Are you weary of paying your inflated cable and satellite television bills each month? Do you have to choose select packages and give up on others just to stay under your budget? Do you feel frustrated about the fact that you miss out on the latest and the best television programs that others around you seem to be enjoying? If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then you’ve come to the right place.

We’re going to let you in on a little secret. It is possible to save money on your satellite and cable TV connection while watching everything you ever wanted to see. Yes! You read that right. There is indeed a way to save a ton of money on your current satellite and cable TV connection.

The Truth About Digital Television Services

For those of you who have gone digital, you are already aware of the digital set top box. Your cable television service provider has probably already issued you with a set top box that beams your favorite programs right into your home. But in a manner of speaking, that is still satellite TV. Advanced and with much better picture and sound quality, but satellite television nevertheless.

With such a connection, there is precious little that one can do to save money. In fact, if truth be told, you are probably paying a lot more in hidden charges for the privilege of digital cable. So how exactly can you save money? And enjoy a lot more variety in terms of programmes and channels?

Welcome to the World of the Internet

Some of you have probably heard of TiVo. It initially made its appearance on the market as a commercial-free, recordable option of regular satellite television or cable TV. But frankly, it is a whole lot more. For starters, if beams programmes to your television from the Internet rather than through broadcasting towers or satellites.

There are several advantages to getting programmes from the Internet.

1. First and foremost, a large portion of programmes delivered through the Internet are still free. Yes, you read that right!
2. The Internet adopted high definition (HD) programming much before conventional terrestrial channels. So audio and video quality are much better
3. Most modern day television sets come pre-built with all the options to hook up to the Internet. So there is no need to invest in any expensive hardware
4. Finally, you don’t have to stick to a single service provider. Depending on where you are based, you can choose programming from Apple iTunes or Apple TV, TiVo, Netflix, Hulu and dozens of other similar service providers

Are there any Compromises to be made?

Not really. Most people feel that if they switch to the Internet, they will have to give up on all their regular programming. But remember, most television stations currently have online sites which actually stream their regular programming options, mostly for free! So you can still tune-in to all your favorite programs.

You can also view the latest and the best movies when you go online. You no longer have to keep watching the tired and old movies that the broadcast channels run. You can choose what you want to see and when you want to see it.

The best thing however is that you no longer need to work your schedule around the time of your favorite programs. Rather, you can choose when you see what you want to see. Being delivered through the Internet gives you, the user, the ability to watch, re-watch and repeatedly watch your favorite programs or select episodes when you are ready.

So what are you waiting for?

If you still haven’t decided to switch to the online option, remember that for very little money you get everything that you can currently get and a whole lot more. Being a resident of the modern world, you probably already have broadband at home in addition to your cable or satellite television. Why not cut out the redundancy and switch to online? Trust us, this is a decision that you will never regret.

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How to Save Money on Satellite or Cable TV Connection?

“Health is wealth”. It is necessary to maintain the health of a person to survive in the long run. The health of the family members and oneself is very important and one should take utmost care to maintain it. The insurance sector is the fastest growing sector and there is a huge competition among various companies for the mediclaim insurance policies. The current scenario of insurance industry is up to 8100 crores and it has an estimated growth of Rs. 30,000 crores in the next 5 years. The mediclaim policy India is also available in various premium rates. The mediclaim policies are provided by government organizations or private insurance companies.

How to Select Best Health Insurance Policy

The duration of the mediclaim policy India varies from 1 year to a maximum duration of 2 years. The premium for the mediclaim policies are calculated on the basis of entire healthcare expenses incurred by the family. The details of the healthcare expenses are mentioned in the insurance agreement. The agreement also mentions the benefits which are offered by the insurance company. The mediclaim can be taken individually or collectively. The collective mediclaim policies are family insurance, group insurance policies or short term insurance policies. The Family health insurance policy covers the individual, his spouse and his parents. The person has to pay one low monthly premium. The group mediclaim policy is usually taken by corporate for their employees.

