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In 2024, Indian stock market investors saw a massive wealth increase of Rs 77.66 lakh crore, driven by strong performance of the BSE Sensex and Nifty, despite challenges like foreign fund outflows and global market volatility.

Stock Market Shines in 2024: Investors Gain Rs 77.66 Lakh Crore

The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 5,898.75 points or 8.16 per cent this year. The BSE benchmark index hit its all-time high of 85,978.25 on September 27.

Stock market investors became richer by a whopping Rs 77.66 lakh crore in 2024, helped by an overall optimistic trend in equities, where the BSE Sensex surged over 8 per cent.
Analysts said the year witnessed a tug of war between the bulls and bears marked by volatility but, despite the uncertainties around the world, the Indian markets sustained the pressure and delivered impressive returns.
"The year 2024 has been a challenging yet rewarding one for the markets. The Nifty steadily climbed from January to September, reaching a historic high of 26,277.35, before giving up some gains to still close the year with an impressive rise. This marked Nifty's ninth consecutive year of positive returns, despite FIIs selling shares," Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd, said.
The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 5,898.75 points or 8.16 per cent this year. The BSE benchmark index hit its all-time high of 85,978.25 on September 27.
Thanks to the overall optimistic trend in equities, the market capitalisation (mcap) of BSE-listed firms surged Rs 77,66,260.19 crore to Rs 4,41,95,106.44 crore (USD 5.16 trillion) in 2024.
The market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies hit the coveted Rs 400-lakh crore mark for the first time on April 8 this year. The market cap of these firms had hit the Rs 300-lakh crore mark in July last year.
"Early in the year, a combination of anticipated inflation moderation, expected interest rate cuts, and optimism surrounding the BJP's re-election fuelled a strong rally, pushing indices to record highs. However, the election results, while favouring the BJP, fell short of a complete landslide, leading to a brief market correction.
"Subsequently, the unwinding of the Yen carry trade in August, a global phenomenon where investors borrowed in low-yielding currencies like Yen to invest in higher-yielding assets, triggered another round of volatility. Despite these setbacks, the market staged a recovery, reaching new peaks in September," Amnish Aggarwal, Director - Research, Institutional Equities, PL Capital - Prabhudas Lilladher, said.
The euphoria was short-lived, Aggarwal said, adding that a confluence of factors, including significant FII outflows in October, heightened global uncertainties following the US presidential election, and rising inflationary pressures, led to a sharp correction in the Nifty.
"While the Federal Reserve has begun cutting interest rates, recent commentary on slower and lesser cuts in 2025 has led to some disappointment," he said.
Markets came under bear attack from October onwards amid worries over foreign investors fleeing the domestic market and stretched valuations of the equities.
In October alone, the BSE benchmark slumped 4,910.72 points or 5.82 per cent.
October saw an unprecedented foreign fund outflow of Rs 94,017 crore -- the largest monthly withdrawal on record -- amid increased allocations to China, muted corporate earnings, and high valuation of Indian stocks.
"While Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) engaged in profit-booking due to high valuations, Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) consistently supported the market," Palka Arora Chopra, Director, Master Capital Services Ltd, said.
The Sensex made monthly gains in eight months this year. On a monthly basis, the Sensex gave negative returns in January, May, October and December.
Heavy retail investors' participation played a significant role in the market's positive trend this year.
Also, a number of mainboard Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) and listing of shares imparted optimism in the equity markets.
Reliance Industries is the country's most valued firm with a market valuation of Rs 16,44,792.26 crore, followed by Tata Consultancy Services (Rs 14,82,402.82 crore), HDFC Bank (Rs 13,55,520.10 crore), ICICI Bank (Rs 9,04,975.61 crore) and Bharti Airtel (Rs 9,04,583.72 crore) in the top-five order.
In 2023, the market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies climbed sharply by Rs 81.90 lakh crore. Investors became richer by more than Rs 16.38 lakh crore in 2022.

In this episode of Investsmart, financial adviser Harsh Roongta and Editorji's Avni Raja talk about how nominations for investments work, why it is important and what are its limitations. 

