The Crucial Role of Financial Literacy in Modern Society

In today's rapidly evolving world, financial literacy is a fundamental skill that empowers individuals to make informed decisions about their finances, plan for the future, and achieve their financial goals. While financial literacy is important for everyone, its significance is particularly pronounced for women. In this blog, we'll explore the role of financial literacy for women in modern society, highlighting the benefits it brings and how it can pave the way for greater financial independence and empowerment. Additionally, we'll discuss the opportunities available, such as part-time jobs for ladies, and the importance of understanding options like personal loans for females.

Understanding Financial Literacy for Women:

Financial literacy encompasses a range of skills and knowledge, including understanding budgeting, saving, investing, managing debt, and planning for retirement. For women, being financially literate is essential for several reasons:

Financial Independence: Financial literacy empowers women to take control of their financial futures, reducing dependence on others for financial support and decision-making. It enables them to build their wealth, pursue their goals, and navigate life's financial challenges with confidence.

Equal Opportunities: In many societies, women still face disparities in income, employment opportunities, and access to financial resources. Acquiring financial literacy for women can level the playing field and seize opportunities for career advancement, entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment.

Risk Management: Financial literacy equips women with the knowledge to effectively manage financial risks and protect themselves against unforeseen events such as job loss, illness, or divorce. It enables them to make informed decisions about insurance, emergency funds, and other risk-mitigation strategies.

Planning for the Future: From saving for retirement to planning for major life events like buying a home or starting a family, financial literacy enables women to set realistic financial goals and develop actionable plans to achieve them. It provides the foundation for long-term financial security and stability.

Part-Time Jobs for Ladies:

Part-time jobs offer women flexibility, supplemental income, and valuable work experience. In today's gig economy, there are numerous part-time job opportunities tailored to women's skills, interests, and schedules. Some popular part time job for ladies include:

Freelancing: Women with skills in writing, graphic design, programming, or marketing can explore freelancing opportunities on platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, or Fiverr. Freelancing allows them to work on projects remotely and set their own hours.

Consulting: Experienced professionals can leverage their expertise by offering consulting services in areas such as business, career development, marketing, or finance. Consulting offers flexible hours and the opportunity to work with diverse clients.

Online Selling: Women interested in entrepreneurship can start their own online businesses by selling handmade crafts, vintage items, clothing, or beauty products on platforms like Etsy, eBay, or Shopify. Online selling allows them to reach a global audience and manage their business from home.

Tutoring: Women with teaching experience or expertise in a particular subject can offer tutoring services to students in their local community or online. Tutoring provides flexible hours and the satisfaction of helping others learn and succeed.

Understanding Personal Loans for Females: 

Personal loan for female can be a valuable financial tool for women seeking to fund various expenses, such as education, home improvements, or unexpected emergencies. However, it's essential to understand how personal loans work and their implications: 

Interest Rates and Terms: Before applying for a personal loan, women should compare interest rates, loan terms, and repayment options from multiple lenders to find the most favorable terms. Understanding the total cost of borrowing and the repayment schedule is crucial to avoid overextending financially.

Credit Score: Lenders evaluate applicants' creditworthiness based on their credit score, income, and debt-to-income ratio. Women should review their credit reports regularly, identify any errors or discrepancies, and take steps to improve their credit scores if necessary before applying for a personal loan.

Borrowing Responsibly: While personal loans can provide quick access to funds, women should borrow only what they need and can afford to repay comfortably. It's important to have a clear purpose for the loan and to avoid using it for discretionary expenses or non-essential purchases.

Repayment Strategies: Women should develop a repayment strategy to pay off the loan efficiently and minimize interest charges. Making regular, on-time payments and considering options such as automatic payments or bi-weekly payments can help accelerate debt repayment and improve financial stability.

Conclusion:

Financial literacy is a cornerstone of women's empowerment and economic independence in modern society. By equipping women with the knowledge and skills to manage their finances effectively, financial literacy opens doors to greater opportunities, security, and freedom. From understanding part-time job opportunities to navigating options like personal loans, women can take control of their financial futures and build a solid foundation for success. As we continue to strive for gender equality and economic empowerment, investing in financial literacy for women is not just a necessity but a catalyst for positive change and progress.

Savings Through Taxable Income: Proven Recipe of Millionaires

The tax system is complex and keeps on raising questions for many entrepreneurs. Starting with the question of which types of taxes are relevant for you and your company, through various tax obligations and deadlines that must be observed, to the question of how you, as a self-employed person, can save taxes.

More money through depreciation and lump sums

In order to properly save or reduce business expenses, it is first important to understand what it is all about. Depreciation is a decrease in value that ultimately helps you lower your tax burden. Business people show the depreciation of larger purchases; this loss lowers the company's profit and can thus lower the tax liability. The extent to which objects can be written off depends on the respective asset.

In addition to depreciation, lump sums offer you another option to reduce your taxable income regardless of the actual amount of the costs. Some of these so-called allowances or deductions are paid directly by the tax office. You have to have others in your own tax declaration specifications. In order to claim a flat rate, no evidence is usually required. Supporting documents are only used if the actual costs are higher than the flat rate. In this case you can claim these costs additionally.

Reduction of business expenses from tax

Business expenses play an important role as far as tax deductions are concerned. You are not referring to advertising in the sense of marketing but at the expense of working people in the course of their work and their profit diminish. This also includes contributions to professional associations and profession-specific insurance companies.

You can claim advertising expenses with the help of the flat rate. This is currently $ 1,000 per year. Married couples who are jointly assessed can use this even though one of the partners does not even reach the flat rate. For example, if one partner has advertising expenses of $ 800 and the other advertising expenses of $ 1,500, they can claim a total of $ 2,500, as in this case both partners are entitled to the full flat-rate advertising expenses.

The advertising costs include, among other things:

● Customer service,

● Application costs,

● Telephone costs,

● Account management fees,

● Training costs.

