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Insurance is the foundation of sound financial planning, yet widespread mis-selling in life insurance and claim denials in health insurance have eroded public trust. IRDAI’s proposed distribution reforms are a welcome step towards restoring confidence. The article advocates four key changes: measuring insurance success by protection coverage rather than premiums collected, launching commission-free insurance products through Bima Sugam, allowing fee-only insurance advisers, and making complaint and claim records publicly accessible. The central message is clear: Insurance must prioritise policyholder protection over commissions and sales, and trust must be earned through honest selling and reliable claim settlements.

An analysis of the capital gains tax income accruing to the Government as a result of the retrospective amendment taxing Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs) purchased through the secondary market. Download the analysis file here

Once romanticised like smoking in 1960s cinema, options trading has become India’s new aspirational vice. Cloaked in technical jargon and regulatory legitimacy, it promises quick wealth while quietly delivering losses—over 93% of retail traders lose money. Recent SEBI orders expose an ecosystem of sophisticated extraction and misleading “education.” If options trading is to be deglamourised, regulation alone won’t suffice; it will require sin taxation, punitive treatment of speculative gains, and sustained cultural signalling—much like the long battle that stripped cigarettes of their allure.