The person can choose from various health insurance policies. The insurance available are Health Guard, Family Floater Plans, and Health Advantage Plus and Hospital cash are few of the best health insurance policy in India. The Family Floater Policies and the Health Advantage Plus policies are the best when it comes to tax saving under income tax. These insurance policies are applicable under the new tax reforms of Income tax under section 80D.

The Health Advantage plus Plan can help the tax payer save an amount of Rs. 5099/-; this as per the revised income tax reforms under section 80D. In case the tax payer has a health insurance policy then the Health Advantage plus Plan can act as an additional coverage. The sum insured is more and benefits of healthcare options are also higher. The person can get a cashless facility up to Rs. 4000-4500/- across all the hospitals in India as per the list finalized by the insurance company. The critical illness health insurance policy in India covers all the critical illness. The insured person gets a lump sum amount for the treatment of the critical illness; this is irrespective of the amount of hospital bills.

The other best health insurance policy India is the senior citizens health insurance policy. This policy is basically designed for those individuals who are above the age of 60 years. The premium of this policy is also high as compared to other policies. The renewable age of the policy is also late and it has a less waiting period.

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Best Mediclaim Policy – How to Select Best Health Insurance Policy

Buying a home for personal use or for investment purpose, takes a considerable amount of our disposable income. The decision for buying a home is quite crucial and should be very well planned out. Being a huge capital investment, the tenure of the home loans are generally longer and the EMIs are quite higher. Taking a home loan is not the panacea to all our worries. Along with a home loan, there comes the responsibility of timely payment of high EMIs for multiple years.

Why Home Loan Insurance?

If you are the co-owner of a house and something wrong happens to you in due course of time, the co-owner (Your family member) will have to pay the remaining amount or else the house can be claimed by the financing organization. To prevent your family members from such kind of situations, there is an excellent option of home loan insurance to protect your home loan against contingencies.

Home Loan Insurance in Brief:

The home loan insurance protects your loan amount in case of contingencies. Since you are paying life insurance premium, you are eligible to get Income Tax deduction under section 80C (Interest payment on Home loan PA up to a maximum of Rs. 1, 50, 000 under section 24 of Indian Income tax act 1961).  Several insurance companies are tied up with banks and provide a complete Loan-Insurance package. So it saves a lot of your time as you need not to search a separate insurance company after getting a loan. Also you can opt to attach the insurance cost (onetime premium) with the loan amount and the insurance premium will come added with your EMI.

Who are tied up with Banks?

In India, several private Insurance players have tie-up with Indian as well as Multinational Banks to provide home loan Insurance. Syndicate bank is tied up with TATA AIG Life, IDBI with Birla Sun Life, HSBC with TATA AIG Life, Bank of India with Star Union Dai-chi Life, United bank with United Insurance Co, ICICI with ICICI Lombard, HDFC with HDFC Life, Union Bank with SBI Life, Corporation Bank with Life Insurance Corporation of India.

Example of Home Loan Insurance:

Suppose you are buying a flat in Mumbai suburbs and want to raise a home loan of Rs. 60, 00, 000 (Rs 6 Million) from IDBI bank which has tie-up with Birla Sun Life Insurance Co Ltd. The home loan insurance company charges a onetime premium of Rs 2, 00,000 (imaginary). Now you can raise a loan of Rs. 62, 00, 000 or make a cash-payment of Rs 2, 00,000 whichever suits you. Now you’ll pay EMIs and the home loan interest is tax deductible up to Rs. 1, 50, 000.

While providing a home loan, Insurance companies check the Age of the life insured, loan tenure, medical check-up (mandatory above 40 years) and lapse of cover if death occurs within 45 days. Some insurance companies (ICICI for instance) provide free accidental death cover. Some provide clauses on complete or partial disability. So a good home loan insurance plan protects your home and money.

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Home Loan Insurance – Why you Need It?

People don’t want to overshoot their budget and cut costs on bills. It is very important to educate yourself and understand how insurance works. One can save money on premiums by doing simple research and analyzing the requirements.

