Governments

Retirement income: Systematic withdrawals win over dividends

Banking, Governments, Investments, Mutual Fund, RIA, Taxes / By /

Investors often prefer “income” like dividends over withdrawing capital, even when withdrawals are more tax-efficient.
Austin, investing ₹5 crore for retirement, shared this instinct and favoured the dividend option to avoid “touching capital.”
Behavioural research by Shefrin and Statman shows investors treat dividends as safe, approved income, while selling units feels uncomfortable.
This mental accounting bias is widespread and reinforced by the social-media push for “second incomes.”
But relying only on income requires a much larger corpus and can derail retirement planning.
Recognising these biases helps investors accept disciplined SWPs or products that withdraw only from gains.

Retirement income: Systematic withdrawals win over dividends Read More »

Your credit is easier to steal than your money

Advice, Banking, Financial, Governments, Investments, Mutual Fund, Personal Finance, RIA / By /

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.

Your credit is easier to steal than your money Read More »

Programmable currency: Ensuring donors money is used right

Banking, Governments, Mutual Fund, RIA / By /

Programmable currency can transform the way money is given and used by allowing it to be spent only for its intended purpose. Just as governments could ensure subsidies are used for food or education, individuals like Hema could send money coded specifically for school fees, guaranteeing its proper use without adding friction. With consent-based visibility and universal acceptance, this next step in India’s digital journey could combine trust, traceability, and dignity — empowering millions to give with confidence and impact

Programmable currency: Ensuring donors money is used right Read More »

Loan rates should mirror unfinished homes higher risk

Advice, Banking, Financial, Governments, Investments, RIA, Taxes, Uncategorized / By /

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 »

Name based search: Key to unlocking unclaimed assets

Governments, IEPF / By /

₹1.96 lakh crore is lying unclaimed—could some of it be yours?
That’s the scale of forgotten wealth—bank deposits, insurance, EPF, mutual funds, and shares—scattered across India’s financial system (source: https://bit.ly/42RA5kI). Most heirs don’t even know what to claim, because Indian systems (except IEPF, to a very limited extent) don’t allow a simple name-based search. The true scale of the problem remains hidden. As more people become aware of this, public pressure will grow to fix the broken claim processes. A proposed Central Unclaimed Property Authority (CUPA) could finally enable name-based search—something existing regulators have been psychologically resistant to—and reveal the true extent of the unclaimed property issue.

Name based search: Key to unlocking unclaimed assets Read More »

Instant tax credit: An idea whose time has come

Governments, Taxes / By /

Imagine paying for a movie on an OTT channel but being told to wait a day before watching—just to confirm payment. Sounds absurd, right? Yet, when it comes to taxes, businesses face exactly this problem. Whether it’s TDS or GST input tax credit, parties often don’t get instant credit for the taxes, creating cash flow issues, costly reconciliations, and even write offs. Big players demand full payments upfront, but smaller businesses bear the brunt of delays. What if taxes could be paid directly to the government at the time of payment, with instant credit to both parties? It could transform India’s economy, boost trust in transactions, and level the playing field. But is such a system possible? What are the complications? Read Harsh article in Business standard to find out.

Instant tax credit: An idea whose time has come Read More »

EPF is in urgent need of an overhaul

EPF, Governments, Press / By /

A friend recently found himself facing court summons for an EPF default that happened 15 years ago—long after the problem was resolved. Another, a high-earning professional, is stuck contributing to EPF even though he no longer wants to, losing out on better investment options.
Why? Because once you’re inside the EPF Chakravyuh, there’s no way out. Meanwhile, NPS offers flexibility, investment choice to employees and no criminal liabilities for employers —but employees and employers alike are denied a real choice.
Truth be told, the system needs urgent reform. But will it ever change?
📖 Read the full article (4 minute read) in Business Standard to see why the rigidity of the EPF system affects every employer and employee and the employment generating potential of India itself.

EPF is in urgent need of an overhaul Read More »

Is it a step towards “Nyaya”?

Governments, Press, Taxes / By /

The big bang announcement on tax breaks overshadowed other important announcements like the launch of revamped CKYC 2.0 . That could be the UPI moment for the financial sector as financial inclusion and access to financial products will become easier. The move to activate the moribund annuities market is much needed as the absolute number of senior citizens are quite high in the country. The new tax bill to be introduced next week promises ” Nyaya” to the tax payers. Whether it actually delivers on the promise remains to be seen. Harsh’s take on Budget2025 published in the Business Standard.

Is it a step towards “Nyaya”? Read More »

Reform inefficient succession processes

Governments, Press, Succession / By /

India’s succession process is broken. Most of us have faced issues in dealing with transfer of assets of a deceased investor. Succession remains an obstacle course across all asset classes with real estate and agricultural land being the worst even in cases where there are no disputes. SEBI’s recent circular categorically stating that the MFs or Depositories can only ask for death certificate and KYC documents from the nominees apart from the standardised transmission form (and nothing else) should do much to ease the process of succession in the securities market. The government has a great opportunity to take the ease of living index up many notches by ensuring changes in laws and procedures that will make the succession process easier across the financial sector and possibly even the real estate sector. It requires no budgetary support just the will to act. Will we see action on this front soon?

Reform inefficient succession processes Read More »

Scroll to Top
Secret Link

Vigilance Awareness Week 2025 (VAW2025)

Vigilance Awareness Week 2025 is being observed from October 27th to November 2nd, 2025, with the theme:

सतर्कता: हमारी साझा जिम्मेदारी (“Vigilance: Our Shared Responsibility”).

All stakeholders are encouraged to participate in the e-pledge initiative by visiting the CVC portal: https://pledge.cvc.nic.in/.