An Indian Investor Education Initiative.

Useful Beginners Tips for Credit Card Holders

2011-04-05T21:34:00.001+05:30

Here are a few beginners’ tips that can prove useful:

- Pay the credit card bills on time. No exception.

- Mind your credit scores. If you feel your card details have been compromised, take it up immediately with the bank, which has issued you the card

- Pay your EMI regularly. Any default will damage your credit score and hence creditworthiness.

- Do not use too many credit cards.

- Avoid treating credit cards as easy money. This is the money you have to pay back with high interest if you make it a habit to pay only the minimum amount due every month.

- Do not buy unnecessary items just because it is available on zero credit and low EMI. Remember its money spent!

- Always try to increase your down payment when you take up a loan so that your monthly liability doesn’t eat into your savings.

Finally, credit doesn’t increase your purchasing power. It just brings future purchasing power to the present and gives you a false impression that it has increased.

Regards
Team The Equity Markets

Mysterious Mutual Funds you should know about

2011-04-03T21:01:00.000+05:30

Hi Dear Investors want to know about following categories of Mutual Funds:

Diversified Equity mutual funds: These are the bread and butter of the retail mutual fund industry. These funds invest in stocks across the equity market according to their mandate. They are further classified into large-cap funds, small and mid cap funds, micro cap funds depending on the market capitalization they invest in. They could also be classified as active or passive funds (such as index funds) depending on how they are managed.

Sectoral equity mutual funds: These are narrowly diversified equity funds that focus on specific sectors – infrastructure, pharmaceutical, FMCG, Power etc.

Hybrid funds: These funds invest in a mix of debt and equity markets (also include Gold in some cases). They could be debt-oriented funds – also called monthly income plans - that invest predominantly in debt instruments and about 15-20% in the equity market. Or they could be equity-oriented hybrid funds – sometimes called balanced funds – that invest predominantly (at least 65%) in the equity market.

Income funds: These are pure debt funds that invest in medium to long term debt instruments and provide returns along the lines of corporate fixed deposits with better tax treatment.

Short-term debt funds and liquid funds: These funds invest in short-term (six months to a year) debt instruments or even shorter-term money market instruments. In the case of liquid funds, returns are usually on par with savings account returns, and in the case of short-term funds, in par with bank FD returns.

Fixed maturity plans (FMPs): These are closed-ended funds that offer FD like returns for specific tenure. These funds are popular when the prevailing interest rates are on the higher side causing investors to lock-in the rate in instruments that also offer better tax treatment for the returns they would get.

These six categories of mutual funds are the ones that are most popular with regular, retail investors. One could even say that they are as popular in the same order that they are listed above – the diversified equity funds are most popular, while not many have heard of FMPs.

However, beyond these six categories of funds lies another world of mutual funds that offer a wider variety of investment options to investors. They deserve to be recognized and understood if only because it would provide people with options that they might not be aware exist for them. However, they should be approached with caution and only be chosen if it fits an investor’s asset allocation plan, risk profile, and investment timeline.

Asset allocation funds: These are hybrid funds too – in the sense that they invest in both the stock market as well as bond market. However, as opposed to debt-oriented hybrid or equity-oriented hybrids, these funds do not have a specific rigid limitation or bound as to how much they should invest in stocks or bonds at any time. They can invest 100% in equity at one time, and a few months later, be 100% in debt. Usually, the basis for their asset allocation pattern is made public in the offer document. Such a broad mandate gives these funds the flexibility to react to any market condition.

International funds: As the name suggests, these fund invest in equity markets outside India. They could be themed geographically – such as funds that invest in China, or they could be themed sectorally – such as funds that invest in gold mining companies or agricultural commodities, or they could not be themed at all – broadly diversified to invest in any stock anywhere in the world.

Some of these funds are so-called “feeder” funds – the fund here operates only to collect the money and send it abroad to a real fund that does the management of the portfolio.

There are some fund houses that specialize in offering international funds – apart from Deutsche, Mirae Asset is known for its China themed funds such as the China Advantage fund. In the commodity side, DWS offers an agri-themed global fund called DWS Global Agribusiness Offshore fund that could be well suited for investors who want exposure to stocks that would take advantage of global food inflation. Also, there are mining funds such as DSP Blackrock World Gold fund and AIG World Gold fund that provide a second-level exposure to the gold price increase. In the purely diversified category, Principal offers the Principal Global opportunities fund.

