Articles, page 2 of 7
203 articles across wealth, budgeting, credit, taxes, systems, and business — built around trade-offs, not quick fixes. Newest first; this page lists 31–60.
ESIC Registration Applicability: The Two Numbers I'd Keep Apart
ESIC has two tests: 10 employees to register the establishment, and a ₹21,000 monthly wage ceiling for each employee. How I'd keep the two apart in payroll.
Fire NOC for Businesses: When You Need It and Why I'd Get It Early
A godown full of paddy looks low-risk until you see it as a fire officer would. Who needs a Fire NOC, what it blocks, and why I would never leave it late.
FSSAI Registration vs State vs Central Licence: A Rice Miller's View
A rice mill is a food business; its input counter is not. Which FSSAI tier applies after the April 2026 reform, and the yearly check I would run on it.
Import Export Code (IEC): Who Needs It and the Date I'd Diarise
A lifetime code that deactivates if you miss a free yearly update. Who needs an IEC, how to get one, and why I'd diarise April to June before any shipment.
Mandatory vs Optional Business Registrations in India: How I Sort Them
Some registrations stop your first sale, some start at a number, some only buy a benefit. How I sort them, with the input trade and Udyam as the worked cases.
Registration vs Licence vs Certificate vs NOC: How I Tell Them Apart
Fertiliser law calls a dealer's licence an 'authorisation letter'. Labels mislead, so here is how I tell a registration, licence, certificate and NOC apart.
Shops and Establishments Registration: The Quiet One Banks Ask For
No central law, no turnover threshold in most states, no automatic trigger. Why banks still ask for it, what to file, and how it differs from a trade licence.
Sole Proprietorship Documents in India: The List a Bank Will Check
A proprietorship has no certificate of its own, so a bank asks for two of eight documents. The full list, the GST papers, and why I would fix names first.
SBI Funds Management IPO Allotment Status and GMP: A Numbers-First Look
SBI Funds Management listed at ₹613.30 against a ₹574 issue price. How to check allotment, why the ₹90 GMP overshot, what the OFS means, and the valuation.
Form 16 vs AIS vs Form 26AS: Match Them Like Books Against the Bank
Our rice mill matches its books against the bank as routine. The same habit for Form 16, AIS and Form 26AS: read each, match them, fix gaps before you file.
Zoho Books vs TallyPrime (2026): Compared From a Rice Mill Office
I run the money side of a rice mill: paddy in; rice, bran and husk out. Zoho Books vs TallyPrime on 2026 price, GST, stock and which to pick.
Asset Allocation in India: What a Seasonal Business Teaches About Risk
A rice mill's risk rides on one farming calendar, so I count the business before the portfolio. How to split equity, debt and gold, rebalance, and count NPS.
Compound Interest: The Math of Wealth, Seen From the Borrower's Side
Running a mill on borrowed working capital, I see compounding from both sides. The math, the Rule of 72, SIP lessons in rupees, PPF, EPF and card debt.
Corporate Bonds and NCDs in India: What Lending on Credit Taught Me
I read an NCD the way I would read any borrower asking for credit. Why bonds out-yield FDs, ratings, liquidity, tax, and the checks before you subscribe.
Dividend Investing in India: Income vs Growth, From an Owner's Side
Cash taken out of a business is cash that stops working inside it. Dividends vs total return in India: the tax, the IDCW trap, and who should take income.
Dividend Stocks in India: Yields, Tax and Whether the Cash Is Real
A dividend is paid in cash, not in profit, so that is the first test I'd run on a dividend stock. Real Indian yields, tax since 2020, TDS and the yield trap.
EPF Guide India: Your PF, Explained From the Side That Pays Wages
EPF from the side that pays wages: where your 12% and the employer's 12% go, the interest, UAN, withdrawal tax, the EPS pension and EDLI cover.
Financial Independence in India: 8 Steps and the Business-Owner Caveats
Most FI advice assumes a salary; my income follows a seasonal business. Your FI number, savings-rate timelines, India's extra costs, the tax after you stop.
Gold ETF vs SGB vs Digital Gold: I'd Compare the Wrapper, Not the Metal
Gold pays nothing, so I judge each form by what it costs to hold and to leave. Gold ETFs, SGBs and digital gold on cost, liquidity, regulation and tax.
Gold Investment India: Ornament or Investment? How I'd Explain It
Gold explained the way I'd explain it to a farmer after harvest: making charges, SGBs, gold ETFs, digital gold, tax, and how much is enough.
How Much Money Do You Need to Retire in India? The Numbers I'd Run
Numbers first, then decisions: how I'd work out a retirement corpus in India, with inflation, 25-33x multiples, a worked example and a three-bucket drawdown.
How to Start Investing in India: Four Checks Before the First Rupee
Before a first SIP I'd want four answers: an emergency fund, health cover, no costly debt and a clear goal. Then where to invest, the costs and what to skip.
How to Invest in US and Global Stocks From India: The Full Cost First
Before any money goes abroad, I'd want its whole cost on one page. Feeder funds vs LRS broking, TCS, currency, tax filing, and how much to put in.
Mutual Funds for Beginners in India: The Cost I'd Check First
A fund's fee comes out daily and is never billed, which is why cost is the first line I check. NAV, SIPs, expense ratios, direct plans, factsheets, CAS.
Net Worth Before Investing: Why a Balance Sheet Isn't Cash
What your net worth counts, what you can actually reach, and what should come before the first investment: a balance sheet read for cash, not for the total.
NPS for Salaried Employees: How I'd Weigh the Tax Break and the Annuity
NPS is sold on a tax number and priced by its annuity rule. The three tax layers, the employer's 80CCD(2) route, the annuity and the old vs new regime maths.
NPS vs PPF vs EPF: Which Retirement Vehicle Wins, Numbers First
NPS, PPF and EPF compared the way I weigh any money: what you can reach and when, then the return, the tax, the lock-in and the annuity rule at exit.
Post Office Schemes (NSC, KVP, MIS, SCSS): What I'd Tell a Farmer
I work among farmers near Kashipur. What I'd explain to one about NSC, KVP, MIS and SCSS: how rates lock, the lock-ins, the tax, and where each one fits.
PPF Account Guide: The Rules, and the Deposit Date I'd Never Miss
PPF pays on the lowest balance between the 5th and month-end, so the deposit date is part of the return. Rules, EEE tax, loans, withdrawals and ELSS.
Real Estate vs Mutual Funds India: The Liquidity Question I'd Ask First
I work in real estate as well as our rice mill, and I ask both the same question: where is the cash, and when can I reach it? Yield, EMIs, tax and REITs.