Ask rediffGURU Reetika Sharma your insurance, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Tier-II, Tier-III, and rural regions accounted for 62 per cent of all new health insurance policies sold by insurers so far in 2025-26 (FY26), according to a Policybazaar report. These regions are also witnessing a rise in the sum assured opted by customers.
Dungarpur Police have arrested three individuals involved in an organized gang allegedly siphoning money from life insurance policies using forged documents, with the fraud involving approximately Rs 58 lakh.
Ask rediffGURU Naveenn Kummar your insurance mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
rediffGURU T S Khurana answers readers' personal income tax queries
Regular money talks, setting up joint goals, and regular reviews can help couples stay aligned.
Regular money talks, setting up joint goals, and regular reviews can help couples stay aligned.
The 13th-month persistency rate of life insurers - an important metric indicating the retention of new policies - declined in the first quarter of 2025-26 (Q1FY26). This fall was primarily driven by a lower share of high-value policies, following taxation changes implemented in April 2023.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks focusing on rebuilding bilateral relations, emphasizing border peace and addressing cross-border terrorism.
The Maharashtra municipal elections showed a troubling shift, where votes were traded for cash, convictions no longer mattered, and ideology became an afterthought, observes Ramesh Menon.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that raising the FDI limit to 100 per cent in the insurance sector will help attract more capital, improve competition and increase insurance penetration by making policies more affordable.
Ask rediffGURU Naveenn Kummar your insurance mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
With winter holidays approaching, some Indian travellers will venture abroad. Many will be underprepared for medical and other travel-related risks. Trip disruptions, missed connections, and steep medical costs in developed countries can leave travellers exposed if they underestimate the coverage they need.
Recent years have been turbulent for the insurance industry due to direct and indirect tax reforms, regulatory overhaul and other external pressures. The events cumulatively slowed growth rate to single digits from the high teens seen earlier.
Two Delhi-based traders were arrested in Hapur after attempting to cremate a mannequin instead of a human body to fraudulently claim insurance money. The scheme involved using the identity of an employee's brother to obtain a life insurance policy and then staging his death.
'Reviewing terms such as war, invasion, acts of foreign enemies or hostilities, which often appear in industry exclusion lists, can help avoid surprises at the time of claim.'
When illness strikes, this cover cushions the fall -- guarding health, finances, and the family's fragile future
Make sure the rider adds value rather than just adding to cost.
The government aims to cover around 60 million people in the age category, irrespective of income, with an assured 5 lakh annually to be shared within the family.
Use these loans to meet emergency needs, and not to fund holidays or luxury purchases.
The exemption of individual life and health insurance premiums from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) enables the insurance industry to make products affordable and attractive, said Ajay Seth, chairman of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) at the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit 2025.
'Having a separate healthcare corpus is extremely important even for those already covered by health insurance.'
The reduction in goods & services tax (GST) on individual life and health insurance premiums has been called a "landmark step" for making insurance affordable and inclusive. In a panel discussion at the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit 2025, Anup Bagchi, managing director (MD) & chief executive officer (CEO) of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance; Mahesh Balasubramanian, MD & CEO of Kotak Life Insurance; Tarun Chugh, MD & CEO of Bajaj Life Insurance; and Ratnakar Patnaik, MD of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), listed what else the industry needs to reach more people.
A vehicle seller remains legally liable for any accident until the RTO officially updates the registration certificate, even if the vehicle was sold earlier.
A vehicle seller remains legally liable for any accident until the RTO officially updates the registration certificate, even if the vehicle was sold earlier.
The Supreme Court reserved its judgement on a plea regarding insurance coverage for doctors and health workers who died battling Covid-19 in private clinics and non-recognized hospitals. The court emphasized the importance of supporting doctors and ensuring valid claims are settled.
Those who have binged on credit must spend less, cut discretionary expenses, and focus on repayment.
The Centre has proposed exempting life and health insurance policies for individuals from GST, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and convenor of insurance GoM Samrat Choudhary said on Wednesday. Currently, health and life insurance premium attracts 18 per cent GST.
To handle the sudden loss of cashless facility, patients should maintain an emergency fund or a short-term credit line to manage all or part of hospitalisation costs.
Self-employed individuals often face hurdles in buying term insurance due to financial documentation that doesn't fully reflect their earnings. This complicates underwriting.
Ask rediffGURU and PF, MF and insurance expert Purshotam Lal your mutual fund, insurance and personal finance-related questions.
The GST Council on Wednesday approved a two-tier rate structure of 5 and 18 per cent, which will be implemented from September 22.
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has removed the age cap on buying health insurance policies, effective from April 1, 2024. Earlier, individuals were restricted to purchasing new insurance policies only until the age of 65. However, after the recent changes that have come into effect from April 01, 2024, anyone, regardless of age, is eligible to purchase a new health insurance.
Murders disguised as accidents. In one horrifying case, a man insured his father, mother, and wife -- then allegedly killed them all. He claimed Rs 54 crore in insurance.
Given that a sizeable part of this money is part of the coveted current accounts and savings accounts, it is surprising that banks are not in a hurry to revive these accounts, notes Tamal Bandyopdhyay.
Zero depreciation cover ensures that the insurer pays the full replacement cost of parts such as bumpers, headlamps, side mirrors, and plastic fittings.
New lower GST rates kicked in from Monday, resulting in a slashing of prices of as many as 375 items ranging from toothpaste and shampoo to cars and television sets, a move seen as an attempt to boost consumption to cushion an economy facing tariff headwinds. Tax rates of 5, 12, 18, and 28 per cent have been clubbed into two rates of 5 per cent and 18 per cent, resulting in a reduced price of 99 per cent of daily use items.
The alarming level of life insurance policy misselling has caught the attention of policymakers amid efforts by the insurance regulator to boost insurance penetration, a top official from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) said on Tuesday. According to Satyajit Tripathy, member-distribution at Irdai, while life insurance grievances often relate to product issues, non-life insurance complaints typically concern claim payments and exclusions. Addressing these grievances is essential to increasing insurance penetration, he said.
Victory wrested from regime that only listens when forced, the TMC said on GST exemption on insurance.
Some of the key names include: Maruti, M&M, Ashok Leyland, Britannia, Ultratech, JK Cement, Havells, Voltas, Amber, Metro, Trent, LemonTree, Indian Hotels, Niva Bupa, HDFC Life, IGL, Acme Solar, Suzlon, Swiggy, Delhivery, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, Shriram Finance," according to a report by Motilal Oswal Financial Services.
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