One important thing that investors need to be aware of is that the traditional rules of investing sometimes do not apply to these funds. For example, since the units of these funds need to be bought or sold overseas, redemption of units would take longer – sometimes up to seven working days. Also, in some cases, holidays abroad would impact investors’ perception of which day’s NAV would apply. Some mining funds are, for example, sensitive to Canadian holiday calendars.

Fund of Funds: These are mutual funds that invest in other mutual funds. Why would such funds exist, what would be the reason for creating them? There are three possible reasons:

One, they could be asset allocation funds that could invest in debt and equity in dynamic proportions. Instead of manage both the ratio and the underlying investments, it would be better for the fund to manage only the debt:equity ratio and leave the management of debt and equity to other fund managers. This can be achieved if the fund invests in other funds.

Second, they could be providing a single-point solution for portfolio management. Every investor wants to invest in more than one mutual fund to achieve broad market diversification and to choose best of breed funds across fund houses. So, why not have a fund of fund that does this for the investor, and manages the distribution across the various schemes? For an investor, this fund of fund would practically work like an advisory solution for their portfolio.

Third, there are situations where a mutual fund is a more convenient vehicle for investing in an underlying asset than directly in the asset itself. For example, investing in an exchange-traded fund requires a demat/brokerage account that is not required for investing in a mutual fund. So, a fund of fund that invests in an ETF provides the convenience of investing in the same ETF without demat account to the investors.

Investors need to be aware of increased expenses when choosing to invest in Fund of funds. The top-level fund charges additional fund management fees of up to 0.75% on top of the fees of the underlying funds. However, some fund of funds such as the Reliance Gold savings fund provide a cap for the total combined expenses.

Arbitrage funds: Regular equity funds invest in stocks traded in the exchange. However stock exchange has two separate markets – the cash market and the derivatives market. Cash market refers to the traditional stock market (used by regular equity funds). Derivatives market deal in futures and options, which are instruments that trade based on prices of some underlying stocks. Occasionally the prices between a stock and its underlying derivative product diverge and this presents an investment opportunity called arbitrage opportunity.

Arbitrage funds look for such opportunities and invest in both the stock and its derivative instrument to take advantage of such differentials. They try to “generate income by investing predominantly in arbitrage opportunities between cash and derivative market and arbitrage opportunities within the derivative segment”. When opportunities are not available they deploy excess cash in debt and money market instruments.

Although the strategy sounds very exotic, in reality, such funds offer a return at a lesser risk than a pure equity fund. Having said that, the returns are also proportional to the availability of such arbitrage opportunities in a regular manner in the market. These funds tend to perform better than equity funds in down market as well, while providing the same long-term tax benefit as an equity fund.

There are several arbitrage funds available in the Indian mutual fund market

Esoteric debt funds: The fund categories listed above are either equity funds or hybrid funds. There are some esoteric funds in the pure debt fund category as well. Some of these are:

Gilt funds: Generally, debt mutual funds invest in a variety of instruments such as bank deposits, corporate deposits, money market instruments etc. However, Gilt funds invest predominantly in government issued securities including treasury bills. Since the government backs these instruments, the credit risk of these funds is low, but they are subject to interest rate risks. In a rising interest rate scenario, the prices of gilt securities fall causing a fall in the NAV of the scheme. Examples of such schemes are Birla Sunlife Gilt Long term, HDFC Gilt Long term, and ICICI Prudential Gilt Investment funds.

Interval funds: In India, mutual funds are categorized as open-ended schemes or closed-ended schemes. With an open-ended scheme, investors can enter and exit the scheme at any time. With a closed-ended scheme, investors can enter during the NFO period and exit upon the end of the tenure of the fund.

Interval funds are a hybrid between these two models. While they can be invested in during the NFO time, there are specified pre-determined time slots during which redemptions/re-investments can be made from/into the fund. Example funds in this category are HDFC Quarterly Interval Plan and Birla Sunlife’s Income quarterly series funds.

