taxed in 2026, and how to buy your first one. A plain-English guide for beginners.
ReadCompounding Guide
Compounding is the single most powerful force in building wealth, yet most people never feel it because they start late. This guide explains simple vs compound interest, the Rule of 72, why time beats money, and shows with real Indian numbers how ₹5,000 a month becomes crores.
ReadSWP Guide
A Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP) turns your mutual fund corpus into a steady monthly income. This guide explains how an SWP works, how it differs from SIP and dividends, the safe withdrawal rate, how SWP is taxed in India (2026), and how to build income without draining your capital.
ReadSIP Guide
What a Systematic Investment Plan is, why it works, and how to start — with a risk-ranked tour of the five core mutual fund categories. Educational only.
ReadInvestment Strategies
5Growth Investing Guide
A clear guide to growth investing in India: why a high P/E can be justified by fast growth, the metrics that matter (revenue, earnings, TAM), the risk of overpaying, growth vs value compared side by side, and who this investing style actually suits.
ReadValue Investing Guide
A practical guide to value investing in India: the Graham and Buffett philosophy, intrinsic value and margin of safety, key metrics like P/E, P/B, debt and ROE, spotting value traps, and who this investing style actually suits.
ReadDividend Investing Guide
A complete guide to dividend investing in India: what dividends are, how yield works, 2026 taxation rules, the payout vs growth trade-off, avoiding high-yield traps, and how dividend investing compares to an SWP for monthly passive income.
ReadAsset Allocation Guide
How to decide your split across equity, debt, gold and cash based on age, goals and risk tolerance, the 100 minus age rule, rebalancing, and sample portfolios for conservative, balanced and aggressive investors in India.
ReadDiversification Guide
What diversification really means, how to spread across asset classes, market caps, sectors and geography, the danger of over-diversifying, and how diversification differs from asset allocation.
ReadGold & Alternatives
4REIT Guide
How REITs let you invest in income-generating commercial real estate in India for a few hundred rupees, covering all five listed REITs, taxation of distributions and capital gains, and REIT vs buying a flat.
ReadGold Investment Guide 2026
Every way to own gold in India, compared side by side: physical jewellery and coins, digital gold, Gold ETFs, gold mutual funds and Sovereign Gold Bonds. Real costs, 2026 taxes, safety, liquidity, and exactly which form fits your goal, whether it is a wedding, a hedge, or a monthly saving.
ReadInvIT Guide
How InvITs let retail investors earn quarterly income from toll roads, power grids, and renewable energy in India — the returns, risks, taxes, and how to start, for income-focused investors.
ReadBond Market Guide
What bonds are, how government and corporate bonds differ, the risks and taxes that apply in India, and how to build a stable, income-focused allocation — for beginners through intermediate investors.
ReadInsurance
5Life Insurance Guide
A clear comparison of term, endowment, ULIP, money-back and whole life insurance in India, why mixing insurance with investment costs you, and who genuinely needs life cover.
ReadTerm Insurance Guide
How term insurance works in India, how much cover you actually need, why it is so cheap for young buyers, and what changed with the 2025 GST exemption on individual policies.
ReadHealth Insurance Guide
How much health insurance cover you actually need in India, the 2025 GST exemption, room-rent capping rules, waiting periods, and how to pick a policy that won't fail you when you actually need to claim.
ReadTravel Insurance Guide
What travel insurance actually covers, why it's mandatory for Schengen visas (minimum €30,000 medical cover), what it costs, and when it's genuinely worth buying versus skippable for Indian travellers.
ReadMotor Insurance Guide
Third-party vs comprehensive car insurance in India explained: what's legally mandatory, how IDV sets your payout and premium, the No-Claim Bonus ladder, useful add-ons, and how to claim without wrecking your discount.
ReadTax
4Capital Gains Tax Guide 2026
The complete 2026 capital gains tax picture for India: equity, debt funds, gold, property and REIT/InvIT units, with holding periods, tax rates, the ₹1.25 lakh exemption, and loss set-off rules explained in plain terms.
ReadTax Saving Guide
A complete 2026 breakdown of Indian tax saving options, 80C, 80D, NPS, HRA, home loan interest, and why almost all of them only work if you choose the old tax regime.
ReadTax Explained Simply
A complete, plain-English guide to how tax works in India: income tax, the new vs old regime, slabs, TDS, capital gains, saving tax legally, and filing your return.
ReadGST Explained Simply
A complete, plain-English guide to GST in India: what it is, why it replaced the old tax mess, how input tax credit stops tax stacking, the current slabs, CGST vs SGST vs IGST, and where it shows up in your daily life.
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