Here are some of the tips to save money on car insurance

Shop Around
One of the first step in saving money on car insurance is to do comparison shopping. One can use auto comparison tools on the internet, ask around and call up the insurance agents. Make sure you have scrutinized thoroughly so that you will only buy from a company that is reputed.

Increase the deducible
If you are ready to bear more risk then you can save quite an amount of money by calling up your agent and asking them to raise the deductible. However, to be on a safer side make sure you have cash in hand to cover up the immediate expenses.

Unnecessary coverage
Get rid of the unnecessary coverage expenses as you may be paying more than you need for coverage. For example if you are driving an old car you can easily drop the collision coverage. There is no point paying cumbersome amount of money when the car is not worth the repairs. You may also not need extra coverage like towing or rental reimbursement.

It is advisable to review your coverage every year. As it will vary on personal preferences and assets. Make sure you are aware about your reduced coverage and its policies.

No customization of car
Also, you don’t need to get your car customized and modified. Most of the insurance companies do not cover the expenses that charge them more. One should go for a safe and reliable vehicle. Many sports cars and luxury cars are more expensive when it comes to insurance.

Avoid small claims
Do not make small claims as you will have to go for a higher premium for the insurance in the next year or may be the insurance would not be covered if more number of claims have been made.

Ask for safety discounts
Many insurance companies offer discounts on safety features of the car like discounts for anti-lock brakes, air bags or car alarms.

Bundle the coverage
The best way to save money is to make sure your car is insured with the same company that also insures the house. Ask for combined coverage and discounts. Many insurance companies give discounts to people with multiple types of policies. If you have other vehicles like boat, home, motorcycle then get it insured through the same company.

Keep a check on your usage
Reducing the mileage can also help you save lot of bucks. Many insurance companies take mileage into account when it comes to computation of premiums. Call up your agent if you have made changes in daily commuting or if you are using some other transportation services. There is also no harm in negotiating the price with your agent.

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How to Save Money on Car Insurance

Investment banks are very popular in India that take care of the capital needs. An investment bank helps corporations, governments and individuals by providing financial assistance. They also assist in foreign exchange, equity securities, meters and acquisitions of companies and other services like fixed income instruments and market making. Most of the banks in India are owned by state or are completely private like ICICI and HDFC bank.

Here are some of the top investment banks in India

Bajaj Capital

Bajaj Capital expands all over the country. It expands across 120 offices in 50 cities along with a network of 10,000 advisor associates. The investment banking service provided capital raising solutions for business. There are fiscal planning facilities and it also gives consolation to organizational investors, non-resident indians and other investors. There is a great variety of investment schemes like life insurance, general insurance, mutual funds, etc.

ICICI Securities Ltd.

ICICI bank is the most recognized private bank in India. ICICI Securities Ltd. is a subsidiary of ICICI Bank. Its operations are in various segments like institutional equities, equity capital markets advisory services, consultant services, fiscal good distribution and retail and financial product distribution. It is spread throughout the country catering the needs of corporate and retail clients. This investment back has also been listen under Financial Services Authority, UK and MAS, Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

Kotak

Kotak Mahindra Capital Company assists various banks, financial institutions, government companies with international and domestic capital markets. It leads in public equity offerings. It is a full service investment bank with core areas of mergers and acquisitions, advisory services, equity issuance and fixed income securities.

Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI)

IDBI is a leading public sector bank. It has been categorized as “other Public Sector Bank”. The banking arm, IDBI bank was merged into IDBI.

IDFC

The various sectors under the financial assistance of IDFC are agriculture related business, healthcare, tourism and infrastructure.

Tata Investment  Corporation Limited (TICL)

TICL is a non banking financial company that has been listen under RBI in the category of ‘Investment Company’. It offers long term investments in equity of various companies from different sectors.

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Top Investment Banks in India

Educational expenses are increasing by leaps and bounds and many people cant afford good education these days. If cash is your hurdle when it comes to education then education loans have come to your rescue. These education loans cover all the tuition expenses and other expenses incurred during academics. All you need to do is complete few formalities and give your documents.