Floating rate funds: Typically debt funds invest in deposit instruments that have a fixed interest rate or coupon rate. They invest in a diverse set of such fixed rate instruments of different tenures and manage a portfolio of these assets. However, a floating rate fund invests in instruments whose rates are not fixed. They move with the prevailing interest rates – up or down. Theoretically, such funds provide an attractive opportunity to investors because the yield on their investments will move with the interest rates and thus provide a cushion from the interest rate risk. However, in reality, there is a paucity of such floating rate debt instruments to invest in the Indian debt market. Due to this, floating rate funds end up simulating a varying rate by “laddering” their investments across timelines, and this affects the returns of the funds.

The world of mutual funds in India is wide and varied. And, the variety of mutual funds available in the market is only going to grow. In developed markets such as United States, there are even more types of mutual funds available such as funds that only short stocks in the market (betting on stocks that will go down), funds that invest using algorithmic trading, funds that focus only on futures and options, funds that are into currency trading and much, much more. Investors in India can look forward to the advent of such funds in India in due course of time. The key is to ensure that investing is done with a full awareness of what the fund is investing in and whether or not such a fund fits into a portfolio.

Regards
Team The Equity Markets

Queries About the Various Depository Participants and services offered by them

2011-01-30T21:19:00.002+05:30

Hi friends

Want to know about Demat Accounts and Services offered by the various Depository Participant(DP) for Demat accounts.
do visit our new section on FAQ 's about the Depository participants in India, where you can find the various queries answered for demat account, DP operations & Services.

Regards
Team TheEquityMarkets

Pre-Apporved and joint Home Loan Advantages

2011-01-30T21:11:00.000+05:30

Hi Dear Friends

looking for a new house and want to explore the various options of getting loan.
then our new section on Pre-Apporved and joint Home Loan can help you out in getting a best home loan deal.

Regards
Team TheEquityMarkets

ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds): All you need to know

2010-11-30T13:24:00.001+05:30

What are ETFs?
ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) is an investment fund which is traded on stock exchange. ETF is a lot of shares that are listed and traded on stock exchange. The Basic difference of ETFs and traditional mutual funds is its availability for trading on the stock exchange.

How the price is calculated?
ETFs also have a net asset value which is popularly known as price. NAV is calculated as per the market value of the share / bonds contained in the ETFs. This also takes care of cash on hand and unpaid dividend. Thus payment of dividend has impact on the ETF's NAV. The trading price of ETF can be same as ETF can be traded on premium or discount based on demand and supply of ETFs and owing to various market factors and arbitrage.
The NAV of the ETF doesn't always represent weighted average index of the investment in the Fund. The difference is known is an ETF tracking error.

Reasons for ETF tracking error
The primary reasons for an ETF tracking error are dividend declared, expenses by fund house etc. Because of inevitable reasons, ETF tracking errors are unavoidable but as an investor, we like to see the lowest ETF tracking error for fund.

Benefits of ETFs
1. Can be easily traded on the stock exchange during trading hours like shares. Price is available online or through any stock broker.
2. Transparency is better because it publishes the list of investment daily.
3. Liquidity is also as good as it can be sold on the markets during trading hours.
4. Users can benefit from diversification within an asset class.
5. Investors can avail of tax benefits for dividends received.
6. It doesn’t not require active participation of investors as buying and selling of shares are managed by fund manager.

Limitations of ETFs
1. It provides very limited geographic diversification as funds don’t represent stocks listed on other world market.
2. Higher tracking errors directly affect investor’s profit & loss. Investors should go for lower tracking errors.

Regards
Team TheEquityMarkets

Ten rules to selecting a Mutual Fund

2010-11-20T14:22:00.001+05:30

Please visit our website to know about the tips for choosing right Mutual Fund in your portfolio.

Regards
Team
The Eqyity Markets

Ten rules to choosing the right shares to buy

2010-11-20T14:20:00.001+05:30

Please visit our website to know about the tips for choosing good shares in your portfolio.

Regards
Team
The Eqyity Markets

Pension Plans - A Good Retirement Options

2010-11-20T14:17:00.003+05:30

Everyone has to think about their retirement and a pension plan would be your safest and best bet. Here are some tips to help you select the right pension plan for you.