Invest Smart: Why you need a nominee for your investments & why it's not enough 

In this episode of Investsmart, financial adviser Harsh Roongta and Editorji's Avni Raja talk about how nominations for investments work, why it is important and what are its limitations.&nbsp;

Having a nominee for your investments is an extremely important step in ensuring a smooth transfer of assets in case of death. Whether its property, a bank account or investments such as mutual funds, all avenues give you the option of naming a nominee - someone whom you want to inherit the asset.&nbsp; However, its important to understand that simply including the name of a nominee is not enough to ensure a smooth transfer of ownership. For this, a will is an important requirement. Even with a nomination in place, in the absense of a will, the laws of succession will determine the transfer of ownership of the asset.&nbsp; Harsh Roongta (Fee Only Investment Advisors LLP)&nbsp; provides an indepth explaination about the importance of nominations, how it helps and what are the limitations.&nbsp;
"A white paper written by the former group general counsel at ICICI Bank and now a senior official at one of the financial sector regulators, Pramod Rao (in his personal capacity) with inputs from ARIA (the Association of Registered Investment Advisors; a community of SEBI-registered investment advisors) &nbsp;proposes changes in the succession law to extend the arrangement pioneered for death claims under life insurance policies, wherein nominees can enjoy unrestricted rights to the amount without having to go through a gruelling legal process", says Roongta.&nbsp;

In this episode of Invest Smart, Founder of Money Mantra, Viral Bhatt explains all you need to know about investing for your child, why its necessary and how to decide the investment strategy. 

Invest Smart: How to invest for you child; here's all you need to know

In this episode of Invest Smart, Founder of Money Mantra, Viral Bhatt explains all you need to know about investing for your child, why its necessary and how to decide the investment strategy.&nbsp;

Investing for your children and creating a separate investment corpus in their name can go a long way in helping secure their future and saving up for specific financial goals such as their education.&nbsp; It goes without saying, that the sooner you start investing for your child, the better it is. The power of compounding over a long period can do wonders.&nbsp; There are several options such as mutual funds, specific child plans, fixed deposits, small savings schemes, that you can choose from. With so many options sometimes it can get confusing as to how to go about the investing process.&nbsp;

In this episode of Investsmart, Editorji's Avni Raja speaks to financial advisor Kalpesh Ashar about investing in micro cap funds. Watch to understand all about the risks associated with micro cap funds and how investors should navigate these funds

Invest Smart: Investing in Micro Cap funds - here's what you need to know

In this episode of Investsmart, Editorji's Avni Raja speaks to financial advisor Kalpesh Ashar about investing in micro cap funds. Watch to understand all about the risks associated with micro cap funds and how investors should navigate these funds

Micro Cap funds have been in the news off-late with Motilal Oswal launching India's first passive or index-based Micro Cap fund. As per reports, fundhouses are likely to launch more micro cap funds.&nbsp;
There is no formal definition of micro caps by capital markets regulator SEBI. It essentially forms a sub-set of small caps. However, from the point of view of micro cap funds, it would mean the universe of the 250 stocks that are beyond the top 500 stocks, says financial adviser Kalpesh Ashar.&nbsp; Micro-cap funds primarily focus on investing in companies with small market capitalization, offering the potential for significant growth but with increased volatility and therefore significantly higher risk.&nbsp;
Investors must carefully assess their risk tolerance, financial goals, and investment horizon before venturing into micro-cap funds. These funds may not be suitable for risk-averse individuals seeking stability in returns. &nbsp;

In this episode of Invest Smart, Editorji's Avni Raja speaks to Mrin Agarwal, Founder Director, Finsafe India about the higher pension scheme. Watch the episode to know more about the pros and cons and whether its a good fit for you. 

Invest Smart: Higher pension scheme - all you need to know 

In this episode of Invest Smart, Editorji's Avni Raja speaks to Mrin Agarwal, Founder Director, Finsafe India about the higher pension scheme. Watch the episode to know more about the pros and cons and whether its a good fit for you.&nbsp;

The deadline to apply for the higher pension scheme has been extended to June 26th 2023. 
The higher pension scheme allows subscribers to opt for a higher pension amount by increasing contribution towards the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS). There will be a reallocation of corpus from the EPF to the EPS scheme from the date of joining the scheme. This means a large portion of money would be paid from the EPF to the EPS to avail a higher pension.  Only those who were members of the EPF as on September 1, 2014, are allowed to opt for a higher pension.  There are some factors to keep in mind before applying for the higher pension scheme. First, while this means a  higher pension for the subscriber in retirement, the pension is fully taxable at marginal rate of taxation of the subscriber, says Mrin Agarwal, Founder Director, Finsafe India. 
Another factor that goes against EPS is the fact that on death of the subscriber, the surviving spouse will only receive 50% of the pension that was being received by the subscriber, says Agarwal.

