We all know that saving money is an art, but saving money on tax is a bigger art. Well, we all are aware of different tax rules associated with our daily life. And who doesn’t want to save money on tax? We basically evaluate all our expenses and savings and try further to save money on tax. One of the most common and highly effective tools associated with tax saving is the investment in life insurance policy. Yes, in India, life insurance is eligible for tax deductions under Section 80C. But do you really think it is simple, there are many terms and conditions associated with the same.

Tax rules you must know

1. When it comes to the tax deduction, there is a certain limit associated with the same. For all those policies which were issued on or before March 31, 2012, the maximum premium amount that will be eligible for tax deductions will be around 20% of the total sum assured. Anything in excess to this will not be liable for any deduction under Section 80C.

2. The maximum premium that is eligible for deduction for the plans that are issued on or after April 1, 2012, will get 10% of the total sum assured as the tax deduction. For example, if you invest in an insurance plan and that too which carries the sum assured of Rs 10 lakhs. Keep in mind that the annual premium which will be eligible for tax deductions would be around 1 lakh cannot be claimed for tax benefits. However, if the person is suffering from an illness that is listed under Section 80DDB or has a disability listed under Section 80U, an additional deduction in premium of around 5% is permitted. Therefore, in such cases, the maximum premium which will be eligible for deduction under Section 80C will be 15%

3. Premium amount that is paid someone else like other than children, spouse and self will not be liable for deductions.

4. In case of maturity, if an individual is fine with all the above-stated criteria, the maturity benefits stand exempted from tax. But if in the case where the annual premium exceeds the percentage limit which is mentioned above, the tax will be levied in accordance with the income tax slab

5. In case of demise of the insured person, the death benefits are not taxable.

Moreover, the good thing is that the term insurance plan which is a strong form of life insurance is not much affected with the same. And, in today’s market, there is the multiple and wide range of such plans is available in the market. Such effective plans carry a sum assured which is much higher than the annual premium. So investing in the same is not a big deal and it always comes out with a wider range of benefits.

However, it is important for you to understand that the concept can be different with single premium policies. As a part of these policies the sum assured is not high just to improve the returns. Therefore the premium amount associated with the same fall low, creating not enough percentage difference between the sum assured and the premium.

Under such policies, the sum assured will not be more than 1.5 times the premium amount. As a result single premium plans will not be liable for the tax deduction.

It is true that a life insurance plan demands a long-term commitment that may last for a couple of years. It is obvious that between the tenure policy you don’t want to discover that you made a huge mistake as your premium will not be liable for tax deductions. Then it will become quite late. Even if you want to cancel the policy then you have to pay unexpected charges.

So it is important for you to pay attention to the tax laws, study the same properly before investing in any insurance plan. Term insurance plan comparison is a great choice if you are planning to invest in the term plan. It will provide the needful financial cover to your family in your absence and will be liable for tax deductions. For making an investment in a term insurance plan, you can take help of PolicyX.com which is a great platform and assisting customers in choosing the right plan for them.

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Retirement is often considered to be the icing on the cake when it comes to enjoying different phases of life. While planning your life after retirement, you must set aside all of your current responsibilities and worries. Retirement leaves you with rare opportunities for participating in recreational activities, traveling, and nurturing certain hobbies. However, you mustn’t forget that you won’t have any regular source of income for the rest of your life. You must remember that you need funds to sustain all health issues and financial challenges after retirement. By making a few crucial investment decisions, you’ll be able to spend the rest of your life in leisure and comfort. Financial planning should be initiated now when you’re working and in good health.

It’s a truly daunting task for you to compare various pension plans and achieve an uninterrupted flow of income after you get retired. It’s certainly going to be a taxing issue for you to narrow down your choice of a pension pay-out although even after you select a beneficial pension plan. Apart from seeking professional assistance, you must also do extensive research on the factors that count for retirement planning.

Tips to acquire funds for your post-retirement years are mentioned below:

Calculate your basic living cost

You must choose a pension plan that yields a good return for covering all of your basic monthly expenses. You must assess your regular expenses just to determine your mandatory expenses in the future. In order to arrive at an accurate figure, you must include your sundry expenses, transportation cost, expenses pertaining to clothing and food, utility bills (including gas and water), and housing costs in your list of expenses.