1. How does a typical Pension Plan work?
2. What are its plus points?
3. Buying annuity is compulsory
4. Taxation is an issue
5. Flexibility suffers
6. Low diversification
7. Pension Plan or Own Investment Portfolio
8. Pension Plan from Insurance Companies
9. Pension Plan from Mutual Funds
10. The New Pension Scheme

The all above points are discussed in depth on our website.
Visit http://www.theequitymarkets.com/pension_plan.htm

Regards
Team The Equity Markets

Trade in Share Markets Through Mobile Phones

2010-09-27T15:11:00.001+05:30

The Indian Stock markets entered a new Arena of technology by entering into mobile trading. now go for wireless and a hassle free trading on your finger tips. With the Indian Stock Exchanges launching mobile trading platform, the stock market is all set to get a tech boost.

A month ago, the Securities and Exchange Board of India gave permission to the stock exchanges and brokerage houses to offer mobile trading services to their clients. But many investors have a question:

How To buy and sell shares through Mobile phones?

Click above link to know more in depth.

Regards
Team
The Equity Markets

Indian Brokerage House Charges

2010-09-24T11:41:00.000+05:30

Brokerage Charges of Major Indian Brokerage Houses

Here you will find a table comparing intraday brokerage charges and delivery brokerage charges charged by different online brokers in India :

Sharekhan,
ICICIdirect,
Motilal Oswal,
Religare,
SBICAP Securities,
Angel Broking,
Indiabulls,
UTI Securities,
HDFC Securities,
Indiainfoline,
Reliance Money

An In-depth comparison of brokerage charges of major brokerage houses in India

How to get Rid Of Bad Debt and loans

2010-09-24T11:32:00.001+05:30

In this fast changing world the notes are being replaced by plastic money (cards). but this plastic money sometime takes the customer in a debt trap if not used wisely. Now we generally see young professionals using credit cards, which often exceeds their payout limits and then starts a cycle of Debt trap.

Here now we will tell you about debt trap and its impact on the CIBIL credit report. Many are stuck in debt trap and looking for a way-out.

What is 'Debt trap’?

To understand the word 'Debt Trap', let’s take the example of Mr X; a bachelor who lived life king-size. He recently got married and continued his lavish lifestyle. Had honeymoon in Europe and thereafter a couple of weekend trips within India. His entire expenses were paid via a personal loan and credit cards. Within four months of his marriage, his entire salary was going toward repaying living expenses and EMIs leaving him no savings at the end of the month.

He now fears any default in repayment would put him in trouble and ruin his Credit Information Report (CIR) managed by CIBIL.

What should one do to avoid a similar situation?

Read more to know options to get rid of bad debt

Regards
Team
TheEquityMarkets

Family Health Insurance Policy

2010-09-24T11:28:00.000+05:30

Family floater health insurance plan

Due to rising medical bills and premiums with limited income sources its very difficult to take individual health cover for each and every member of family. So to get rid of making individual insurance of family members there is a best option called family floater plan which is specially designed to cater health cover to every family member in a single premium.

Now, what is family floater plan?

A Family Floater Health Insurance plan is a single insurance policy for your entire family where you have total policy upper limit but not individual limit for any family member.

To know more about these family health policies Visit our website

Regards
Team
TheEquityMarkets

Indian Postal Department Saving Schemes

2010-09-09T10:43:00.000+05:30

Besides Share Market, Bank Fixed Deposits, Mutual Funds, ULIP's, there is another scheme which is quiet oldest and also one of the safest schemes for fixed returns as they are backed by Govt Of India, and are also the largest selling in both Urban and Rural India.

The Post Office Schemes :- A bunch of schemes offered by The postal department of India, and are available for everyone ranging from 100 Rs to Several Lacs with options of monthly and one time investments.

Here we will present the complete details of all investing schemes by the Indian Postal Department.

Why should you invest in Post Office Schemes

These schemes are offered by the Government of India.
Safe, secure and risk-free investment options.
No Tax Deduction at Source (TDS).
Nomination facility is available.
Nomination can be changed at any time
The instruments are transferable to any Post Office anywhere in India.
Attractive rates of interest.