On this episode of Invest Smart, Editorji's Avni Raja speaks to Kalpesh Ashar, CFP, RIA about financial obstacles and how to overcome them. 

Invest Smart: How to overcome financial obstacles 

On this episode of Invest Smart, Editorji's Avni Raja speaks to Kalpesh Ashar, CFP, RIA about financial obstacles and how to overcome them.&nbsp;

Setting financial goals is perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of beginning your financial planning journey.
We often talk about creating financial goals and how to reach them. However, sometimes while trying to reach those goals, there could be some unexpected obstacles that could come in the way. It's important to know how to overcome such obstacles or even prevent them whenever possible.&nbsp;
Some obstacles that investors often have to deal with include overcoming a negative cash flow or the problems caused by investing in an illliquid asset.&nbsp; "The EMI of the loan for some people constitutes 60% of their total monthly income thus rendering them into a cash crunch at the end of each month", says Kalpesh Ashar, CFP &amp; RIA.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Another instance is the fallout of insurnace mis-selling. "There are many Individuals that are stuck in numerous &lsquo;investment cum insurance policies&rsquo; where more than 50% of their annual income is used in making the premium payments. Thus, leaving a sum of paltry cash in hand for them to live a comfortable life", Ashar points out.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Here are some important things that can help you manage your personal finances if you've lost your job or think you might, in this period of widespread layoffs

How to manage your personal finance amid layoffs 

Here are some important things that can help you manage your personal finances if you've lost your job or think you might, in this period of widespread layoffs

In the current environment, the risk of losing one&rsquo;s job only seems to be rising. Across the globe including in India, for the last several months, companies have been announcing layoffs, amid an uncertain economy.
Since 2022, over 25,000 employees have been let go by Indian startups, according to Inc42. According to the website layoff.fyi, which keeps track of layoffs, more than one lakh employees were laid off in the first few months of 2023 and about 1.4 lakh people were laid off globally in 2022.
Now, more than ever, it is becoming increasingly important to ensure one is financially prepared in case of such an eventuality. So, what can you do to prepare for such a situation?
Create a contingency fund Financial Expert, Kalpesh Ashar believes everyone should have a contingency fund or an emergency fund in place. This emergency fund serves as a safety net in case you lose your job. Its a fund you can dip into to meet your daily expenses, when your regular monthly income has been affected.
The ideal amount to keep in an emergency fund is at least six times your regular monthly required expenses. This will allow you to tide over at least 6 months without a regular job. However, Ashar says, the larger your emergency reserve, the better your safety net is.
While calculating your emergency fund corpus, be sure to include all your recurring monthly obligation such as rent, utilities, insurance premium, school fees, EMIs etc.
Health Insurance A personal health insurance cover is an absolute must. Depending only on your employer&rsquo;s insurance is definitely not advisable. Investment Expert, Karthik Jhaveri says, people tend to spend a yearly insurance premium on a casual night out with friends but end up cutting back on getting insurance. Health insurance gets you covered for an entire year and the premiums are not so much that they would burn a hole in your pocket, he adds. Trying to save money by cutting back on health insurance is a bad idea. In fact, its better to get a personal health cover and pay off the premium while you still have a steady monthly cash flow coming in.
In the eventuality that your fear of losing your jobs becomes a reality, what should you do?
Assessment of you savings &amp; expenses First, &nbsp;examine the money and savings that you already have. Ideally, you've planned for this eventuality and have an emergency fund that&rsquo;s available to you, until you find a new job.
Next, you should evaluate your expenses. Which of your expenses are optional or discretionary? Can you cut them out for the time being? Now, assess the cost of your basic needs &ndash; housing, food, transportation, medical care etc.
Make your debts a priority Next, you should examine your debts. Do you have the money to pay them off over the next few months? If you don&rsquo;t, you need a plan B. For instance, if you have debt from multiple lenders, such as banks and/or family members, consider talking to them about your circumstances and deferring their interest payments rather than missing EMI payments, suggests Kalpesh Ashar.&nbsp;
Divert your routine investments Karthik Jhaveri recommends diverting investments into paying EMIs. If you frequently invest or make contributions to a retirement plan, you should determine if you can continue to do so, or if you need to stop them to pay off your EMIs, temporarily.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Another option is to dissolve your SIPs or recurring deposits temporarily and divert them towards paying off your loan. It&rsquo;s also important to keep in mind that most investment instruments offer flexible payment methods, so as soon as you get back to earning a regular income you can, and must replenish them.
Taking a personal loan This must be an absolute last resort and only if you&rsquo;re completely out of options. If your savings and emergency money are insufficient, you may need to explore other sources of funding. But, opting for a personal loan could drag you into a vicious debt cycle. Added to that it is difficult to secure a small loan, just to pay off your EMIs, says Karthik Jhaveri.