Education loan is a great financial assistance that can shape the future of your child. Usually banks or financial institutions provide loans for courses like medical degrees, engineering or management studies.

Eligibility:
- The applicant should be an Indian national
- The applicant needs to show a secured offer letter especially if studying overseas
- Those applicants applying for colleges or Indian universities should have an admission through proper selection process.

There are several private banks, foreign bank, nationalized banks and private lending institutions that offer student loans. Some of the most popular banks are:

- Axis Bank Study Loan
- Bank of India Loan
- Bank of Baroda Loan
- Bank of Maharashtra Loan
- HDFC Education Loan
- ICICI Bank Education Loan
- IDBI Bank Education Loan
- Indian Overseas Bank Loan
- Oriental Bank of Commerce
- State Bank of India Loan

There are various terms and schemes offered by banks. At present they can offer up to Rs 20 lakh for studying overseas.

Following expenses are usually covered.
- Travel expenses
- Cost of two wheelers
- Examination and hostel charges or accommodation
- Cost of books, uniform and other equipment required

Education Loan Repayment
- The repayment needs to be done usually one year after the course is completed or after six months of the course when a graduate gets a job. It is in the form of equated monthly installments.

Security
- For the loans of up to Rs 4 lakhs no security is required.
- If the loans are in the range of Rs 4 lakhs to Rs. 7.50 lakhs then there is an involvement of third party guarantee.
- If the loans are above Rs Rs. 7.50 lakhs then collateral security or guardian/parents/third party guarantee is required .

The security can in various forms like land/building, public sector bonds, units of NSC, KVP, UTI, gold, shares or LIC policy. It can be bank deposit in the name of parent/guardian or student.

Tax Benefit
- One can also avail tax benefit. The repayment of loan is deductible under Section 80C according to the Income Tax Act. This is usually for the loans taken for higher education like post graduate courses or masters. It is deductible for usually eight years starting from the day of repayment.

Following is some of the factors one should compare before applying for any education loan.
- Interest rates
- How the interest rate is charged?
- The waiver period
- Fees and other costs like administrative fees, processing fees or documentation costs.
- Collateral, guarantee required.
- The down payment which has to be made with every loan. It ranges from 5 percent to 20 percent of the amount.

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Education Loan in India – Factors to Consider before Applying for Education Loan

With fluctuating economy there is a dire need to stop the budget from overshooting. With few measures and steps one can save money on household bills. You will reap huge savings if you are cautious and make smart moves in long run. One should make saving their habit in day to day life and you will save big bucks gradually.

Here are some of the ways to save money on your Household Bills.

1. Cut down on mortgage
One of the best ways to save big bucks on household bills is to save on monthly mortgage payment. You might have got the best interest rate but you can also think of refinancing at even a lower rate if your have worked on improvement of your credit score.

2. Coupons, discounts and offers
Keep yourself informed about what is happening around. Avail various discounts and offers. Clip the coupons from the newspapers and find them online. One can save around hundreds of dollars every month on grocery bills.

3. Bundle the services
Club all the cable, telephone and internet services by subscribing with the same provider. One can easily save $20 or more than that every month.

4. Buy in bulk
You will save lot of money if buying in bulk. Non perishable items like toilet paper, tooth paste, soap and other supplies can be bought in bulk. Grab the good deals and stock up on such items.

5. Save on maintenance and repairs
It is very important to take care of your house from the start so that you wont end up spending a lot on maintenance and repairs. Make sure your house is in good shape and any of the damage is fixed immediately. Address various problems as soon as possible so that the inexpensive repairs wont become big and then cost you a bomb.

6. Saving money on electricity and home heating bills
- Programmable thermostat
You can save money on the energy bills by installing a programmable thermostat. It can be programmed according to your needs when you are asleep or away from home. It is said that thermostat should be turned down to 10 degrees if going to work and when going to bed. This will save around 14 percent on the utility bill.

- Compact Fluorescent Lighting
Compact Fluorescent Lighting should be used that use half of the energy compared to incandescent light bulbs. They also last longer in addition to saving energy.

