Articles, page 4 of 7
203 articles across wealth, budgeting, credit, taxes, systems, and business — built around trade-offs, not quick fixes. Newest first; this page lists 91–120.
Good Debt vs Bad Debt: 8 Questions, and the One Line I Hold To
Our mill runs on bank credit, and my rule is that credit can't replace margin or discipline. Good debt vs bad debt in India: 8 questions before you borrow.
Home Loan Eligibility: What a Bank Reads Before It Says Yes
The bank that renews our mill's cash credit reads a home loan applicant the same way. The six eligibility checks, balance transfers and top-ups, explained.
How Credit Cards Work: Billing Cycles and the Daily Interest Meter
Interest on our mill's cash credit runs on the daily balance, and a revolving card works the same way. Billing cycles, interest, the minimum due, RBI rules.
How Many Credit Cards Should You Have? Why I'd Keep It Simple
I build this site's credit card tracker and prefer simple systems. How many cards suit you, what rewards are worth, how to run two and close one safely.
Loan Prepayment Strategy: RBI Rules and When I Wouldn't Prepay
Interest on our cash credit runs on the daily balance, so I know what paying early saves. When to prepay: RBI charge rules, tax benefit, opportunity cost.
NBFC vs Bank Loans: The Rate Gap, Seen From Both Sides of Credit
Our business borrows from a bank and gives farmers credit, so I see lending from both sides. NBFC vs bank loans: rates, speed, rate resets and safety.
Personal Loan vs Credit Card: Match the Loan to How Long You Need It
The rule I use at our mill, matching a loan to how long the money is needed, settles personal loan vs credit card vs card EMI, compared in rupees.
Secured Credit Cards: Give the Bank Something It Can See
Our bank sets the mill's drawing power from a monthly stock statement: it lends against what it can see. A secured card works the same way. How to use one.
Secured vs Unsecured Loans: What Borrowing Against Stock Taught Me
Our mill's cash credit is drawn against stock, so I know how security sets what you can borrow. Secured vs unsecured loans, LAP, gold loans and LAS in India.
Advance Tax: Who Pays, When, and Why I See It as Cash Planning
At our rice mill cash moves with the season, so I see advance tax as a cash problem first. Who pays, the four due dates, 234B/234C interest, and how to pay.
Capital Gains Tax in India: What I'd Work Out Before Any Sale
I'm a director of a real-estate company, so I'd compute the tax before any sale, sometimes two ways. Rates by asset, Sections 54/54EC, loss harvesting.
Crypto Tax in India: The 30% Rule, 1% TDS and the Numbers I'd Run
I run the numbers before every money decision, and crypto tax punishes guesswork. The flat 30%, the 1% TDS, ignored losses and a worked FY 2026-27 example.
ELSS vs PPF for Tax Saving: The Regime First, Then the Lock-In
Before any tax-saving choice, I put the numbers in a calculator. How ELSS and PPF differ on lock-in, risk, return and tax, and when either saves tax at all.
Home Loan Tax Benefits: Why the Tax Saving Is the Last Number I Check
I'm a director of a real-estate company, and on a home loan the tax saving is the last number I'd check. 24(b), 80C, 80EEA and joint loans, worked out.
How to File ITR Online: Steps, 17 Mistakes and What I'd Check First
At our mill no figure goes out until it matches its source. Treat your return the same way: filing ITR online for AY 2026-27, 17 mistakes, and late filing.
HRA Exemption: How to Calculate It, Seen From the Employer's Side
Our business pays wages, so I see salary structure from the employer's side. The three-number HRA formula, the documents, 80GG and when HRA does not apply.
HUF Tax Explained: What I'd Weigh in a Family Business
Our rice mill began as my father's business, so family money is something I think about. How an HUF works, what it can hold, what it saves, and the traps.
Income Tax Deductions in India: 80C to 80G, Numbers First
My rule for money decisions is numbers first, and deductions are no exception. 80C in detail, NPS, 80D, 80G, loan interest and HRA for FY 2026-27.
Which ITR Form Should You File? Let the Year's Income Decide
I'm not a CA, but at our mill the facts behind every return stay with me. Which ITR form fits for AY 2026-27, from ITR-1 to ITR-4, and what moves you up.
NRI Taxation in India: How I'd Run the Numbers for an NRI
I'm not writing as an NRI. This is how I'd run the numbers if I were helping one: residential status, NRE vs NRO accounts, NRI TDS rates and DTAA relief.
Old vs New Tax Regime: Slabs, Breakeven and How I'd Decide
I built this site's income tax calculator and make no tax choice without running both regimes. The slabs, the ₹12 lakh kink, and when the old regime wins.
Presumptive Taxation (44AD & 44ADA): The Margin Test Before You Opt In
I know the crop-input trade first-hand, where sales go out on credit until harvest. How 44AD and 44ADA work, their limits, and the records you still need.
Salary Restructuring, Gratuity and Leave Encashment: An Employer's View
Our business pays wages, so I see restructuring from the employer's side. Exempt components, the regime split, how gratuity and leave encashment are taxed.
How Dividends Are Taxed in India, and Why I'd Reconcile Every Rupee
I don't trust a reported figure until it matches my own records. Dividends need that: slab-rate tax, 10% TDS above ₹10,000, no deductions from FY 2026-27.
How ESOPs Are Taxed in India, and the Cash Gap I'd Plan For
At our mill a season can show a paper profit and run short of cash. ESOPs do the same: tax at exercise, before any sale. Both stages, with a worked example.
Tax on FD and Savings Interest: TDS, Form 121 and the Post-Tax Rate
At our mill, interest runs on the daily balance, so I judge an FD by what it keeps after tax. Slab-rate tax, TDS, 80TTA/80TTB and Form 121, worked through.
Tax on Gifts in India: Exempt, Taxable and the Records I'd Keep
Running a family business, I think about how money moves inside a family. Which gifts are tax-free, when one becomes taxable, and the ₹50,000 trap.
Tax on Mutual Funds in India, and Why I'd Track Every Lot
I build spreadsheets, and mutual fund tax is a lot-by-lot sum. Equity, debt, gold and overseas funds, SIP lots, IDCW and harvesting for FY 2026-27.
Tax on Rental Income in India: A Tax Loss Is Not a Cash Loss
I'm a director of a real-estate company; I read a rent computation like a mill P&L: tax and cash apart. How rent is taxed and what you can deduct.
Tax Planning in India: 10 Rules and Why I'd Start in April
I take no money decision before the numbers are in front of me, tax included. Ten rules for year-round tax planning in India, from regime choice to key dates.