Post Office Schemes:

Post Office Monthly Income Scheme
Post Office Time Deposit Scheme
Post Office Savings Account
National Savings Certificate
Kisan Vikas Patra

Govt schemes also offered through Post Offices:

Public Provident Fund
Senior Citizen's Savings Scheme

Do look at post office once for best and safe returns in a hassle free way.

Regards
Team
TheEquityMarkets

Basic Tips About Car Insunace Policies

2010-08-24T20:29:00.001+05:30

Introduction

If you are planning to buy a Car, it is worth paying attention on carious clauses on insuring your own vehicle. There are various factors like Insured’s Declared Value (IDV) and No Claim Bonus (NCB) will add or reduce the cost of your insurance. It is advisable to know the facts before you buy an car insurance. This website will give you basic idea on what are the various factors you have to consider while buying the Car insurance.

to read the full article please visit TheEquityMarkets

Do come back here to post your valuable comments and queries.

Regards
Team
The equity markets

Infrastructure Bonds- an In-Depth coverage

2010-08-18T22:52:00.001+05:30

BUDGET 2010 saw the Finance Minister doling out sops to push infrastructure investments in the country. One key sop - the tax benefit to individuals on investment of up to Rs 20,000 in infrastructure bonds under section 80CCF. And this, over an above the current limit of Rs 1 lakh that section 80C provides.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has now notified New Infrastructure Bonds. An individual or Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) can invest in these new infrastructure bonds up to Rs 20,000 in a financial year. LIC, IFCI, IDFC and other NBFCs classified as Infrastructure Company by RBI will be allowed to issue these bonds, called Long Term Infrastructure Bonds.

The minimum application amount for these bonds is Rs 5,000 and multiples thereof for each option.

The issue opens on August 9, 2010 and closes on August 31, 2010.

to know all in Depth like where to buy, how to invest, pros and cons, requirements, do's and dont's visit TheEquityMarkets
come back here for your queries

Regards
Alok

Cashless Medical Claims Dispute between Hospitals and Insurance Companies

2010-08-12T21:56:00.001+05:30

There was this furor over the withdrawal of cashless settlements, in case of Medical insurance policies by PSU insurers. Newspaper & Magazine headlines screamed sensationally - “take cash with you, even if you are cashless”.

The root problem has been around for long. Only that, it has now boiled over. Medical Insurance is an area where insurers have been making losses. Overcharging by hospitals and doctors & various frauds, has been prevalent, in those cases who have medical insurance.

Finally, PSU insurers pulled the plug and withdrew cashless settlement in all, but a selected list of Preferred Provider Network (PPN). This was met with howls of protest. FICCI came out strongly that the insurers cannot unilaterally withdraw something they have promised to their policyholders. Hospitals understandably protested. Policy holders got worried about this sudden turn of events.
Many policy holders were serenaded with offers from private insurers, who made a virtue of the fact that Cashless settlement are still available through them, across the board.

I have been poured with queries from people who want to know if they should go to private insurers, due to the cashless option being available across the board, in their case. I have been counseling them not to take hasty decisions, as

1) What has happened with PSU insurers can happen with private insurers as well, because the overbilling problem is faced by both
2) PSU insurers may soon negotiate with all major hospitals and bring them back on board – it’s just a matter of time.

PSU insurer’s premiums have generally tended to be lower and that is in the interest of the policyholder.

Policyholders have traditionally turned a blind eye to charges, as long as they could be covered by the policy. This is a serious mistake ethically and even in their interest. If there is overcharging, the balance amount in the Sum Assured available for claims in the year, reduces; also, premium can go up more due to the higher claims. It is in the interest of the policy holders to look out for padding in the charges.

We all have access to someone in the medical field. We can ask around and find out, how much a particular procedure could cost. One would at least get a ballpark figure, that way. Ideally, if it is not an emergency, find out in advance what the hospitals and doctors would charge for the particular treatment. If you have done this exercise properly, you could save a packet. Knowledge is power. The charges can be brought down, using these as bargaining chips. I know people who have done it.

Another odious practice is the principle of charging everything based on the class of room, one is admitted in. For instance, a person from general ward is charged less for the same procedure by the same doctor, in the same operation theater, with the same facilities as compared to another from a deluxe room. There is no logic here – it is just that those in deluxe room can afford to pay more. This is the system that has gained root and has been followed without questions. This is a matter the health ministry needs to address. Loot the rich (or relatively better off), seems to be the motto... Our government does that too - for paying taxes, you don’t get anything in return, except for the “possibility” of good governance, which is marked by its absence. For now, if you want to pay less choose the lower level room or general ward.