- Furnace should be cleaned and checked at frequent intervals. This is an effective way to cut down on heating costs.

- Change the air filter on the furnace regularly and a dirty air filter will only decrease the life expectancy of the furnace blocking the air flow.

- Don’t run appliances like dishwashers and washing machines frequently only when you are running full loads of dishes or laundry.

- The shades and blinds should be open and natural daylight should be allowed. There is no need to run light bulbs throughout the day.

- Temperature of the water in water heater should be around 115-120 degrees tats will reduce the use of power.

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Ways to Save Money on Your Household Bills

How to open PPF account

The Public Provident Fund (PPF) is one of the best tax saving investment options. You get the deduction on the income but icing on the cake is that the interest that is earned is tax free.

PPF is a long term debt scheme by the government of India where the interest is paid on regular basis. This investment product is offered by Indian Postal Service.

Eligibility:
Any individual whether self employed or salaried or any other category is eligible for scheme and can get great returns which are more than any return offered on fixed deposits.

Salient Features:
- This scheme is for 15 years
- The rate of interest is compounded annually at 8%

- Flexibility of investment
The minimum amount to be deposited is Rs. 500 and the maximum deposit is Rs. 70,000 in a year. The minimum deposit of Rs 500 is mandatory.
- The deposit can be made in installments as well. You cannot go for more than 12 installments in a year and more than 2 installments in a month. It is not necessary to deposit every month.
- If the deposits are not made then the account is discontinued and it can not be closed until maturity. To activate it one might have to pay a deposit of Rs 500 and Rs 50 for each year.
- Account should be individual or minor with the help of a guardian. Joint account is not allowed.
- First withdrawal is possible only in the 7th year and the limit is only 50 percent of the amount.
- One can also extend the PPF account for 5 years every time.
- There is no specific age when it comes to opening a PPF account.
- It is eligible under Section 80C of Income Tax Act.
- Exempt from wealth tax.
- It is the best for long term investment as it is completely tax free.

Opening a PPF Account
- PPF scheme can be opened in nationalized bank or post office. It can be opened in any of the branches of State Bank of India and its other associated banks like State Bank of Mysore and other nationalized banks. It is easier to open in post office as many banks can be reluctant to open an account as they do not gain additional fees. It can be opened at General Post Office, head post office and other selected grade post offices.

- The account can also be transferred from bank to post office and vice versa.
- One needs to keep in mind that operation two or moor PPF accounts is not possible. Every individual is allowed to have only one PPF account in their name,

Documents required to open PPF account:
Opening a PPF account is easy and straightforward. All the documents are required like an address proof and an identity proof. Identity proof can be Passport, Voter ID card, driving license or PAN card. One also needs to submit passport sized photographs.

If you don’t have a Permanent Account Number then you will have to submit an attested copy of voter’s identity cad, passport or ration card.

After the approval of your application, PPF passbook is issued. The book will contain all the details or printed transactions including withdrawals, loans, subscriptions and accrued interest.

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How to Open PPF Account in India

The infrastructure bonds are the best option to save tax. The Government of India allowed following finance companies to issue these infrastructure bonds :
1)      Life Insurance Corporation (LIC)
2)      Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI)
3)      Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC)

The infrastructure bonds get a deduction up to Rs 20,000 under the section 80CCF. This deduction allowed is besides the deduction of Rs. 1 lakh allowed under section 80C. The individual with an income slab upto Rs. 5 lakh can save tax upto Rs. 2060/-; those with income slab upto Rs. 8 lakhs can save tax upto Rs. 4000/- and those with an income slab more than Rs. 8 lakh can save a tax upto Rs. 6180/-.

The SREI Tax Saving Infra Bond issued under 80CCF Infrastructure Bonds are issued by SREI Infrastructure Finance. The public issue announced by the company is a long term infrastructure bond. The face value of the bond is Rs. 1000/-. They are in the form of secured redeemable non-convertible debentures. They are to be issued in parts and should not exceed 500 crores for the fiscal year 2011-12. These bonds have exemption under 80CCF of the Income tax act, 1961.