Deduct company cars from tax

Please note: The company car can also be tax-deductible. With a commercial use of 90 percent or more, you can save as much as possible, since all relevant expenses such as fuel and insurance for the vehicle can be deducted as advertising costs. In order to deduct travel expenses, it is mandatory to keep a logbook.

Deduct work equipment from the tax

The self-employed can also state work equipment as business expenses. It is important that at least 90 percent of these are also used commercially to be able to deduct them for tax services.

Work equipment includes:

● Office furniture,

● Mobile,

● Computers and laptops,

● Software,

● Professional support,

● Specialist literature.

Regulations for study and rent

Usually home expenses are not deductible. Under certain circumstances, however, the legislature still allows the removal of a private study. There are two prerequisites for this:

● If there is no other workplace available to you, you can deduct up to $ 1,250 per year as operating costs. This category includes, for example, people who work from home because their employer does not provide them with an individual workplace.

● If your study is the focus of your activity, the entire costs can be deducted. This is especially true for freelancers such as writers or freelance journalists.

So, you can save not only on rent, but also on energy, cleaning or renovation costs as well as the property tax with your home insurance.

Deduct company outings from the tax

On a joint excursion with the company, some costs come together: admission tickets, bills, trainers, or tickets make for extraordinary expenses. Here, you have to know that there are also tax exemptions: With up to two excursions per year, expenses of less than 110 euros per participant are tax-free. Further excursions must be taxed in full. If employees bring relatives to the company outing, the costs incurred will be charged to the respective employee.

As a result, the allowance is quickly exceeded. If the expenses exceed the amount of the exemption, they are considered a pecuniary benefit and must be taxed. Alternatively, the difference between the tax exemption and the costs actually incurred can be in the form of flat-rate wage taxis paid by the employer to the tax office. This is currently 25 percent.

Handicrafts and household services

Expenses for craftsmen, household help or gardeners do not reduce the taxable income, but can be deducted directly from the tax liability. Handicraft services related to the household, such as renovation or maintenance work, can almost always be deducted. The prerequisite is that the work is done in your own household.

In order for you to benefit from tax breaks for household-related services, it must be a marginal part of the job. It is also important that you participate in the so-called household check procedure and register your domestic help. You can only take advantage of this tax reduction if you receive an invoice or the contribution to be paid has been transferred. Cash payments are not accepted.

Special expenses: Tax deductible donations and health insurance

Special expenses include all expenses that do not fall into the category of business expenses or advertising expenses. From pension expenses to church tax, there are a number of expenses that can be deducted as special expenses. Here is an overview of possible special editions:

Deduct health insurance from tax

With the introduction of the Citizens Relief Act in 2010, the self-employed have the opportunity to deduct health and long-term care insurance contributions from tax. The contributions to statutory health insurance and long-term care insurance can be almost completely deducted. Note that there is also a maximum limit for pension expenses. If this is exceeded, only the contributions that exist within the framework of the basic benefits can be taken into account. Optional tariffs and additional services are not deductible.

For privately insured persons, somewhat different regulations apply, which are usually somewhat more complicated, as various, non-deductible additional benefits are often involved.

Donations in the tax return

Those who donate are doing good and can save taxes at the same time. As a self-employed person, you can state donations as special expenses in your income tax return. Companies consider this category under business expenses. In order for donations to be actually recognized as such, the following requirements must be met:

● They support charitable, charitable or church purposes.

● The donations do not constitute payment for something in return.

● They take place for voluntary and unselfish reasons.

● The recipient is from a tax office recognized as non-profit.

In order for the tax office to accept donations in your tax return, you must also provide evidence. For donations of up to $ 200, the deposit slip or a bank statement is sufficient. If the sum exceeds this amount, an officially recognized donation receipt must be presented.

Save on church tax

Anyone who lives in the USA and is a member of a religious community who is entitled to the collection of church tax must pay church tax. The amount depends on the respective place of residence and is divided into two percentages. For example, in some states, you pay 8 percent and 9 percent in other states. The church tax can also be indicated in the special expenses. Those who leave the church are accordingly exempt from church tax liability.

Tax deduction from private schools

The young have a right to education – and in private schools this right is expensive compared to state schools. If you send your child to a private school, you can also deduct part of the school fees for tax purposes. A maximum of 30 percent of the costs may be claimed, but may not exceed $ 5,000 per child. If the child attends a foreign school, this must be recognized by the State authorities in order to claim the costs.

Deduct maintenance from tax

Anyone who is obliged to pay maintenance can regularly deduct this from tax. The maximum amount here is $ 9,000 per calendar year. If the payments are specified as special expenses, one speaks of real splitting. This is where the tax performance principle comes into play. This means that the maintenance payments reduce the performance of the payer and increase that of the recipient. Ultimately, this leads to a reduction in your tax burden when you have to make maintenance payments. For this principle to take effect, the maintenance recipient must be on the income tax return sign.

Extraordinary burdens in the event of unexpected events

In order to avoid cases of hardship due to extraordinary burdens, these can also be claimed as special expenses. The limit up to which you can claim these expenses is determined individually by the tax office and is based on factors such as marital status and number of children.

Some examples of such extraordinary burdens are:

● Allergies: Medicines and therapies can be deducted as medical expenses. If you make permanent use of a drug, it is best to submit a permanent prescription to the tax office.

● Alternative medicine: These are costs that arise for homeopathy or herbal medicine. If a doctor has prescribed the treatments, an official medical certificate is not necessary.

● Funeral costs: If the estate is insufficient to cover the costs of a funeral, relatives can claim them for tax purposes. This includes costs for the coffin, flowers and wreaths as well as obituaries.

● Treatment costs: The health insurance does not always cover all costs incurred for a spa treatment or therapeutic treatment. Costs borne by yourself for accommodation or travel can be deducted from tax.

● Care costs: Age-related accommodation in a retirement home is not tax-deductible. However, if this occurs for reasons of illness, this is also one of the extraordinary burdens.