With rising interest rates, home loan EMIs have skyrocketed. In this episode of Invest Smart, Editorji's Avni Raja speaks to Anant Ladha, founder, Invest Aaj for Kal on what you should be aware about while taking new home loans and how to manage your

How to manage your rising home loan EMIs 

With rising interest rates, home loan EMIs have skyrocketed. In this episode of Invest Smart, Editorji's Avni Raja speaks to Anant Ladha, founder, Invest Aaj for Kal on what you should be aware about while taking new home loans and how to manage your existing home loan EMIs in the current scenario. 

Rising EMIs: What you should know 

With rising interest rates, home loan EMIs have skyrocketed. In this episode of Invest Smart, Editorji's Avni Raja speaks to Anant Ladha, founder, Invest Aaj for Kal on how to manage your existing home loan EMIs in the current scenario.&nbsp;

Interest rates have skyrocketed over the past year. As a result EMIs across the board have become much more expensive.&nbsp; Borrowers are facing significant increase in their EMIs or an extension of the loan tenures. Both of which can can create a bigger financial burden.&nbsp; Anant Ladha, founder of investaajforkal says that while extending one's tenure is an option, its an option that can be avoided, if possible.&nbsp; Its also important not to take any decision in a hurry. While he favoured the advice of paying the loan upfront, Ladha also maintained that in no case scenario should borrowers disturb their contingency fund or retirement fund. Instead, fixed deposits, Debt funds are all liquid investments that borrowers can readily divert towards pre-paying the loan. Ladha also pointed out that we are towards the end of the interest rate hiking cycle and rates are expected to stabilise soon.&nbsp; While banks can only increase the tenure to a certain extent, post that they end up extending the EMIs. So, extending the tenure in a way should be the last resort, explained Ladha.&nbsp;
As per Ladha, there are three basic rules that one should keep in mind
<ul>
<li>Home loan EMI should not exceed 15% of monthly income.</li>
<li>Total EMI should not exceed 40% of monthly income.</li>
<li>New borrowers must opt for Flexi or Floating interest rate loans. </li>
</ul>

Interest rates for majority of the small savings schemes have been increased by up to 70 basis points (0.7%). This is for the April to June 2023 quarter. 

Interest rates for small savings schemes hiked for April - June 2023 quarter

Interest rates for majority of the small savings schemes have been increased by up to 70 basis points (0.7%). This is for the April to June 2023 quarter.&nbsp;

In what comes as some good news for investors, the government has hiked the interest rate for several of the small savings schemes for the April to June 2023 quarter.&nbsp; The interest rate for 5 year time deposits have been hiked from 7% to 7.5%. Interest rate for senior citizens savings scheme has been hiked from 8% to 8.2%.&nbsp;
The highest interest rate hike is for National savings certificate, by 0.7% to 7.7%. Interest rate on Sukanya Samridhhi has been hiked to 8% from 7.6%.&nbsp;
However, interest rates for PPF remains unchanged at 7.1%
Interest rates on small savings schemes are reviewed every quarter.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

The new financial year begins on April 1st. There are a slew of personal finance and taxation changes that will come into effect. Here's a quick recap of the most important ones. 

From 1st April, here's what changes for your personal finance & taxation

The new financial year begins on April 1st. There are a slew of personal finance and taxation changes that will come into effect. Here's a quick recap of the most important ones.&nbsp;