Consider the effects of inflation

Inflation is bound to take a toll on all goods and services making the living cost dearer with each passing year. Indians are witnessing an inflation rate worth 4% of late and this is likely to rise during the coming years. This way, you’re bound to experience a rise in pension pay-out based on the rate of inflation. On the contrary, the amount that you receive won’t prove to be adequate for meeting your basic expenses. This way, you may even be compelled to seek financial assistance while you aren’t working anymore.

Avail some health coverage

You must learn to cope with the increase in health care costs. Opting for a health insurance plan can actually save you from the adverse impact of unforeseen medical expenses on the monthly budget. You must plan things up in advance and work things out in an efficient manner. Try applying for a health plan that can protect you and your loved ones from all untoward incidents.

Include the cost of recreation

Retirees are often known to enjoy their pastime by pursuing their hobbies, visiting their favorite destinations, reading their favorite books, and doing a host of other things. You’ll need to pay a cost for the perks that you enjoy; you must pay things out of your pension. You must save a portion of your pension to cover your costs more effectively.

You must consider the tips mentioned above if you really wish to enjoy your golden age with ease and comfort. It will help you achieve a firmer grip over your entire financial situation. All you need to do is to pick the right pension plan and utilize the money in an efficient manner just to secure your old age.

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In uncertain economic times, having gold on hand is a surefire way to liquidize and protect your assets. Even in a stable economic environment, gold is a safe haven asset that will never fail you. This is because gold’s value increases instead of decreases in direct relation to the decline of value in paper investments, such as stocks and bonds.

To minimize or even eliminate a fall in portfolio value during economic collapse it’s best to invest in uncorrelated investments. What this means is that you want to own assets that will move the opposite way of other investments when economic times become uncertain. Gold is one of the few guaranteed investments that are uncorrelated to many other investments. This makes it a very safe investment that has proven to remain positive when stocks fall.

This means that allocating some of your investment to gold is a sensible and solid choice. However, the buying of gold bullion is not always as straightforward as one would hope. There are plenty of precious metal dealers who will gladly take your money without having your best interests as a customer at heart. To avoid falling for an unscrupulous dealer, you’ll have to do a little research into finding the best dealer so you can purchase gold with confidence.

Online vs. Local

In general, there are two main ways to buy gold: online or locally (in person).

Local precious metal dealers can be found in cities around the world. However, brick and mortar stores will often come with a lot of overhead. This is due to rent, paying employees, security, and more. This added overhead and the fact that local gold dealers often have lower sales volume means that they will often have to charge more for gold bullion to make up for their costs.

On the beneficial side, a local gold dealer will mean that you will be able to physically inspect the bullion and take immediate possession of it when you purchase it.

Local dealers also have more of a reason to care about their reputation in the immediate community they serve, which may translate into higher quality of service when dealing with them.

Also, if you’re only buying small quantities of gold and you’re paying for it with cash, your purchases at a local dealer might not be reported to the tax authority and can stay confidential. If this is something you are considering, make sure you discuss it with your dealer to make sure you stay below the threshold for reporting.

The other option for purchasing gold bullion is through an online dealer. Online dealers typically do more business and will have higher volumes of sale and much lower fixed costs. This means that you can often find good gold bullion at a solid discount online.

Online dealers will have a much more varied range of products in stock and many even offer convenient buy-and-store programs that permit you to purchase the gold bullion and then keep it in an insured and protected location made available by the dealer. This can be very beneficial since storing your own precious metals can be risky.

Some people are nervous buying bullion online, since it is such an expensive product. However, if you are able to find a dealer with a long, solid history and positive reviews, you will most likely be in good hands.

Unfortunately, buying gold online means that you will have to pay for shipping and handling costs (which are not cheap when it comes to materials of this value), and you will have to wait to physically take possession of your gold. Some online gold dealers like Lucius Precious Metals offer free local delivery for orders over a certain price point, which can be something to consider if you’re in the area.

What to consider when buying gold for delivery

If you are purchasing gold online and looking to have it delivered to you, you’ll want to consider a few things.

First, you want a dealer that has a strong and solid reputation and years of reliability. Read customer reviews and check out investment forums to make sure your chosen dealer doesn’t have any shady reports out on them.

You also want to make sure that the dealer sells only gold coins and cold bars from LBMA-approved wholesalers. This is your best guarantee that you will be purchasing authentic coins and bars.

You’ll also want to check out the dealer’s premiums on bullion. This can vary widely throughout the industry and is not a set-in-stone number. Lastly, check out the difference between buying and selling prices on the dealer’s site, which can be as high as 10% or more.