Insurance companies need to address it by negotiating with various hospitals, which they will, as it is a matter of survival. It is ironical that insurance companies are overcharged by hospitals, when they give them so much business. If anything, they should be given volume discounts. There is a saying which goes – the child that cries will get the milk. The insurance companies have only now started… hospitals & doctors will have to fall in line… or lose business to others who are sensible enough to see reason.

Feel free to drop in with your queries.

Regards
Team
Theequitymarkets

Effect of new Guidlines By IRDA On ULIP's

2010-07-11T22:17:00.000+05:30

Why ULIP’s are not good choice?
ULIP is one of the most controversy product in the financial world. It is because of its high management charges and commission to the agents. The situation has changed after the chain of events like controversy on agents commission and SEBI’s ban on ULIP policies. The cap for charges on ULIP policies have been reduced by IRDA. It becomes the more competitive to mutual funds.

What was the charges on ULIP policy?

ULIP policies got the very bad name among the investors because of its high charges levied for the first three years. This section explores the different expenses charged on the ULIP policies.

Most of the ULIP policies charges more fees for the first three years. Basically insurance companies would charges the following fees on the ULIP:

* Initial administration charge
o Most of this charges are goes to the agents who is selling the policy to you. Agents are getting up to 40% commission from the ULIP policies. Worst fact is that this commission is paid from your premium amount. As we know that ULIP premiums are invested in the market, the final amount invested is reduced because of the charges.
* Regular administration charge
o This is as like the Initial administration charge, goes to paying the agents commission.
* Policy administration fee
o This fees levied for sending you the periodic updated on the policy status. It occurs every month.
* Investment management charge
o This fees levies for managing your fund. Normally this type of charges are levied some percentage on the total fund value.

* The charges are different from each insurance company. Few companies charge the whole amount in the first three years, but some of the companies to charge little on entire tenure of the policy.

* Agents mis-sell ULIPs by saying that you have to pay only for the first three years, after that you need not pay anything. It is because they get the high commission on first three years.

ULIP Reforms

There are number of changes done on nature of the ULIP since October 2009. It makes ULIP more attractive to the investors compare to the previous one with high cost deductions.

* ULIP with less than 10 Years
o There is 3% cap on charges levied by the insurance companies on ULIP. It means, the total fees collected on ULIP premiums can not exceed 3%. It is defined as difference between net yield and gross yield should not exceed 3%.
o In the above 3%, the management fee can not be more than 1.5%.
o Gross yield is the yield generated by the ULIP before all charges are deducted.
o Net yield is the yield generated by the ULIP after all charges are deducted.

* ULIP with greater than 10 years
o Over all fees can not be more than 2.25%.
o Management fees can not be more than 1.25%.

* Remember that charges here would include allocation charge, administration charge, mortality charge and all such charges by any other name. The total fees would reduce when you opt for the long term investment.

* Unit-linked insurance products (ULIPs) filed after September 30, 2009 will have a lock-in of five years.

* According to the IRDA, there will be new norms on tightening the commission and fees on ULIP products. It is trying hard to make the investment more attractive for the investors.

* The new norms will have the high life cover, in the existing policies have the high focus on the investment rather than the protection on life. IRDA want to bring more clarity on the life cover and investment portion on the same product. This make investors to clearly understand how much is invested and how much is insured.

* In order to put more money in the hands of investors, IRDA recently said that insurers cannot charge a fee for surrendering a unit-linked insurance policy after five years.

* At present, insures charge more fees on surrendering the policy even after the completion of the lock-in period.

What you should look at ULIP

When you are planning to buy the ULIP policy, it is necessary to look into the following facts to make the right decision. The problem in choosing the right policy among hundreds of existing policies is taunting task for the investors. The following are the few factors you have to look at while selecting the ULIP:

* You must know what is the purpose of buying the ULIP policy. If your goal is to buy a life insurance, then ULIP is not the right choice. This is the place where many investors mis-understand the difference between insurance and investment. ULIP is combination of life cover with investment product.