The new financial year begins on the 1st of April. With the new year, comes a whole host of changes as far as your personal finance and personal taxation is concerned. Let&rsquo;s recap some of the most important ones.&nbsp;
1. The new tax regime with all the changes announced in the budget, will come into effect. The new regime becomes your default tax regime, unless you specifically opt for the old one. Remember, the new regime has no tax-saving investment benefits, but you pay a lower tax rate.&nbsp;
2. A big change was recently announced for debt funds&nbsp; Beginning 1st of April, debt mutual funds will not get any capital gains tax benefit and no indexation benefit. Essentially it means that whatever returns you make from debt funds will be taxed as per your income tax slabs just like for fixed deposits. But this is only applicable to new investments from the first of April.&nbsp;
3. In another change, if the total premium paid on life insurance policies (except ULIPs) is more than 5 lakhs in a year, then whatever you get on maturity will be taxable. Again, this applies beginning April 1st.&nbsp;
4. In the real estate space, Capital gains only up to 10 crore used to buy property is exempt from tax under section 54F. So for example, if you&rsquo;ve made capital gains of 15 cr and you use that 15 cr to buy a residential property, earlier the entire amount was exempt from tax. Now it will be capped at Rs 10 Cr, and you will have to pay tax on the balance 5 crore.&nbsp;
5. The government has raised the maximum deposit limit for the Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS) to Rs 30 lakh from Rs 15 lakh. 6. Not just that, the deposit limit for monthly income scheme is also increased to 9 lakh from 4.5 lakh for single accounts to and to 15 lakh for joint accounts.&nbsp;
7. Conversion of physical gold to electronic gold receipts and vice-versa will not attract any capital gains tax.&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Taxpayers have until March 31st to file a revised income tax return for the fiscal year 2019-2020, also known as Assessment Year 2020-21

From ITR to PAN-Aadhar link: Here's the 'To-Do' list before March 31st

Taxpayers have until March 31st to file a revised income tax return for the fiscal year 2019-2020, also known as Assessment Year 2020-21

As the Financial year 2022-23 comes to an end, Editorji brings you a list of things which you need to finish before the March 31st: 1. PAN-Aadhaar Link: After repeatedly extended the window for linking PAN cards with Aadhaar, the final deadline is March 31, 2023. If the Aadhaar is not linked to the PAN by the deadline, then you will have to shell out Rs 1,000 as a a penalty and your PAN will become inoperative.&nbsp;
2. Updated ITR The last date for submitting the updated ITR for FY20 or assessment year 2020-21 (AY21) is March 31. The taxpayers must file the updated ITR if they omitted certain income details or made any error while filing the ITR in FY20. It can also be filed if the ITR was not filed in FY20 at all. 3. Advance tax payment&nbsp; According to the IT department, taxpayers must submit the final installment of the advance tax payment for the fiscal year 2022&ndash;2023 by March 15, 2023. If a taxpayer fails to make advance tax payments, they will be subject to penalties. The Income-Tax Act mandates that individuals with an anticipated tax liability of ₹10,000 or more after Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) deductions must make advance tax payments.
4. Tax-saving investments&nbsp; For the fiscal year 2022-23, taxpayers who have chosen the old tax regime must complete their tax-saving investments before March 31, 2023. The old tax regime allowed taxpayers to deduct various expenses related to their investments.&nbsp;
5. Nominee to your demat account: The deadline for adding a nominee to demat / trading accounts is 31st March 2023. Capital markets regulator SEBI warns that if investors miss out on appointing the nominee, their accounts will be frozen for debits. A nominee is someone who manages the account if something happens to the holder and must be added through NSDL's website using an OTP and VID/Aadhaar number. 
6. Lastly, the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) is an insurance policy-cum-pension scheme that provides senior citizens with regular income. Investments up to ₹15 lakh can be made by an individual in the scheme. The deadline for making investments in this plan is March 31, 2023.

Data from the Association of Mutual Funds of India reveal that equity fund inflows in February came in at a 9 month high of Rs 15,685 crore. On the other hand, outflows from debt funds continued in February. 

Equity mutual fund inflows at 9 month high, debt fund outflows continue

Equity fund inflows in February came in at a 9 month high of Rs 15,685 crore. On the other hand, outflows from debt funds continued in February. The category witnessed outflows of Rs 13,815 crore for the month.  

Data from the Association of Mutual Funds of India reveal that equity fund inflows in February came in at a 9 month high of Rs 15,685 crore. On the other hand, outflows from debt funds continued in February.&nbsp;

Equity mutual fund inflows continued to surge in the month of February. Data from the Association of Mutual Funds of India (AMFI) shows net inflows into equity funds stood at Rs 15,685 crore, which is around 25% higher than the 12,546 crore equity fund inflows in January. This is the highest in the past 9 months.&nbsp; Within the equity funds, small cap funds continued to see strong inflows of Rs 2,246 crore, almost similar to the figure in January. Mid cap fund flows increased to Rs 1816 crore versus Rs 1628 crore in January.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, debt mutual funds continued to see outflows. For the month of February, debt fund outflows stood at Rs 13,815 crore. This is higher than the 10,316 crore outflows in January.&nbsp;
The total Assets Under Management (AUM) shrunk slightly and stood at Rs 39.46 lakh crore in February versus Rs 39.62 lakh crore in January.&nbsp;

Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme is open for subscription between March 6th and 10th. Experts recommend having atleast 5%-10% of allocation towards gold as a hedge against inflation and to diversify one's portfolio. 

Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme is now open: Here's all you need to know 

Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme is open for subscription between March 6th and 10th. Experts recommend having atleast 5%-10% of allocation towards gold as a hedge against inflation and to diversify one's portfolio.&nbsp;

For those who are looking to include gold in their portfolio, Sovereign Gold Bonds could be a good addition. The scheme is now open for subscription.&nbsp;
SGBs were introduced in 2015, as part of the gold monetization scheme. It is essentially a substitute to holding physical gold. SGBs are government securities which are denominated in grams of gold. So, each unit is equal to one gram of gold.&nbsp;
The Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2022-23 &ndash; Series IV, will be open for subscription from March 6th to March 10th. The issue price has been fixed at Rs 5,611 per gram of gold, which is over Rs 200 more than the December issue price, which was Rs 5,409. However, for investors who apply online and pay digitally, there is a discount of Rs 50 per gram. Post discount, the issue price would be Rs 5,561 per gram.&nbsp; Here are some important points to keep in mind while investing in SGBs:&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>The minimum investment for the scheme is 1 gram while the maximum investment is 4 kgs for individuals per financial year.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The interest rates on SGBs is 2.5% per annum&nbsp;</li>
<li>Interest is credited on a semi-annual basis.&nbsp;</li>
<li>SGBs are sold through designated post offices, stock exchanges, as well as banks. They can also be purchased online at a discount of Rs 50 per gram.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The tenor of these gold bonds are 8 years, however, investors can make a premature redemption after the 5th year on the date when interest is payable.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
There are a several benefits of investing in SGBs. Let&rsquo;s take a look at some of them.&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>Interest rate of 2.5% per annum is over and above the benefit of a rise in gold prices.</li>
<li>Even if gold prices fall, investors get the 2.5% interest, which physical gold doesn&rsquo;t give.&nbsp;</li>
<li>SGBs can be transferred, used as a collateral for loans and even traded on stock exchanges if they are in demat form.&nbsp;</li>
<li>SGBs are tax-free, unlike physical gold where GST is levied on purchasing.&nbsp;</li>
<li>On maturity, no capital gains tax is levied.&nbsp;</li>
<li>SGBs are guaranteed by the govt, hence the risks are very low.&nbsp;</li>
<li>SGB is like holding physical gold, without the hassle or risk of storage.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
While there are a lot of benefits of investing in SGBs, there are some downsides too.&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>The long lock-in period of an SGB might be a deterrent for some investors.&nbsp;</li>
<li>If you redeem early, capital gains will be applicable.&nbsp;</li>
<li>There is always the risk of a fall in gold prices, but that is the case with physical gold as well.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The interest earned on SGBs is fully taxable.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Although SGBs are tradable on the exchanges (post 6 months of being issued), secondary market trading volumes are usually quite thin. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</li>
</ol>
Experts recommend having atleast 5%-10% of allocation towards gold, as it provides a good hedge against inflation.&nbsp;
"SGBs are one of the best replacements for physical gold. It works best for individuals who are preparing for a future events like their children&rsquo;s weddings. Along with the MTM price, one can also earn interest at 2.50% per annum on the initial investment. For those who choose to incorporate gold in the portfolio, one should keep in mind that it should not exceed more than 10% of the portfolios", says Feroze Azeez, Deputy CEO, Anand Rathi Wealth.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Equity mutual funds witnessed strong inflows in the month of January. Equity inflows rose over 70% from December. This despite the stock market volatility over the last month.   