Punctuality and order pay off

It is helpful to deal with the unavoidable tax return not only when it is due, but for the entire financial year. Keeping your documents tidy and keeping your invoices and receipts carefully and orderly saves you a lot of work and time.

In addition, a separate business account of personal and professional income and expenses as well as the corresponding evidence to the tax office. In addition, you can easily keep an eye on your professional expenses.

Ways to Earn Extra Income During a Financial Hardship

Life is much like riding a roller coaster with many ups and downs. Because of this, many people who don't have a budget in place, and live paycheck to paycheck, often experience a severe financial hardship that can be difficult to survive. The good news is that there are many ways to bring in additional money to help ease your financial woes.

Take Out a Loan

During an emergency, if you need access to funds immediately, you can reach out to a family member and ask to borrow money for a few weeks. If this is not something available to you, then you can apply for personal installment loans. In many cases, even if your credit isn't at the preferred level to lenders, these types of loans are easier to acquire.

Sell Things You No Longer Need

A fast way to put some money into your pocket is to sell things you no longer want or need. Check around in your attic, basement or garage and see what you have stored away. If you've resided at the place residence for more than a few years, chances are pretty good, that you have things that others will want to buy. You can have a yard sale or you can take advantage of the computer age and post pictures with a description online at sites such as Craigslist, eBay or the Facebook Marketplace.

Use Your Skills

Most people have acquired skills that they can use to earn additional income. Maybe you enjoy working on cars or you're able to fix just about anything around the house, like a handyman. There's an abundance of public need for services such as lawn care, babysitting and tutoring. You can also check online and apply to do things like take surveys or write for blogs. While they won't make you rich, they will supplement your income and help pull you over the hurdle.

Pay Your Bills on Time

Yes paying your bills on time saves you money, and surprisingly in more ways than you might imagine. When you pay them on time you don't incur a late fee and with some companies that can add up to hundreds over the course of a single year. Beyond the late fees, late payments can cause your credit score to take a hit. Suddenly, you are no longer on the "A" list for lenders so you pay more for things like a mortgage or a car loan and insurance. A low credit score can even prevent you from getting hired at a new company.

Trim the Fat

Every household has areas that need improving. When you find yourself in a tough financial time, trimming the waste can help you make it through. For instance, if you dine out or order take-out at least once a week, cut it back to once or twice a month. The same applies to buying coffee on the way to the office and eating lunch out.

Additionally, start paying close attention to your monthly bills, more specifically your cable bill. This is an excellent starting place for removing wasted money. Instead of paying for many extra channels, half of which you don't ever watch, remove them, and go to basic service until you free up monies to live more comfortably.

Most people will have a period of time in their lives where money is tight. Luckily, when these pitfalls occur there are ways to increase your income and continue to enjoy a comfortable life.

How to Compare and Choose the Right ULIP Plan

A ULIP is an investment product launched by a few eminent insurance providers as compared to the more generalized form of insurance policies developed by others. It’s actually an integrated plan that creates both the opportunities of coverage and investment for the policyholder simultaneously.

The life coverage that you enjoy will claim a portion of your premium. The remaining portion is invested in a preferred fund so that you achieve a safety-shield for protecting the entire household financially. A ULIP plan yields great returns on the vested amount even in the event of any untoward incident. ULIP plans have always been preferred over other forms of insurance due to their lucrative features.

Things to consider while choosing ULIP plans:

Multiple funding options – When it comes to asset allocation, a plethora of options is created by the best ULIP plans in the industry. Compared to investing your entire savings in just a couple of funds, you may consider picking a ULIP plan with multiple funding options that offer a more diversified allocation in equities. A ULIP will help you gain a few additional investment options or an appropriate plan besides curbing your investment risks.

Choosinga plan online – These days, it has become a lot easier to choose an online ULIP plan due to their lucrative options. You may pick the right plan that matches your financial situation. It’s much easier to compare all ULIP plans online as you can check their features simultaneously.

The cost factor – You must pick a ULIP plan that seems more feasible in order to avoid the financial burden of meeting your premium. Your policy might lapse in case you’re unable to meet the cost of the premium. This isn’t a good thing for your financial situation.

Opportunity to switch – There are a few ULIP plans that yield the facility of switching between each of your funds. You’ll gain the flexibility to restrict investing in a certain fund and opt for another suitable fund of your choice.

Facility of redirecting premium – Choose a ULIP plan that comes with the advantage of premium redirection. It enables you to choose the right investment fund and percentage of premium that you wish to pay for it. You’ll even gain the flexibility of lowering and increasing the percentage depending on your changing financial needs.

You must ensure that your ULIP policy yields all the right features that other similar plans provide for. You must have the facility of transferring the accumulated investment from the current fund to a better one within your preferred time. It’s in your best interest to gain an opportunity for redirecting the premium in your chosen funds.

Gaining access to your wealth by way of partial withdrawal and loans is even important. You may also need to explore the option of paying your premium within a specified period while enjoying insurance protection and wealth accumulation for a longer duration. Besides that, you must also achieve tax benefits as per the Sections 10D and 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

5 Personal Savings Tips to Put Your Savings on Auto Pilot

Putting money into savings is always a smart decision, but it's not always clear how to work that into the budget. After all, having the money sitting there in your checking just opens up the possibly of making unnecessary and impulse purchases. To take care of your hard-earned money, tese five tips will help you go from becoming a chronic spender to a chronic saver, all without having to change your habits directly.

Set Up Regular Automatic Withdrawals

Automated deposits are fast and easy because they happen without you having to worry about them. You should always have a comfortable emergency buffer in savings to help deal with any unforeseen expenses, preferably around six months of your usual salary. Automatically depositing a percentage of your earnings before you account for everything else is like paying your future self to save both time and stress. Set this up immediately if you haven't implemented a savings policy yet as it is the main thing that will help you start saving more.If you work hourly and can't figure out how to set up an automated savings schedule that works with your budget, consider small savings apps like Acorns and Digit that will round out all of your purchases and store the savings in an account for later use. You'd be surprised how much those little savings bits can add up!

