MICRO Blog

There is no secret recipe to becoming wealthy. There are a lot of factors in life though which prevents one to tread that path and these are primarily tied to emotions. For instance, While these deep-seated emotions are often complex and hard to peel, here is an infographic above highlighting the traits which separate the […]

If you self-reflect on your annual expenses of the past 3 years, I am sure you would observe that your lifestyle has evolved. Your income has risen and so have your aspirations. It could be an upgrade to a better car, a better house, frequent shopping, frequent vacation incl. foreign travel, club memberships, lavish spending […]

Recently, the Mumbai Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) set a precedent by ruling that capital gains earned from mutual funds in India by NRIs will not be taxed in India. The ruling was given while assessing a case of Singapore based NRI who had earned short term capital gains by selling equity and debt mutual […]

While preparing financial plans for clients – I have come across many pain points which otherwise prevent individuals to navigate a healthy, secured and confident financial future. These include huge debt, flamboyant lifestyle, excessive risk taking, no clarity of financial goals, inadequate insurance, juggling major life transitions and many more. All the cases handled though […]

Nominations in mutual funds makes transmission easy for the heirs in the event of the unitholder’s death. Existing regulatory guidelines make it mandatory for new folios/accounts opened by an individual in a single name to make a nomination. In case investors do not wish to nominate, they can explicitly opt out and need to confirm […]

While getting a home loan for a property under construction, you are given an option to choose between paying pre-EMI or full EMI. The pre-EMI option allows you to only pay monthly interest on the actual disbursed loan amount, with no principal repayment. The full repayment begins only when you take possession of the property. […]

As per the recent Banking Laws Amendment Bill passed in both the houses, an individual can appoint up to 4 nominees for their bank accounts or fixed deposits. This is a remarkable change from the previous single nominee system. The earlier rule created problems in efficient transfer of assets, in the event of nominee pre-deceasing […]

After a relentless market rally past few years, investors have still not gotten used to the persistent sagging trend now. They face a conundrum as markets appear like a bottom less pit. In such uncertain times, investors often take a shortsighted view of their investments through the prism of recent market events. It could unnecessarily […]

In falling markets, most investors, in panic mode, tend to forget easily that investment returns are a function of the stock market. When markets go down, an investor’s portfolio value will fall too. A mutual fund investor should however be bothered to introspect by how much have his mutual funds fallen vis-a-vis the benchmark and […]

The recent hike in income tax slabs under new tax regime has been the highlight of Union Budget 2025-26. Besides the direct income tax relief, there are a few exemptions and deductions which can be claimed by a tax payer under the new tax regime. These include: Salary: Let-out house property Income from other sources:

The Nifty 50 is down 13 per cent from its 52-week high as on this date. Investors, especially, the post-covid entrants in the stock market who were used to seeing green in their portfolios have now become jittery. Market dips have become frequent and persistent and is hurting investors more. Besides external factors, valuations are […]

If you are salaried, you do not pay tax up to Rs.12.75 lakh p.a. under the new tax regime as per tax reforms proposed by the Budget 2025-26. The new tax slabs, the standard deduction of Rs.75,000 retained and the 87A rebate hiked to Rs.60,000 make this all possible. Read here. But there are some […]

The key highlight of the Union Budget 2025-26 is obviously the tax bonanza doled out by the finance minister for middle class tax payers. There will be no tax on income upto Rs.12 lakh under the new tax regime. This however does not mean that the basic exemption limit has been raised to Rs.12 lakh. […]

Healthcare inflation is rising in India. As per ACKO India health report 2024, healthcare inflation was reported at 14 per cent in 2023. The ripple effect is reflected in the rising mediclaim insurance premiums. Health insurers, in general, have hiked premiums across their product basket by at least 15-20 per cent in 2024. So, is […]

Five reasons why markets are falling, such headlines are common nowadays. A culmination of factors is attributed to the recent 1.3 per cent Sensex crash. Even a 1000 point volatility is too hard to fathom for investors who have been used to seeing their portfolios in green for the past few years. One of the […]

The mutual fund sahi hai campaign has resonated well with retail investors over the past decade. This is reflected in the share of equity fund flows which were nearly 60 per cent of the total assets under management in November 2024. Ironically, debt mutual funds are like their poor cousin whose awareness is abysmally low. […]

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (Ayushman Bharat), the government-sponsored health insurance scheme for low-income groups, has been extended to all senior citizens over the age of 70 years, irrespective of their income levels. Under this extension, all senior citizens in this age group will receive a new distinct card under AB PMJAY to access […]

Issac Newton was well known for his significant contributions to physics, maths and astronomy. However, when it came to the stock markets, even someone as brilliant a scientist as him succumbed to the herd behavior and lost a fortune. Throughout the 1710s, Newton owned shares in the South Sea Company. The bubble associated with this […]

Until a few months back when the markets were relentlessly scaling new peaks, no one had the slightest clue when the party will get over. The tide has turned now, although not sure, if it has turned for good. There are multiple factors attributed to this downward spiral which include the uncertainty due to the […]

Greed, temptation, herd actions, FOMO, overconfidence, going overboard on taking risk, impatience, are all the common behavioral traits one can witness in investors amidst a bull run. Topping up the excitement is the IPO frenzy. When the going is good, companies capitalise on the opportunity to flock the markets & raise capital at desired high […]

New PPF guidelines will come into effect from October 1, 2024. The primary objective of the new rules is to target the accounts which have been opened in violation of the scheme guidelines. These are classified as irregular accounts which could be if an investor has: How will the new rules affect the irregular accounts: […]