The market-linked health plans have advantages, but can hurt during downturns. This one is for the indisciplined investor.
Two leading banks, State Bank of India and HDFC Bank, have sought permission from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to buy gold from retail investors.
Card protection through insurance is a good idea, but stringent guidelines make it quite unattractive.
Rising delinquencies and non-performing assets in the credit card business are forcing banks to reorient their outlook, from an aggressive sales strategy to inducting people who will focus on recovery and cleaning up the portfolio.
"Cards that are not active have a cost attached to them," said the head of the cards business with a foreign bank. The cost of each statement generated and posted is around Rs 10. In isolation, this cost may look negligible. But a bank with two million customers spends Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million) a month on this communication and Rs 24 crore (Rs 240 million) annually. Then, there are card replacement charges that a bank has to bear when the validity expires.
Within 15 days of opening the registration process for Nano, its Rs 1 lakh car, Tata Motors has sold nearly 5,00,000 application forms, raking in Rs 15 crore (at Rs 300 each). Distributors associated with the Nano bookings said most of the forms were likely to translate into bookings.
Based on the current scenario, he classifies real estate as the highest in the risk grade, followed by infrastructure companies involved in construction, hotels, commodities and auto.
Deposit a minimum 500 grams of gold to a selected SBI branch, specify the tenure and deposit the metal. The interest rate for a 3-year deposit is 1 per cent, for four years it is 1.25 per cent and for a five-year tenure it is 1.5 per cent. And, on top of it, the income from this deposit is tax-free. "This is possible because when you deposit the gold, SBI gives you a gold bond. And there is no wealth tax on gold held in paper or electronic form," said CA Kanu Doshi.
ICICI Bank, the biggest credit card issuer, has made it conditional for some of the credit card applicants, who do not meet the bank's eligibility criteria, to open FDs under a scheme called Fixed Deposit Instant Credit Card.
Investment advisers believe that it makes little sense to swap assets (shares) accumulated over time for an expense (holiday). "Selling shares of a blue-chip company only reflects that you don't believe in it," said Gaurav Mashruwala, a certified financial planner.
Over the past few quarters, the auto industry's sales had been badly hit due to the recession. As a result, auto companies, distributors as well as direct selling agents are doing their best now to sweeten the deal for prospective customers.
Ensure maximum payout from the insurer when opting for a non-network hospital.
Chances are that some so-called investment consultant will confuse you with so many permutations and combinations that you will resign yourself to buying something that is not needed.
With fixed deposit rates coming down, bonds are once again proving to be an attractive investment.
Ajit Jain specialises in mega-catastrophe coverage, that is, he takes risks that rivals avoid.
The top-up policy is cost effective for both users and companies.
Cheap investment options that offer quick entry and exit.
Banks are willing to help cardholders to settle dues.
Weighed down by mounting outstandings and non-performing assets (NPAs), credit card companies are taking strong measures that include slashing new card issuances and credit limits for existing customers.
Sources said that this is a contingency plan, in the event of an exit of the present heads of its two subsidiaries ICICI Prudential and ICICI Ventures. At present, Shikha Sharma is managing director & chief executive officer (CEO) of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, while Renuka Ramanathan is managing director and CEO of ICICI Ventures.
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