Big surge in equity mutual fund inflows in January 

Equity mutual funds witnessed strong inflows in the month of January. Equity inflows rose over 70% from December. This despite the stock market volatility over the last month.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Despite the market volatility over the last few months, data from the Association of Mutual Funds of India (AMFI) shows a strong surge in equity mutual fund inflows. The jump in the equity fund inflows was led largely by investments into small cap funds.&nbsp; In January, inflows into equity mutual funds were 72% higher, at Rs 12,546 crore, than in December. Not just that, SIP (Systematic investment plan) flows also remained strong in January, and rose to Rs 13,856 crore, which was a new record high. In December, SIP flows stood at Rs 13,573 crore.&nbsp; Meanwhile, the debt mutual funds category witnessed a net outflow of Rs 10,316 crore in January. The outflow for the debt category in December was much higher at Rs 21,946 crore.&nbsp; Akhil Chaturvedi, chief business officer, Motilal Oswal AMC told Moneycontrol, &ldquo;Strong flows for the month supported by SIP inflows, despite a volatile month with markets being subdued the net positive flows is a sign of increasing maturity of investors to continue their allocations in equity mutual funds.&rdquo;&nbsp;
&nbsp;

With budget 2023 round the corner, tax payers have a slew of demands from the finance minister. 

Budget 2023: What does the salaried class want? 

Budget 2023: How can it help salaried employees?

India's salaried class, one of the largest groups of taxpayers in the country, have high expectations from this year's budget. Tax payers are hoping for some announcements to ease the tax burden.&nbsp;

The salaried class is keenly awaiting this year's budget announcement. After being left disappointed last year, with not too much being announced by way of tax relief, the salaried class has high hopes from the Finance Minister, this year.&nbsp; Income Tax Slab Revision: Personal income tax slabs and rates have not been changed since 2017-18. Experts are of the view that income tax slabs should be revised to give tax payers more purchasing power.&nbsp;
Basic Exemption Limit: Expectations are that the basic exemption limit be raised to Rs 5 lakh from the prevailing Rs 2.5 lakh.&nbsp; Increase the limit under section 80 C: A long standing demand has been to increase the 80 C limit from the current 1.5 lakhs (since 2014-15) to 2.5 lakhs. There are a whole slew of long-term savings options such as PPF, ELSS, NSC, NPS, Bank FDs etc. And an increase in this limit would encourage taxpayers to increase investments while saving taxes.&nbsp; Increase the limit under section 80 D: Experts say the limit under section 80D for claiming health insurance should be increased from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 and for the elderly from Rs 50,000 to 75,000.&nbsp;
Home office expenses: With work from home continuing for a lot of companies, experts say that home office expenses should be allowed as a deduction.&nbsp;

The mutual fund industry wants uniform capital gains taxation with the unit linked insurance policies, a long-standing demand of the industry. 

Budget 2023: Mutual Fund Industry Wishlist 

The mutual fund industry wants uniform capital gains taxation with the unit linked insurance policies, a long-standing demand of the industry.&nbsp;

Mutual fund industry body, AMFI (Association of Mutual Funds of India), has released a wishlist of what the industry wants from Budget 2023.&nbsp;
1) Uniform tax implications for MFs &amp; ULIPs: Currently equity mutual funds are subject to 10% capital gains tax. However, ULIPs are tax free under certain conditions (if sum assured is &gt;10 times premium, 5-year lock-in, premium &lt; Rs 2.5 lakh)&nbsp;
2) Tax parity with listed bonds: Currently, 10% tax is levied for gains on listed debentures if held for over 12 months, but for debt mutual funds, 20% is levied if held for more than 36 months.&nbsp; 3) Clarity on scheme mergers: There are different tax implications for mutual fund schemes which have been merged versus consolidation of options under one scheme.&nbsp;
4) Increase in threshold limit for TDS: In case of dividend payouts, threshold limit of tax deducted at source is currently Rs 5000. AMFI wants this limit increased to Rs 50,000.&nbsp;

With Budget 2023 Modi govt's last full budget before the 2024 elections, expectations are that FM will announce measures to reduce the burden on taxpayers. Feroze Azeez of Anand Rathi Wealth Management speaks to Avni Raja on what taxpayers can expect

Budget 2023: Personal taxation expectations 

With Budget 2023 Modi govt's last full budget before the 2024 elections, expectations are that FM will announce measures to reduce the burden on taxpayers. Feroze Azeez of Anand Rathi Wealth Management speaks to Avni Raja on what taxpayers can expect this budget.  