The SREI tax saving Infra Bonds has been kept open for subscription form December 31, 2011. The issue closes on the 31^st January, 2012 or earlier depending upon the decision of the Board of Directors. The bonds issued in the tranche 1 have been issued for an amount not exceeding Rs. 300 crores. The Board of Directors has decided to list these bonds on the Bombay Stock Exchange. The Infra Bonds have been rated by CARE AA. The rating by CARE AA refers that these bonds are of high safety in reference to the financial obligations of the company.

The issue of the SREI Tax Saving Infra Bonds is to be issued in one or more tranches. The issue amount should not exceed the shelf limit. The minimum number of bonds an applicant can issue is 1 bond and for the Hindu Undivided Family it is in the multiples of 1. The applicant can apply for the tranche 1 bond in the same series or a different series. The allotment of these tranche 1 bonds is in a dematerialized form. The applicant has the flexibility to keep these bonds either in physical form or a dematerialized form. The bonds are available in four series with varied interest rates.

• Series 1 and Series 2 – 8.90% per annul.
• Series 3 and Series 4 – 9.15% per annul.

The interest for the bonds in Series 1 and 3 will be paid to the applicant on annual basis; while the interest for the series 2 and 4 will be paid on a cumulative basis to the applicant. The company has decided to keep a buy back option for all the series of Infra bonds. The maturity period of the bonds varies from 10-15 years and the lock in period is for 5 years.

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SREI Tax Saving Infra Bond – 80CCF Infrastructure Bonds to Save Tax

Every individual of the country has to pay Income tax mandatorily as prescribed by the government. There are certain ways you can save tax each year. This tax amount is used by the government for various developmental programs of the country; part of this tax money is also used for the development of the society and upbringing of the poor.

The assessment of Income tax takes place in the month of March every year. The tax is to be paid by every person who earns profit – it can be in the form of salary, profits from business from either public limited or private limited company. The income tax is calculated on the annual profit made by the individual or the company. There has been introduction of the new pay commission in the year 2010. All the employees have benefitted from the pay commission; the salaries have increased and at the same time the tax amount shall also increase relatively.

Save Tax in India 2012

There are many tax saving options in India. There are many banks and financial institutions who give details about various tax saving schemes to the individuals and the companies. Some of the most well known tax saving schemes is mutual funds, savings bonds and insurance etc. There are various powerful tools which can help the person save tax to a large extent. The Reserve bank of India has introduced bonds of 3 years and 5 years which gives an interest of 7.5% per annum. These bonds are available in two types cumulative and non cumulative.

In India the tax slabs for male and female are different according to the annual income. If the earnings of the male is between 1,60,000 – 5,00,000 then the tax deducted would be 10% of the annual income. In case it is more than 5,00,000 then the tax shall be deducted at the rate of 20%. In case the income is more than 8,00,000 the rate of tax would be 30%. In case of females the tax is deducted at the rate of 10% only if the income is more than 1,90,000. The following tax saving options in India will help the tax payer in saving the taxes to a large extent.

• Mutual Funds – One of the tax saving options in India is the mutual funds. There are many mutual funds schemes available in the market – both private and government. Some of the mutual funds are State Bank of India mutual funds, Franklin Templeton, Kotak Mahindra, HDFC, ICICI etc. The tax payer should take care to take only those mutual funds which have a locking period. Those mutual funds which are without a locking period cannot get a income tax benefit.
• Home Loan – If the tax payer has taken a home loan then he/she can get the benefit on the EMI of the loan paid. The EMI should be paid before the tax assessment is done so as to avail the benefit.
• House rent – The House rent allowance also gets a waiver in the income tax assessment. The rent receipt of the rent paid has to be submitted as proof to the income tax.
• Insurance policies – The tax payer can get a rebate on the life insurance and healthcare insurance policies. There is no benefit of tax available for general insurance.

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Tax Saving Options in India – How to Save Tax in India 2012