Split Your Direct Deposit When Submitting to Tour Employer

Most employers pay by using direct deposit, but you don't have to have all of your funds deposited into one account. You can set up a percentage split with most employers that will see a portion of your income going directly into savings. You're less likely to pull it out of savings and spend it than you are if you leave it sitting in your checking account.

Switch to a Bank or Credit Union that Pays Interest on Savings

Stop banking with an institution that doesn't pay you a dividend on the money you're saving with them. Most standard big corporate banks like US Bank and Bank of America pay paltry interest rates on their savings accounts and charge account maintenance fees on top of that. If you're paying your bank to hold an account, then you're losing money you could otherwise be saving.Online-only banks like Ally and Capital One 360 offer competitive 1.80% APY on their savings accounts and often have multiple options that can be tailored to suit your needs, depending on the amount of money you're saving.

Consider Using a Cash-Back Credit Card for Daily Purchases

Instead of using your debit card for all of your necessary daily purchases, consider putting them on a cash back credit card that will give you a percentage of the purchase price in rewards. Currently, the PayPal Rewards Master card offers 5% cashback on every single purchase, with no rotating rewards categories.If you pay the card off each month and do not carry a balance, that's like getting 5% of what you would have spent back for more savings or to help with those everyday purchases further down the line.

Consider Shopping Around for Your Insurance Needs

If you've been with the same insurance provider for a while, chances are you've seen small rate increases on your bill over the years. These rate increases can account for a significant rise in your budget if you're not careful, so it pays to shop around for both car and house insurance periodically. Shopping around helps to ensure that insurance rates do not increase beyond your means and keeps insurance companies competitive for your business. For car insurance, you will need to have a spotless driving record and be comfortable haggling for rates, but you can always net a more effective rate by talking with your insurance company. Just tell them you're considering switching to a competitor who has a better offer. 9 times out of 10 they want to keep your business and will offer you the competitor’s rate if you stay.

How Payday Loans Work: Getting a Payday Loan

If you’ve ever found yourself in an unexpected financial trouble, you will appreciate how valuable it is to have someone you can turn to for immediate financial help.

Sometimes that someone is not an actual person but an institution. Often, it is a short-term lender such as a payday loan lender.

Payday loans can be a lifesaver. They are small short-term loans that people with a verifiable regular income can take with the commitment that they will repay the amount due on their next payday.

Payday Loan Terms

Depending on your income level, the payday loan amount you can qualify for will generally range from $50 to $1,000.

While the term of the loan is very short, the interest charged on the loan can be very high. If you are in a financial fix, however, the high interest rates may not register as a negative. It will be the price you will be paying to get the loan as soon as you want.

You will be required to make the repayment once and in full. Usually, payday loan lenders get all the information they need to facilitate a repayment such as your bank account details or a post-dated check from you before they disburse the loan.

In some states, it is legal to roll over payday loans. If that is the case in your state, you have the option of extending the loan. I would advise against doing this, though, as it may result in a never-ending cycle of debt.

How to Get Approved for a Payday Loan

Most payday loan providers now offer services online. You can get a payday loan from the comfort of your own living room by just filling in a form on the net.

Before you take a loan from a given lender, search online for reviews of the lender. If there aren’t any reviews, you will probably find web articles comparing the terms of that lender to other lenders.

Your search should lead you to the best payday loan lender for your situation. Whether or not that lender chooses to give you a loan will depend on their eligibility criteria.

It is pretty easy to qualify for a payday loan. If you have a verifiable regular income, you will probably qualify for a loan. The details you need to pay attention to include:

i. Age: you have to be at least 18 years old.

ii. Income: you should be able to prove that you had income in the past 3 months.

iii. Employment: most lenders lend only to those who are employed. If you are a casual worker, you should do some research and find local offline payday loan providers that lend to people like you.

iv. Credit: you can get a payday loan with a bad credit score. Nonetheless, some lenders might limit how much they give out to people with bad credit scores.

To increase your chances of being approved, you should consider obtaining your credit report and submitting it when applying for a payday loan. If you have a good credit history and are employed, almost all payday loan providers will consider you a good customer.

It is important that you limit the number of applications you submit. Do not be tempted to submit several applications with different lenders at the same time.

Every application will probably be incorporated in your credit report as a loan inquiry. If there are several inquiries, you may lower your credit score.

Developing a Healthy Relationship with Payday Loans

When used responsibly, payday loans can be a useful tool to get over unexpected financial hurdles.

In the wrong hands, payday loans can lead to the formation of very bad financial habits. Since some states allow lenders to roll over their loans, some lenders find themselves in a habitual cycle of debt.

Such a habit is not healthy if you have goals of attaining financial independence. The habit may also lead to a poorer credit score which can affect your ability to land long-term loans.

You should strive to repay your loan as soon as it is due. Below are some of the steps you can take to ensure that you have the cash to pay off the loan when it is due:

i. Suspending unnecessary monthly subscriptions: if you have monthly subscriptions that aren’t a necessity such as Netflix, magazines, online courses, and cable, you should consider suspending them until you have your payday loan repaid.

ii. Generate more cash: you can increase your cash flow by working more hours (overtime) at your job or by looking for a side-hustle to generate more cash.

iii. Sell things you don’t need: if there are things in the house you don’t use but which could be sold on sites such as eBay, you should consider selling them. This is one of the quickest ways to generate cash to help you avoid the cycle of payday loan debt.

iv. Cut costs: you can make a few lifestyle choices that can save you some money over the course of a month. Something as simple as carrying packed lunch to work instead of eating at restaurants can save you more than a hundred bucks in a month. Three or four similar lifestyle changes can get you all the money you need to pay back the payday loan.

ULIPs Yield Great Tax Saving Investment Options – Find Out

Several investment options in India have been affected by demonetization and our own spending habits. On the other hand, most of the fixed deposit rates have been lowered by banks post this demonetization drive. Chances are here that the FD rates might drop even further. This is a situation where in all investors are preferring life insurance over other investment options.