To maximize your long-term profits, you need to work to find a dealer who is reputable and trustworthy and offers low premiums.

What to consider when buying gold for storage

If you’re buying gold for storage, you still want to check out a dealer’s reputation, bid-ask spread, and other factors mentioned above, however there are other factors that come into play when buying gold for storage.

For one, you’ll want to examine the storage facilities where your precious metals will be kept.

Gold bullion should be stored with a reputable, separate entity so as to reduce counterparty risks. Ideally, you’re looking for an LBMA-approved vault provider like Brinks. These types of companies store gold reserves for massive financial institutions and government bodies. This assures that your gold is being stored in a secure environment.

When storing gold, make sure that your dealer offers insurance that will cover the full replacement value of your coins or bars in the event that something were to happen to them. Full replacement means that you will get back the physical equivalent of the gold lost, and not just the cash value—which is based on the spot price of the metal.

You’ll also want to make sure that your gold is fully allocated to you. This means that it is held in your name, you are the outright owner, and the gold can be made available for delivery or sale at any moment. Unallocated gold bullionis shared by investors who own an interest in the bars, which raises all kinds of liquidity issues that we recommend avoiding.

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You must have considered a life insurance policy as something that only provides support in the event of a financial crisis. But you may not have considered its potential in the form of a long-term investment. Life insurance yields a great shield of safety around your household members in the event of an unforeseen wage loss e.g. accidents causing disabilities or death. The consideration of income loss for the future helps in determining the amount of compensation although the true worth of a human life can’t be measured in terms of money.

Under circumstances when the policyholder gets disabled or passes away, the family members achieve a guaranteed sum of money termed as the “sum assured”. Even with a term insurance plan, the policyholder needs to think of what he’ll achieve from this type of investment in case nothing unfortunate happens. Will he be able to meet the other inevitable expenses like that of bearing the cost of his children’s education, a world trip with his loved ones, and the marriage of his children?

Types of maturity benefit plans:

Term Life policies- Term insurance is a financial plan that reimburses extra premiums to the policyholder when the policy terms end and the insured survives through this period.

Endowment policies- The benefits of insurance and investment are combined under these plans. The money doesn’t yield great returns as it’s invested in debt funds. However, the risks can be managed more easily. The sum assured is actually not that high.

Unit-Linked policies- Compared to traditional forms of life insurance, the risk is much higher with this type of unit-linked products. The policyholder needs to bear some other associated charges, but he gains exposure to equity and obtains a fair growth of his money as against a higher return. These plans even allow money to be withdrawn partially that can be utilized for coping with the financial challenges whenever they surface. Death benefits are provided when the policyholder passes away within the tenure, but the guaranteed returns are provided when he survives before the policy period.

Maturity Benefit from life policies

Upon maturity of a policy, the benefits can be claimed by the policyholder. The completion of the plan tenure entitles the policyholder to receive a variable amount for ULIPs and other products linked with the market performance alongside the principal amount. However, for achieving the variable benefit, the policy needs to be concluded according to the pre-set terms. For traditional products, the owner will be entitled to receive the fixed amount only. The benefits that provided on maturity usually comprise of the sum of premiums that have been met during the entire policy tenure and the other return benefits stated in the paperwork.

The maturity benefits yield a sum of money that increases each year but is restricted to the overall premiums paid. That’s one reason why these plans are considered to be both a coverage benefit as well as an investment option. The corpus exhibits a uniform increase and the entire amount is paid out at the end of the maturity term.

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Your car is perhaps proof that you’re one step closer to your financial independence. However, sometimes you just can’t help but loaning your first car. Loans of course have their respective advantages and disadvantages, and they sometimes play a big role in determining just how your first purchase affects your overall financial situation. Before you decide to do that, however, always remember to have these considerations in mind when purchasing your first car.

Budget Counts

Chances are, you’re going to want a certain car immediately, especially when you get your loan approved. This is why sometimes we tend to immediately go for the dream car by the time we have the loan ready. Try to avoid this. Remember, you can’t take the car home if you can’t exactly pay for it.

● Let the rule of thumb be that you can’t spend more than 25-percent of your income for the cars you have at home. This amount should include everything about the car, including insurance and fuel.

● Try your best to calculate just how much your new car will be affecting your income. If it takes up more than 25-percent of your expenses, now might be a good time to re-assess the kind of car you want.