With Budget 2023 Modi govt's last full budget before the 2024 elections, expectations are that FM will reduce the burden on taxpayers. Feroze Azeez of Anand Rathi Wealth Management speaks to Avni Raja on what taxpayers can expect this budget.&nbsp;&nbsp;

What can taxpayers expect from Budget 2023?&nbsp; Feroze Azeez of Anand Rathi Wealth Management lists out what he thinks the FM should address in the upcoming budget.&nbsp; Change in tax slabs:&nbsp;Tax rate of 30% should be reduced to 25%. Threshold limit for the highest tax rate should be increased from ₹10 lakh to ₹20 lakh.&nbsp; Increase in 80C limit: Increasing the limit in section 80C to ₹2.5 lakh from ₹1.5 lakh will increase savings and increase investments in ELSS, NPS, PPF etc.&nbsp;
Increase in 80D limit: An increase in the limit under Section 80D for medical insurance premium will help increase penetration in the insurance sector.
Exemption in Long term capital gains: LTCG should exempted on Mutual funds if held for 5 or 10 years. This will increase the flow in mutual funds and people will stay invested in single fund for longer period of time.
Introduction of Debt linked saving scheme (DLSS):&nbsp; This product can be a debt alternative with lower Lock-in compared to current investment options like NSC which has a higher lock-in.
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Self-declaration through non face-to-face channels sufficient for Re-KYC process, says Reserve Bank of India

Re-KYC can be done online, says RBI 

No branch visit needed for Re-KYC, says RBI 

Self-declaration through non face-to-face channels sufficient for Re-KYC process, says Reserve Bank of India

Bank customers will no longer need a branch visit to update KYC information. This is as per new guidelines that have been put in place by the Reserve Bank of India. RBI&rsquo;s notification says, &ldquo;If there is no change in KYC information, a self-declaration to that effect from the individual customer is sufficient to complete the re-KYC process&rdquo;.
Banks will have to allow customers to self-declare KYC information without a branch visit, through channels such as registered e-mail ids, mobile numbers, online banking, and ATMs. In case of a change of address, the bank will have to undertake address verification within two months after the customer submits the updated address details through online channels.&nbsp; However, customers may have to do a fresh KYC if the documents with the bank are not updated with the list of offically valid documents or if such documents have expired. In such cases, the fresh KYC can be done by either visiting a bank branch or remotely through a video based customer identification procress (if enabled by the bank).&nbsp;&nbsp;
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UK employees suffered their biggest hit this year, since the survey kicked off in 2000 

Indians to have better salary hike in 2023 than other countries

Looking forward to 2023? Here's the good news 

UK employees suffered their biggest hit this year, since the survey kicked off in 2000&nbsp;

While soaring inflation is set to put a major dent in salary increases for the second year running in 2023, Asian nations make up eight of the top 10 countries forecast to see real salaries rise, led by India, up 4.6%, Vietnam rising 4.0% and China up 3.8%.&nbsp;
The worst-hit region is likely to be Europe, where real salaries &mdash; nominal wage growth minus the rate of inflation &mdash; are seen being driven down an average 1.5%, according to workforce consultancy ECA International.&nbsp;
India's neighbours Pakistan and Sri Lanka are placed bottom in this list whereas Brazil&rsquo;s 3.4% increase and Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s 2.3% bump round out the top five.
In the United States, the real salaries drop of 4.5 per cent this year is set to be reversed by drop in inflation next year, leading to a 1 per cent real term salary hike.

List of money-related changes from October 1

Big changes to your finances coming from October 1

Big Changes from October 1

From demat account KYC rules to Atal Pension Yojana, here's everything you need to know about the month ahead

People have been warned they could face a number of changes to their finances over the next few weeks. Big financial changes including card tokenisation and new debit and credit card rules are set to come into effect October 2022.&nbsp;
From demat account KYC rules to Atal Pension Yojana, here's everything you need to know about the month ahead
Card tokenisation From October 1, the online transaction rules for debit and credit cards will change for all users. In a bid to make all e-payments safe, secure, convenient, quick and affordable, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked all operating banks to create tokens for card details. In layman&rsquo;s language, all online, point-of-sale, and in-app transactions done by debit and credit cards will have to be replaced by tokens issued by the banks. &nbsp;
Atal Pension Yojana Income taxpayers cannot apply for the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) scheme from October onwards. The new order issued by Finance Ministry will come into effect from October 1, 2022 that has decided to bar tax payers from joining the APY after October 1.&nbsp;
Hence, if a subscriber &ndash; who is also a tax paying citizen &ndash; wishes to join Atal Pension Yojana (APY) scheme, September 30 is the last date to do so.&nbsp;
Card-issuers to seek One Time Password (OTP)
Card issuers should seek One Time Password (OTP) based consent from the cardholder for activating a credit card if the same has not been activated by the customer for more than 30 days from the date of issuance. In case of no consent, card issuers will have to close the credit card account without any cost to the customer within seven working days from the date of seeking confirmation from the customer.

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