ULIPs (Unit-linked Life Insurance Policies) have gained much presence in the investment market as they’re considered to be a much safer means of creating wealth in the long run. Reasons behind the increasing popularity of these ULIPs comprise of their lucrative returns besides their tax saving and protective nature. Out of all the features of a unit-linked insurance plan or ULIP, the most important one seems to be its capacity to invest an individual’s premiums into equity funds as well as mixed debts in different proportions. It doesn’t even yield any tax liability for enacting transfers between separate funds.Besides yielding extra tax-saving advantages for the investors, ULIPs act as a financial tool that links multiple investment options.

Few of the ULIP advantages have been mentioned below:

Deductible premiums

The premiums that are paid for a coverage plan like ULIP get invested with certain financial instruments, debt, and equity. The premium that goes out towards this policy is shown as a deduction under section 80C of IT Act. ULIP premiums may be considered as a deduction from the taxable income up to a certain limit under section 80C. In addition, a ULIP enables the policyholder to pick an asset class and contribute towards his investment planning accordingly. The risk-tolerance of a young investor is much higher and it enables him to follow the more-risk more-return equity investment strategy. To lower your market risks and fetch quality returns, you may pick a mix of financial market instruments, debt, and equity.

Flexibility to change asset classes

A ULIP investor can switch over to a new asset class from the existing one or may even get the funding proportion modified for his current investment in financial instruments, debt or equity.

Non-taxable withdrawals

Apart from the benefits mentioned before, ULIPs may come with great tax saving opportunities against withdrawals. These benefits aren’t meant for the mutual fund investors. Withdrawals may occur when the policyholder needs to withdraw a portion of his investment, when the policy gets maturity or when the policyholder passes away. Death benefit offered by your ULIP isn’t taxable at all. ULIPs show a close similarity to any traditional insurance plan that yields guaranteed financial protection for the dependents of the insured.

Extended coverage

Periodic top-ups offered under ULIPs are a good investment option for individuals possessing excess cash. In a favorable situation, an investor is likely to gain certain tax saving advantages, guaranteed protection, and great returns through different modes of investment like that of mutual funds and life insurance policies. However, it’s quite tough and challenging to strike the right balance between various investment options.

That’s one reason why so many of the modern investors are opting for ULIP and similar combination products. This is certainly an effective option to get your life coverage benefits trebled. Without experiencing any complication and risk of suffering losses, you’ll now be able to enjoy these tax saving options and high ROIs.

Credit: Is It Always Bad?

Credit gets a bad wrap in financial circles, especially those focused on helping folks get out of debt. However, is getting credit always such a dangerous thing? We’ll investigate below. 

Credit is Good - How The System Works

One reason that credit could be said to be good or at least valuable is that it is the system that allows you to make big-ticket purchases without having the cash to pay for them outright. Yes, OK, in an ideal world we’d all buy our yachts, houses, and vehicles in one single purchase, but in reality, this hardly ever happens. Despite this situation though, we can see get access to these things, and that is largely due to credit. 

Credit is Bad - Can Create Debt

The biggest problem that many people have with credit is the charges that are made to use it. These usually come in the form of interest. This is a fee that you pay on top of the money you owe back. 

The problem here is that if the interest rate you pay is set high or is not fixed, you can end up paying a large sum back, while still not paying off too much of the actual money that you owe. Something that can make it very difficult to get out of debt. 

Credit is Good - Choose To Use It Well

However, it is important to note that the issue with credit isn't strictly cut and dried. In fact, you have to remember that it the credit providers and cards are something that we choose to use. That means if we make a good choice it can be a helpful thing. 

Some people argue that this choice reduces when you don't have a good crediting rating and this forces you to pick credit offer with high repayments rates. However, as you can see from this post, it is just about doing your proper homework and finding the best offers out there to suit your needs. Then you can be in control of your credit borrowing instead of it being the other way around. 

Credit is Bad - Perpetuates The System

Some folks believe that the whole idea of credit is wrong, and it plays into our materialistic society. They suggest that it is something that keeps us in the trap of wanting things that we don't really need or can't afford just because we are exposed to them via adverts all of the time. To them it keeps us trapped in a system that works purely on consumerism and not need.

Credit is Good - Provides For Emergencies 

One factor that the critics of credit often forget is that for many people it is their only recourse when in the midst of an emergency. That means they don't put their grocery shopping on their credit card, and a trip to the mall certainly isn't something that they would use it for either. 

Instead, having access to credit means if they encounter a medical problem, or their vehicle is involved in an accident they can cover this cost. It also means they can pay and it won’t eat into the rest of their budget that is earmarked for other things. 

Yes, sometime it means paying off over a longer period. However, it also means you can set a payment that is affordable and won't interfere with your families everyday life style will still allowing the debt to be paid off. 

Credit is Bad - Lenders don't always check 

Last of all, some people perceive credit as bad because some lender are unscrupulous on who they are lending to. This means they grant credit without doing the proper checks and at a rate that most people struggle to pay off. Something that can cause serious problem for the browser while just making added money for the lender. 

Luckily, the financial industry has clamped down on these sort of lenders recently and the system is much more closely regulated. Something that makes it a lot harder for borrowers to get into unreasonable debt solely by using credit.  

In Conclusion 

Unfortunately, most us cannot change the system or even go against it in our everyday lives. That is why, in conclusion, it is much more productive to see credit as useful service that can help out in emergency situations such as when medical fee need to be arranged, and when we need to make larger purchases. Credit, in fact, could be said to be a good thing for the most part, as long as we handle it correctly.

Importance and Benefits of Cashless Policies

Earlier, insurance providers used to provide reimbursement for all the expenses borne by the insured. However, these days, most insurers offer the benefit of cashless settlement of claims. According to this arrangement, the insurance providers settle all the expenses with their network providers. You, therefore, do not have to make any out-of-pocket expenses towards the huge medical bills.