* If you are looking for the investment with low risk, then ULIP will not be suitable for you. As I have explained earlier, your premiums are directly invested in the market. The returns are based on market conditions.

* Don’t go the way of agents guidance. You will regret for that in future. You must be careful on protecting your own money. Don’t blame others for your mistake. Do the proper analysis on available ULIP policies and make the right decision.

* ULIP is not for the short term investment. If you are looking for the investment product for less than five years, mutual funds can be good choice. If you are looking for the investment of minimum 10 years, ULIP will be better option.

* One of the important factor, know the charges deducted on your premiums. Ask your agents clearly that how much will be invested after deducting all the charges. Also ask him the commission earned on selling the policy to you. He must disclose the commission details to you.

* Ask too many questions to agent for better understanding of the policy.

Say Thanks to SEBI!!!

I would see these reforms and changes on the ULIP policies because of the increasing competition from the SEBI over IRDA. ULIP investors must say thanks to SEBI for putting pressure on IRDA to introduce new norms on ULIP policies. However IRDA wins over SEBI in the battle. I feel customer finally won the battle. The reason why IRDA has reduced the fees on ULIP, because SEBI has removed the 1% entry fees on mutual funds.

For furthur queries contact us

Happy Investing
Regards
Team
Theequitymarkets

How NRI can start investment in India?

2010-06-29T23:39:00.001+05:30

Hi dear NRI's

i know its being very difficult to gather all info and rules about how to start trading(Investing) into the Indian share markets.

To have the complete info please visit the NRI Section of the website.

and come back here to give your comments and valuable suggestions.

Thanks and Regards
Team
www.theequitymarkets.com

New Fund Offer (NFO)

2010-06-26T22:45:00.001+05:30

Have you applied for any of the New Fund Offer (NFO) in recent times?.
If your answer is yes, what motivates to take the decision and select a particular NFO?. There are many number of New Fund Offer (NFO) schemes coming in to the market, it makes the investors confused and they are unable to choose the right one. If you are in the same boat, please read this article before taking any firm decision on your hard earned money. To explores the pitfalls for investing in the NFOs and why more fund house announcing the new schemes do visit www.theequitymarkets.com

DO come back here to post your valuable comments and queries on the topic

Happy Investing
Regards
Team
www.theequitymarkets.com

Which health insurance policy suite your needs?

2010-06-26T22:38:00.001+05:30

Do you have confusion on choosing the right health insurance policy?
Many of us have the same complaint, because the lack of awareness on insurance policies in India. There are numerous factors to be considered before choosing an health insurance policy. First step would be to learn about the different types of medical insurance policies available in the market. Same policy will not be suitable for every one. One has to select the policy depends on his age, family dependency, rick on life, etc. The following sections of our website explain you the different types of health insurances and when it is suitable for your needs.

For your valuable comments and queries please come back here

have a safe and secured life

Regards
Team
www.theequitymarkets.com

Loan on Gold Jewellery

2010-06-26T22:32:00.001+05:30

Hi dear investors

ever thought of taking loan on your idle(must say your precious) gold jewelery. You might be watching several ads in both print and electronic media in which various NBFC giving gold loans, but you are not aware what to do and how to proceed for the same then to find all answers to your questions do visit www.theequitymarkets.com

and come back here again for your valuable comments and queries

Thanks and Regards
Team

www.theequitymarkets.com

What is Householder Package Policy (HPP)

2010-06-26T22:22:00.002+05:30

Hi dear investors

here we present our whole new topic on Home insurance products available in markets.

to view our complete coverage on the topic do visit www.theequitymarkets.com

and for your valuable comments and queries come back here.

Regards
www.theequitymarkets.com Team

An Indian Investor Education Initiative.: New cheque clearing norms in effect from 1st jusly 2010

2010-06-11T11:26:00.001+05:30

An Indian Investor Education Initiative.: New cheque clearing norms in effect from 1st jusly 2010: "http://www.theequitymarkets.com/banks.htm"

New cheque clearing norms in effect from 1st july 2010

2010-06-11T11:24:00.003+05:30

THINK ‘payment’ and the first thing that comes to mind is perhaps a cheque book. As advanced methods like credit cards and net banking continue to make inroads into the Indian financial system, payment by cheque remains the most preferred option in India.

