Your credit is easier to steal than your money.
With just a phone number and an OTP, fraudsters can trick lenders into approving loans in your name — without your knowledge. Weak consent systems, no instant alerts, and rushed digital lending have made identity theft alarmingly easy. It’s time India strengthens its safeguards with verified consent, real-time alerts, and stricter ID checks to truly protect borrowers.
Rajesh and Seema’s ordeal with a stalled housing project shows how India’s home loan system masks the biggest risk in real estate — that under-construction projects may never be completed. Banks and buyers treat them like ready homes, offering or taking loans at the same rates despite far higher uncertainty. With weak enforcement of RERA safeguards, homebuyers are left exposed. Differential interest rates — lower for completed homes, higher for under-construction ones — would make risks visible, protect buyers, and push the housing finance system toward fairness.
Loan rates should mirror unfinished homes higher risk Read More »
Have you ever sold a car and signed a blank transfer form — did you know it could stay in your name for months and even end up as a terror tool, just like in the Parliament attack of 2001?
RCs often remain in the seller’s name while vehicles pass through multiple hands. If that car is in an accident, you may still be liable. Worse, it can be misused in crime — even terrorism — while the records still show you as the owner.
Other countries have solved this problem with simple processes. India’s draft rules of 2022 offered a clear solution: dealer authorisation, digital delivery intimation, and deemed ownership during possession. Yet three years later, these reforms remain unnotified.
Notify draft rules making dealer liable for sold vehicle Read More »
The story of a visually impaired masseur exposes how compliance and mis-selling limit access to sound financial advice. SEBI’s accessibility rules, coupled with rising audit costs, add to the heavy burden on solo investment advisers. A review of regulations is needed to balance fiduciary standards with practical, proportionate compliance.
When compliance overwhelms, access to advice suffers Read More »
Abhilash dislikes selling mutual fund units monthly to pay his RIA.
MFD commissions are deducted automatically, but RIA fees need direct payment.
He suggests letting funds sell units and pay RIAs directly.
This keeps costs transparent, taxable, and investor-controlled.
Removing such friction can make quality advice widely accessible.
KYC prevents fraud and keeps money trails traceable, but poor implementation turns it into a hassle. India has the digital tools—what’s needed is portability, verification, and strict enforcement.
The digital tax era promised simplicity, but ended up doubling the burden. Joint holders—added for ease—now face notices, penalties, and faceless assessments. India needs a statutory Taxpayer Rights Ombudsman, like the US, to protect honest taxpayers from systemic flaws.
💡 Why splitting FDs across banks doesn’t add up?
Chasing slightly higher returns by spreading your fixed deposits across multiple banks might seem smart — but it can lead to a logistical and emotional mess. From redundant KYC formalities to poor service, mis-selling, and hassles for your nominees, the hidden costs outweigh the tiny interest gain.
As the PMC Bank case shows, even insured money may not be accessible quickly or with interest.
👉 A better alternative? Hybrid funds that balance safety, returns, and liquidity without the stress.
🔗 Read the full article to understand why:
Not every race is worth running — in life or in money.
A childhood car ride taught Harsh a lesson he didn’t fully understand until much later in life.
In Harsh’ latest Truth Be Told column for Business Standard, he reflect on how the urge to compete — especially in financial matters — can quietly pull us off course.
This isn’t just about investing. It’s about resisting pressure, staying the course, and focusing on your own destination.
“FD can give better returns over a 10 year period than stock markets”. That was the shocking statement that triggered this article in Business Standard more so because is true 5% of the time (95% of the time stock markets beat fixed deposits over 10 years). Clients often struggle to embrace rolling returns, which offer a clearer picture than misleading point-to-point comparisons. Mark Twain’s words on ‘lies, damned lies, and statistics’ resonate when cherry-picking exceptional periods like the rare 10 year period where FDs beat the stock market—ignoring that 95% of the time, stocks outperform FDs. Investors reading this please remember this when your advisor is asking you to exit a fund which has given good point to point returns but has poor rolling returns compared to its benchmark and peers.
Rely on rolling returns, not point to point data Read More »
Vigilance Awareness Week 2025 is being observed from October 27th to November 2nd, 2025, with the theme:
All stakeholders are encouraged to participate in the e-pledge initiative by visiting the CVC portal: https://pledge.cvc.nic.in/.