It is important to note that in order to avail of the benefit of cashless insurance, it is necessary to visit any of the providers in the insurer’s network. You may view the Third Party Administrator’s (TPAs) website to identify the comprehensive list of hospitals or garage networks, in the case of cashless car insurance.

Cashless policies entail a lot of importance. Following are the three major benefits of cashless policies.

1. Prevents financial strain

The major benefit of a cashless insurance policy is that it prevents financial burden. You do not have to bear any out-of-pocket expenses. This ensures that you do not have to run around arranging funds. Besides, there is no need to liquidate any long-term investments such as mutual funds. Additionally, you do not have to deplete your lifetime savings to meet your expenses. Since the insurance provider settles your bills you may enjoy a great degree of financial freedom.

2. Ensures that you receive quality treatment

In an event of a medical crisis, a cashless mediclaim policy helps you receive the best treatment. You may avail of excellent healthcare facilities without having to pay for any hospital-related expenses, such as domiciliary treatment costs, in-patient care expenses, alternative treatment cost, and ambulance charges, among others. All you have to do is display your health insurance card at the network hospital and fill in the pre-authorization form. The hospital will then forward the application to the TPA. Once the cashless health insurance application is approved successfully, you may receive treatment from the network hospital without making a single payment.

3. Provides value-added services

Greater the annual payouts by the insurance provider to the network companies, higher will be the negotiation power for discounts and offers. This benefit may be directly passed on to the customers. You may save a certain amount on your sum insured and utilize the same towards any subsequent event in the future.

The popularity of cashless insurance has indeed grown. You too may invest in such an insurance policy and avail of the numerous benefits it has to offer. In case you wish to opt for cashless benefit, you may buy insurance online or visit your local branch. By doing so, you may safeguard your financial well-being and have peace of mind knowing that you do not have to bear any financial burden.

Personal Loans: Are They Good or Bad?

There can be many causes why you may need to go for a personal loan. Although, with the uprising in the financial industry, the decision to borrow with a loan is an issue of worry. From wanting to revamp your home or buy a new car or run your business, you can take a personal loan for a plenty of reasons.

Personal loans are surely a good way to access extra money when you run out of finances. They also favor to offering appealing interest rates as compared to credit cards and others. When you need hard cash, getting a bank loan can be an instant solution. A loan link the gap between where you are with your education savings, scholarships and earnings from part-time work to where you want to be.

Although loans and debts can be an occasional problem, personal loans can be useful when in desperate need of money. Just like anything else, getting personal loans comes with a lot of positives and negatives. Here are few reasons why applying for a personal loan and getting one is best:

1. Pay off debts: The quantity you receive from personal loans can be used effectively by offsetting any other debt that makes things hard for you or the debts that have been employed at much higher interest rates. Saying that if you have a home loan or other loan, using the personal loan to eliminate them is a perfect way as interest rates of personal loans are much better than most other loans.

2. Medical Emergencies: It is awful to note that medical emergencies are not always accessible at economical prices and that we cannot risk the lives of our beloved ones. The best choice when it comes to a medical emergency is to get a personal loan.

3. Home Redecoration & Other Requirements: When you get a feeling that your house is in need of renovation or moving from one city to another, there's no better way to handle this by getting a personal loan.

Personal loans can be useful in many scenarios and Canadian Cash Solutions is here to help you out with this, but there are still few scenarios where there are the preferred choices than a regular loan. There is no confusion that a personal loan comes with many responsibilities. With the progress and huge changes in the financial industry, many easy and safe ways to raise funds have been put in place.

1. A Substitute for Personal Loans: Crowd funding is the best substitute for taking personal loans to get your idea or start-up to stellar heights. The primary concept of crowd funding is to let a newcomer or entrepreneur meet possible investors, influence them with the idea or project and obtain the mandatory funding. It can be a single investor or a group of investors. Crowd funding happens on online platforms that provide an ideal stage for clearly informing investors about the project or idea and deciding whether to fund or not.

2. Peer To Peer loans: Peer to peer loans aka P2P loans are the brand new absolute concept of the Financial industry. A trusted P2P lending platform secure funders looking for preferable prospects than those offered by banks and individuals or entrepreneurs looking for quick and easy short-term loans. Previously, there were no appropriate guidelines for these peer loans. But now, with the evolution of the Financial industry, P2P loans are rapidly replacing personal loans.

3. Short Term Payday Loans: Each of us could have faced an abrupt and unexpected need for hard cash and these short-term payday loans are meant to help in such situations. Since they have selected for a very short period of time, they are refunded instantly, which is certainly a benefit. You can go for weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or even daily loans. These are for sure a plus on personal loans.

Fast change in the Financial industry and unconventional loans not only provide a way and approach to reach out to more customers and raise funds easily, but they also overcome geographical dissociation.

Do-It-Yourself Investing: Can It Be Done?

For anyone wanting to make the most of the money they have, investing is often one of the most important and lucrative ways to do so. If you are someone who is thinking of trying to get started in investments of whatever kind, then you are probably keen to make sure that you get it right. This means that you should have a keen eye for what seems to work and what works less well, do whatever you can to make the right decisions, and try not to stress too much in the early days particularly. In this post, we are going to look at this style of do-it-yourself investing which requires the use of no agents or other similar help. Can it really be done by the layman?

No Agent Doesn’t Mean No Help

It is important to remember that just because you are going for a do-it-yourself kind of investment portfolio, that doesn’t mean that you can never have any help whatsoever. In fact, there is plenty of help to be had, and the main thing is that you know which to accept and which not to. Given that you are keen on investing in this way, you will likely want to turn away from anyone who appears to be seeking to tell you what to do with your money. But that doesn't mean you shouldn’t use services like Fundrise Reviews to discover how easy investing can be. With this kind of service, you will find getting started in investments much easier and simpler, and it might even mean that you get more out of them in the long run.