No wonder then, that the volume of cheque clearing is as high as 6 million every year in India. And the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) faces a tough challenge of making the process more efficient, faster yet safer.
Keeping this is mind, the RBI has already completed a pilot for a project called ‘Cheque Truncation System (CTS)’ and seeks to implement it by July 1st, 2010. The Cheque Truncation System has the capability to process the cheque based on its image, doing away with the need for an actual cheque at the time of clearance.

To bring this system into effect, the RBI has prescribed certain benchmarks towards achieving standardization of cheques issued by banks across the. In February 2010, RBI issued a circular known as 'CTS-2010 standard '.

One of the most important points is - ‘Prohibiting alterations / corrections on cheque’ ie no changes / corrections should be carried out on the cheques and this comes into effect from 1st July 2010. That means customer would need to issue a fresh cheque for any change in:
• payee’s name
• amount in figures
• amount in words

Circular also asked banks to make changes in the existing cheque. Here are few changes listed in the circular
1. All cheques shall carry a standardized watermark, with the words “CTS-INDIA” which can be seen when held against any light source.
2. Pantograph with hidden word “COPY” or “VOID” feature shall be included in the cheques so it should be clearly visible in photocopies and unspecified scanned color images.
3. Bank’s logo shall be printed in ultra-violet invisible ink.
4. All cheques should be issued with the account number field pre-printed. This is mandatory for current account holders and corporate customers.
All these changes on the cheque leaf will make it more secure and easy to handle. In the age of technology, the RBI has geared up to ensure to unauthorized copy of cheque gets cleared under Cheque Truncation System.

for more banking related queries do visit : http://www.theequitymarkets.com/banks.htm

PSU(Public Sector Units) Mutual Funds: Should you invest?

2010-06-08T15:10:00.003+05:30

Even in the somewhat boring world of finance, fads do have their sway.
Suddenly one sees a rash of IPOs and the accompanying frenzy and another moment there is some capital protection fund that is keeping people in a tizzy. Mutual Funds (MFs) have been cranking out amazing acronyms like SMILE, TIGER, FORCE etc. to endear themselves to investors. Then came themes. Infrastructure & Lifestyle funds were a rage about three years ago. Midcap Funds become red hot after that. Then fixed maturity plans - FMPs and other debt funds gained currency. Now the flavor of the season in MFs seems to be PSU funds- public sector company funds.

What is the logic of a PSU Fund?

Government owned companies are being disinvested now and there seems to be an interest in participating in it. Investing in government owned companies by itself does not look like a theme. The spin given by MF houses is that these companies are storehouses of tremendous value and when this value is unlocked, investors will be frightfully rich. But the companies can be from diverse fields, making it a diversified fund in any case. But, the majority of the companies in the fund will be government owned. So, this a ownership-basis segmented fund.

Is it a good idea then to invest in these MF?

Any company needs to be selected on merits. All government oriented companies are not pure gems. There are gems and there are coal lumps. Bracketing everything under the PSU umbrella and investing in them is obviously not a great idea. The fund manager will have to sift within this pool and select the good ones from the pool. Owning such a fund in noway gives one a better scheme that what is available today.

Government companies are a varied lot. There are good, performing ones like BHEL, NTPC etc. and there are bad ones (many performing too poorly to even merit a mention). The real bad ones cannot be divested, in any case. There are others that will be a victim to government ownership and policies like BPCL, HPCL and other oil companies, which are bleeding due to the onerous burden imposed by it’s owner – the Government.

Government companies can expect some favourable treatment in the policy space which molly-coddles them, like preference to them in government contracts, protection from competition etc. But there are several negatives in government ownership - recruitment policies, compensation policies , speed of decision making, indifferent client servicing and the image they consequently have, bureaucratic processes are all typically their Achilles heel. There may be some who have overcome these, but a majority have still got to surmount these and many other obstacles.

On the whole, government ownership per se, is not a positive for a business. It is a good idea to stay away from these funds. MFs are latching on to the latest fads. You don’t have to. It’ your money after all!

Regards
Team
www.theequitymarkets.com