'The cost of flying to Prayagraj has gone up six times due to the Kumbh Mela.'
The country's largest private lender HDFC Bank on Saturday reported a 6.51 per cent decline in its consolidated net profit to Rs 16,474.85 crore in the April-June quarter compared to the previous January-March quarter. The city-headquartered lender, which merged its mortgage major parent HDFC into itself in July last year, had reported a net profit of Rs 17,622.38 crore in the March quarter. On a standalone basis, the net profit declined to Rs 16,174.75 crore in April-June 2024-25 from Rs 16,511.85 crore in January-March 2023-24.
Seems daunting? With right financial planning, patience, and commitment, this goal is entirely achievable, says Ramalingam Kalirajan. Here's how
'Expect our food delivery business to deliver sustainable adjusted EBITDA margins of about 5 per cent in the medium term.'
Layoffs, corporate restructuring, governance and most importantly profitability: The 14 Indian startups that plan IPOs this year are pulling out all the stops to ensure successful market debuts.
Mihir Tanna, Associate Director, S K Patodia & Associates, answers your tax queries.
Power utilities may report moderate growth in earnings for Q3FY25. Generation is up 3 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in Q3 on lower cooling demand and high base, to 429 billion units (BU). Peak demand was steady at 224 Gw in Q3FY25, a 10 per cent decline from the record highs of 250 Gw in May 2024.
First things first: For those wondering if they need to reapply, the answer is no.
'...he keeps his campaign promises, does what he said he will do which led to his huge victory.'
The existing double taxation avoidance agreements will not be covered by the proposed change, implying that in order to tax Facebook, Google and the like, India will require to renegotiate tax treaties.
'Non-par plans returns are not market-linked. Hence, they can offer guaranteed returns.'
Delhi faces a severe financial crunch and the deficit is largely due to numerous welfare schemes without adequate revenue flowing in. The success of welfare schemes and electoral promises will need careful financial planning and out of the box thinking to whip up additional revenue, notes Ramesh Menon.
Ask rediffGURU and PF expert Nitin Narkhede your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
The life insurance industry does not have a good track record when it comes to passing on tax benefits to policyholders, points out Harsh Roongta.
Individuals often postpone tax planning till the end of the financial year. As the deadline for showing proof of investments draws near, they invest randomly in any product that will help them save tax for that year. Later, they realise that it is not suited for them, so they abandon it. Tax planning should not be a standalone, one-off activity, but should be in sync with your overall financial plan, says Sanjay Kumar Singh.
The Centre is unlikely to offer new direct tax incentives for units operating in special economic zones (SEZs) and may instead allow the grandfathering of previous exemptions that such units were entitled to, according to proposed amendments to the SEZ Act, 2005, people aware of the matter said. The amendments, proposed by the commerce department, will soon be considered by the Cabinet for approval. This represents a departure from the department's earlier plan to introduce these changes through the Development Enterprises and Services Hubs (DESH) Bill, 2023, which faced strong criticism from the ministry of finance.
Two tax-saving funds that you might consider investing in. Here are their salient features.
After a stellar 2023, the mutual fund industry sustained its growth momentum in 2024 with an impressive Rs 17 lakh crore surge in assets, driven by buoyant equity markets, robust economic growth, and increasing investor participation. Experts are predicting the positive trend will extend into 2025.
Shami has been steadily rebuilding his form through domestic cricket. Making his Ranji Trophy return last November, he guided Bengal to a season-opening victory with a match haul of seven wickets.
Investors with a long-term horizon and high-risk appetite seeking capital appreciation can consider investing in ELSS.
'There are 725,000 Indians here without proper papers. They are subject to deportation immediately under this (Trump's immigration plan). Immediately!' 'They want to prevent new immigration, get the people who are already here out of here, and only allow population increases in the white population.'
Invest in MFs for liquidity and choice of funds. Invest in NPS for the tax benefits, tax-free rebalancing, and for earmarked savings for retirement.
The July 31 deadline is closer than we think. And, to get us in good shape for filing tax returns here is a handy guide to keep in mind.
For those of you who ran pillar-to-post last year to save that extra dough, here's a lesson or two on the tax deductions / exemptions that you should not miss.
'Investors with a long-term investment horizon and the risk appetite for fluctuations in property values may find SM Reits a viable option.'
'Despite rising inflows, many NRIs lack awareness about NRO and NRE accounts and mistakenly use family accounts or invest in a relative's name.' 'Many are unaware of tax implications.'
'By investing in a basket of funds, FoFs can help minimise the impact of underperforming funds, thus reducing overall investment risk.'
'Asset allocation should change only if your goals, life situation, or risk profile have changed.'
The National Informatics Centre uses AI to automate document analysis and detect fraud in government departments.
Follow this 15 x 15 x 15 rule to become a crorepati without taking big risks. Ramalingam Kalirajan explains how
New investors should gradually build a 5 to 10 per cent allocation to gold.
Ask rediffGURU and tax expert Mihir Tanna your income tax-related questions.
Proliferation of home chargers of around 7 KWh and above, which take six to seven hours to fully charge a car depending on the model, bring running costs down by a third or so. That, coupled with the increasing range of modern electric cars, can lead to a massive increase in sales.
Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das on Tuesday said the fiscal-monetary coordination was at its best during the last six years even as he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving the opportunity to head the monetary authority of the country. Das, in a series of posts on X, on his last day of his six-year term as RBI Governor, also thanked the Finance Minister, various stakeholders and his colleagues at the central bank.
Are you ready to take control of your financial future? Ramalingam Kalirajan offers a step-by-step guide to calculate exactly how much money you will need when you enter your golden years.
'Compare the new slabs with the previous years to understand if your tax liability will increase or decrease after the Budget.'
Although UltraTech Cement's results for the December quarter of the current financial year (Q3FY25) were not an improvement compared to Q3FY24, the company managed to surpass Street expectations. The company's profit attributable to the owners of the parent dropped 17.4 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 1,469.5 crore in Q3FY25 as against Rs 1,777 crore in Q3FY24.
'Investors with foreign currency-denominated goals, such as foreign education or foreign travel, should go for US equity funds.'
For a working couple, an efficient tax plan can be achieved by jointly making use of their dual income to invest, and the income tax rules to their advantage. Here are six smart tips from Investment Yogi, to help couples save more and maximise wealth.
Our advice: engage the services of a qualified investment advisor, make an investment plan for your tax-planning investments and stick to it; finally don't deviate from your risk appetite.
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