Building A Portfolio Takes Time

No matter who you are or what skills you have, building a portfolio is always going to take some time. It is wise to bear this in mind from the start so that you don't start the process with any unrealistic expectations which could only end up hampering you. If you are aware from the off that you will need to invest mostly a lot of patience in your investments, then you won’t be so disappointed when the results are not immediate, and you can instead choose to continue on until you reach what you are looking for. Patience is the key characteristic of many a good investor, and one which you should definitely not overlook if you can help it.

Learning The Art Of Timing

If there is any skill which will really serve to set you apart from others, it is your ability to time well your purchases and sales. Ultimately, investing is all about timing, as you want to make sure that you get hold of those assets at a low price and ultimately sell them on for much more. Learn the art of timing, and you will be able to make the most of your investments, regardless of what actually happens in the marketplace during that time. This takes time and a certain ability to look closely, so make sure that you try to develop that ability within yourself at the same time.

How Does Indexation Impact Tax Charged on Gains from Debt Mutual Funds?

When you invest, you aim to maximize your returns. However, inflation eats into your actual returns. Additionally, when you exit your investments, you need to pay capital gains tax. Fortunately, the government offers a solution for this, which is known as the indexation benefit.

The basic reasoning for indexation benefit is to ensure you pay tax only on your returns after being adjusted for inflation. This allows you to pay 20% capital gains tax after taking advantage of indexation benefit.

Indexation plays a pivotal role in taxation when it comes to debt mutual fund investments. You may wonder what indexation is. In simple terms, it considers the rate of inflation when you calculate your returns on investments. Indexation results in a significant impact on your actual returns earned when you exit your investments in debt funds. Through indexation, your investment price is adjusted for inflation for the purpose of determining your tax liability when you exit. Indexation offers you several benefits because of the inflation adjustment.

Benefit of indexation

The indexed cost of your investment in debt mutual funds is based on the ratio of the inflation index at the time when you exit your investment. Therefore, a higher value means a reduction in your tax liability. During the long-term, the rising inflation adds up to the purchase cost of your debt funds. On a cumulative basis, it may result in the reduction of your taxable returns when you redeem your investment.

In case of smaller returns over a longer period, your entire returns on investments may be eaten up due to rising inflation. It is likely that in such a situation, you may not have to pay any taxes. It is beneficial because if most of your returns are erased due to inflation, paying taxes is not logical. Furthermore, the returns are only notional and not real due to the rising inflation.

Working of indexation

Indexation takes into account the date on which you invested your funds and the rate of inflation since then. When you apply the indexation benefit, your purchase cost increases. As a result, your profits at the time of exit reduce thereby reducing your tax liability.

Indexation and debt funds

Mutual fund investments are liable either to short-term or long-term capital gains tax. When you opt for tax-saving investments, long-term is defined as at least three years. Therefore, when you stay invested for at least three years, you will be liable to pay long-term capital gains tax. The current applicable rate is 20% post-indexation benefit.

For applicability of indexation, the formula is:

Original investment cost X Cost of Inflation Index (CII) at the time of exit/CII at the time of purchase

Let us understand this further with an example.

Assume that you invested INR 20,000 in tax-saving investments in May 2010. Further, assume that you redeemed your investment in June 2013 to earn INR 40,000. Therefore, your long-term capital gains before indexation are INR 20,000. However, your entire returns are not liable to tax because you remained invested for a period exceeding three years. You are allowed to avail of the indexation benefit, which reduces your long-term capital gains tax.

The indexed returns will be (20000*220)/167, which is equal to INR 26347 (CII was 167 in 2010-11and 220 in 2013-14).

Therefore, your taxable profits = 40000 – 26347 = INR 13653, which is a reduction of INR 6347 (20000 – 13653).

Until recently, the indexation base year was 1981, which is now modified to 2001. Therefore, if you invested before April 1, 1981, your profits may be calculated based on 1981 fair value. However, all investments after April 1 2017 will use 2001 as the base year to calculate the fair value.

In addition to earning profits, investments aim to determine how to save tax. One way is to use the indexation benefits on your long-term investments. You may also choose to pay taxes without taking the indexation benefit at a pre-specified tax rate.

You may choose from several mutual fund schemes. However, you may not have the experience or expertise to compare different schemes. In such a situation, you may consider using the ARQ investment engine, the core feature of Angel Wealth’s mobile application.

One major differentiation of ARQ from other available options is that all the recommendations originate through machines without any human bias or intervention. Based on your personal requirements and risk appetite, ARQ offers investment options that only deliver better returns but also help you know how to save tax.

Download the Angel Wealth app today and enjoy smart and quick investment tips.

Stop Being A Financial Burden For Your Family

As New Year’s resolutions still go, you may want to add a financial health point to your wishes for self-improvement this year. For a lot of people, the beginning of the year is the time to express their dreams and aspirations, from becoming a millionaire to travelling around the world. In reality, resolutions are extremely similar to a toddler’s Santa’s list. They are often full of impossible, unnecessary and self-focused items. Instead, it’s still time to make a difference this year with a selfless aspiration: Not being a financial burden for anybody. Don’t let your family pay for your mistakes anymore.

Payday shark loans that hurt the guarantor

It’s not uncommon at the beginning of the year to struggle to make ends meet, especially as a result of the traditional Christmas debt. You might need a short-term solution to manage the bills this month. Nevertheless, you need to stay avoid from payday loans, even though they may seem accessible and quick. Most payday loans require a guarantor who will have to make repayments if you can’t. With high-interest rates (over 1000%) and lack of security, these shark loans can tear a family apart and put your guarantor in troubles.

How much are you really worth?

While most people tend to believe that their worth in unquantifiable, financial institutions disagree. Your worth is estimated at the end of your life and will be measured in terms of funeral costs, capital assets and remaining debts. In other words, if you don’t want to leave your loved ones exposed to a financial nightmare, you need to take early dispositions, such as researching funerals on a budget and sorting out your debts. Don’t be that person who bankrupts the family with their lack of financial planning.