● Remember, if you have to suffer financially to get your car, then you’re doing the wrong thing. After all, you’re not supposed to suffer in the first place. Find a car with a budget you can adjust.

What Car, Finance Wise?

When we choose cars, we normally pay attention to the kinds of models we need or our preference based on family size. However, perhaps a more important consideration is just what kind of car do we need, based on the kind of finances we have? For instance:

● Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) cars are becoming the more go-to option nowadays thanks to a wide number of lease returns. This means cars more than three years of age are becoming on sale. Three years is actually not bad, considering car depreciation values. There are cheaper CPO cars as well, so make sure you take this into account as well.

● Used cars, however, tend to have a shorter warranty period and a higher interest rate. You also wouldn’t know the full history of the car in question. However, you may be getting your money’s worth, because it can be extremely cheaper than CPO cars.

● Leased cars are probably going to help you secure an upscale car for your budget. However, you don’t get to own the car immediately, and would instead have to pay for it with set terms. Be careful about these terms, though, as they also tend to have strict penalties.

● Brand new cars can be an option for you, though chances are you’d get a car with lesser features based on your budget. Getting this would also mean you have a lower interest rate and full warranty, though. Sometimes, dealerships even offer maintenance and assistance.

CPOs tend to be the go-to choice of a lot of people, since the vehicles that are marked CPO tend to be quite cheaper. Sometimes, these cars also have some duration of warranty left as well.

Narrow It Down Further

Chances are, you’re going to have a selection of cars you want based on the budget you have. You may want to write a shorter list, though, because you have to know by now that there are potentially more expenses that you should expect. You have to take into account maintenance options, fuel, and other expenses you would have with the car. With these in mind, you also have to:

● If your automaker has a website, try to visit it and compare the specs of your car with reviews from other websites. Take note of the features that matter most to you, so you can narrow down your list of prospective cars.

● Take note of what’s called the MSRP, or the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices and take note of invoice prices as well.

● You may want to check the local inventories of your dealership and find out which of these selected cars are in your local vicinity.

● Try to choose the cars that would at least be 5-percent less than the monthly budget you have. This 5-percent will more or less go for repairs, insurance, maintenance, and gasoline.

Be sure to print out or save images of the web pages with important information about the cars you like. Don’t just go to the dealership yet, though.

Ownership Costs Matter

With your short list at hand, try to create estimate costs for each of them and try to see if they fit your budget. There are websites such as Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com) or Edmunds (edmunds.com) that have ownership costs in the area, so you can at least narrow your choices down.

● If you want, you can also make a personal calculation for better accuracy. Assess the miles you drive per year, and try to obtain a quote on insurance on the cars you may want to buy. Give the insurance agents the model and make, trim level, and even the engine just to get an exact quote.

● You should also get to learn the invoice price, wholesale price, the MSR, and the asking price whenever applicable. Check third party websites for invoice prices, and while they may not be extremely accurate, try to negotiate for one that is close to what those websites indicate. This is of course, before applying any discounts.

● The next step be you researching all the possible discounts you can get. There are a ton of ads promoting cash-back deals, or discounts to military members, students, and even credit union members. These discounts can also be stacked alongside the cash-back rebates if your preferred model has them.

Secure The Financing Before Visiting Dealers

Remember that dealers want to coordinate your car loan because they also receive a commission on the loans they get to manage. This means you have to secure financing immediately from credit unions or banks in advance, just so you could compare their loans to what the dealership offers.

● A lot of credit people and unions tend to be open to people living in their communities, so this means you don’t necessarily have to be a part of a certain industry or company to join. Credit unions are good options because they tend to have rates that are a few percentage points lower than banks. You may click here for more information about credit people.

● You should also remember that dealerships don’t always offer good deals, no matter how attractive they are. Only about a fraction of car buyers even get to qualify for low-interest deals, which means your chances of getting in on it are low.

● Even if you do get to qualify for the rate, you may be better off with your credit union or bank. Always remember, if you feel like you’re stuck with your finances at this point, it’s not bad to get a consultation with an expert.

Conclusion

Purchasing your first car is an extremely big financial risk which has its advantages and disadvantages. Loans are always a good option if you can’t purchase your car for the full price, but always remember the considerations above before purchasing a car. Always consider the loan as part of your long-term financial plans. What about you? What do you think are other factors when purchasing a car for the first time?

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