Ill-advised investment? Don’t take that chance

Did you know that most wealthy families lose their fortune within three generations? One of the main reasons for this misfortune – pun intended – is the pursuit of bad investment decisions. However, you need to be prepared to lose a lot of money if you don’t understand the financial subtleties of the market. In other words, if you don’t understand the business or the market, you shouldn’t invest. But even if you do, you need to stick to amounts that you can lose comfortably instead of betting your entire household income on the success of an unknown startup.

Sharing is not caring

If you’re prone to financial uncertainty, it’s important not to share the risk with your spouse. Joint bank accounts are the most common way to drag your partner into your debts. A poor rate score or the accumulation of unpaid creditors can impact on your spouse’s financial health. If you still need a joint account, you can choose to create an additional and isolated account in which you can both pay money for the weekly or monthly use. This will ensure that you keep daily financial activities separated and don’t put your partner at risk. Show you care and don’t take them down with you!

In the end, becoming debt-free is naturally an objective. But it’s essential that you remember that there is no need to let your financial hiccups affect your family.

When it Comes to Your Finances, Doing Nothing is the Worst Thing You Can Do

If you’re currently dealing with a troubling financial situation, you need to think carefully about what you should do next. The one thing that you should definitely not do is nothing at all. If you allow bad situations to develop at their own pace without intervening, you will live to regret it. Here’s why you should never do nothing when the situation concerns your personal finances.

Inaction Comes From Complacency and Overconfidence

The first thing to note is that people’s inaction so often comes because they are complacent about the situation they find themselves in and they don’t feel that anything too bad could possibly happen to them and their finances. If only that were true. To put it simply, your overconfidence and complacency will cost you if you take things too far and become too relaxed about serious situations.

Bad Situations Tend to Get Worse When Nothing is Done

When you do nothing in a situation regarding your finances, you will find that bad situations tend to get worse. This is the golden rule that you should always assume is true for you and your situation. You can’t just close your eyes and hope things will get better. Maybe 5% of the time issues will resolve themselves. But in the vast majority of cases, real action is required.

There Are Plenty of Ways to Get Yourself Out of Financial Trouble if You’re Willing to Act

There are so many things out there that you can do in order to get yourself and your finances back on track. That’s what it’s most important to recognise and realise. You don't have to remain trapped in the negative situation you find yourself in. It’s all about acting when the time is right for you to do so. Places like debtconsolidation.co can help you with consolidation. And you might even be able to get the debt reduced if you talk to your creditors.

Talk to People if You’re Unsure of the Next Step

Independent debt advice is out there waiting to be taken advantage of, and that’s what you need to do. If you’re willing to be aware enough to reach out and ask for the help you need, without your pride ever stopping you from doing that, you will get yourself back on the right path sooner rather than later.

Don’t Expect Something to Arrive Out of Nothing

There is never going to be a situation in which you can expect something to magically emerge that will solve all your problems for you. If you want to learn how to be more realistic and practical in life, head to theemotionmachine.com/a-realistic-approach-to-thinking. It might give you the advice you need to start taking action and stop waiting for things to simply resolve themselves for you.

Your finances are precious and you need to be looking after them properly at all times. If you just allow things to become problematic and you don’t do anything to put those situation right, you’re only going to land yourself in even more trouble before long.

7 Ways To Make Car Repairs More Affordable

Car repairs can be very expensive. When faced with big repair costs, many people resort to an emergency loan or cut their losses and scrap their vehicle. However, these aren’t the only ways of dealing with high car repair bills. Here are just a few ways to make a trip to the mechanics more affordable.

Have a rainy day fund

Everyone should have a rainy day fund. This is a savings account that can help to pay for expensive disasters, whether it’s a car repair, expensive medical treatment or property maintenance. They key is to only use this money in an emergency and to not dip into for general spending. These accounts can be great for paying for high deductibles, allowing you to lower your insurance rates.

Make an insurance claim

If the damage was not your fault, you may be eligible for an insurance claim that can help to cover repair costs. Don’t try and protect your no claims bonus – you’ll likely save more money by making a claim than you would from any bonus in the future. Always notify your insurer within 48 hours of an accident and only seek repairs once your insurer has paid you your compensation. You don’t want to get repairs only to find out that your insurer wants extra photos of the damage, which you then can’t supply.

Make a legal claim

It may also be possible to make a legal claim is the damage wasn’t your fault, particularly if you were injured. Personal injury lawyers may be able to win you compensation to help pay for any medical bills and vehicle repair bills. Search for experienced lawyer and look out for ‘no win no fee’ deals that could save you money if your claim is unsuccessful.

Shop around for car repair quotes

Different repair centres all charge different rates when it comes to repairs. Try to get multiple quotes from repair centres so that you can then compare prices and choose the cheapest rate. Be wary of some repair centres that may charge suspiciously low rates. It’s possible these repair centres may be making up for a bad reputation – check online to see if there are any reviews of the company. You don’t want to end up with a botch job that results in more future costs.

Buy your own parts

You can often deduct costs by ordering your own parts. Car repair centres make a profit on any parts they have to order in. There are lots of sites online that sell car parts, the cheapest of which are likely to be second-hand. These second-hand parts are worth considering, although you don’t want to buy anything too worn that may need to be replaced again in a few months. Always use trusted parts dealers that have a good online reputation.

Try some DIY repairs

Major repairs are best left to a mechanic, however there may be some small repairs that you feel confident enough to take on yourself. There may be instructions in your car’s driving manual when it comes to various small repairs like changing a headlight bulb or changing a brake pad. If not, you can find instructions for these tasks online through the likes of Youtube. Make sure that you have the right tools for the job. Some tools may be costly – in such cases, it’s best seeking a professional rather than investing in a specialist tool you may never use again.

Consider preventative maintenance

Most people getting their vehicle fixed will focus on the necessary repairs. However, in some cases it could be worth paying extra for a few preventative repairs in order to save money in the long run. A mechanic might recommend getting your cam belt replaced even if it is not mandatory. Replacing it early could prevent other parts getting worn as a knock on effect.