Blog
What the numbers said — fund returns and costs, foreign and domestic flows, index valuations, gold and silver — plus tax, retirement and personal-finance basics, written from the same data the rest of this site shows, with the date on every figure.
Leave encashment tax at retirement, worked
02 Nov 2026
Leave encashed on retirement is exempt up to the least of four limits, the largest being ₹25 lakh. One worked case, and when encashment is fully taxed.
TaxRetirement
Loan against mutual funds or redeem? The break-even
02 Nov 2026
Borrowing ₹3 lakh against a fund at 10.5% beats redeeming only if the fund returns more than about 11% while the loan runs. Worked at 7%, 10.5% and 14%.
Personal FinanceInvesting Strategy
LTCG grandfathering: the 31 Jan 2018 rule, worked
02 Nov 2026
Equity bought before February 2018 uses a stepped-up cost. The four cases of the rule, and two real index fund purchases priced through it.
Tax
No-cost EMI: what it really costs, in rupees
02 Nov 2026
A ₹60,000 phone on six-month no-cost EMI: the interest is real, the discount pays it, and GST and the fee are yours. The full schedule, worked.
Personal Finance
Pre-EMI vs full EMI on an under-construction flat
02 Nov 2026
On a ₹50 lakh loan disbursed over two years, pre-EMI adds ₹5.31 lakh of interest and six more months to the loan. The schedule for both, worked.
Personal Finance
Breaking an FD early: what the penalty really costs
02 Nov 2026
A 1% penalty on a ₹5 lakh FD broken after three years costs about ₹17,000, not ₹5,000. The sums, plus when a loan against the FD is the cheaper way out.
Personal FinanceDebt & Hybrid Funds
Rebalancing a 60:40 portfolio: a two-year worked example
02 Nov 2026
A ₹10 lakh portfolio rebalanced after a strong year ends ₹10,032 ahead if equity then falls and ₹3,648 behind if it rises. The sums, and what it is for.
Investing Strategy
Rupee cost averaging: a flat NAV that still pays a SIP
02 Nov 2026
A ₹10,000 SIP through a NAV that falls to 70 and returns to 100 ends 16.4% ahead. The unit-by-unit sums, and the case where averaging does not rescue you.
Investing Strategy
Savings account vs liquid fund: ₹5 lakh, after tax
02 Nov 2026
₹5 lakh idle in a savings account versus a liquid fund, worked after tax at three slabs, with the 80TTA wrinkle and the safety difference the comparison hides.
Debt & Hybrid FundsInvesting Strategy
Selling equity at 11 months vs 12: the tax gap
02 Nov 2026
On a ₹2 lakh gain, waiting past 12 months cuts tax from ₹41,600 to ₹9,750. How far the price could fall in the wait before selling early wins.
TaxInvesting StrategyTax-free 7% vs a taxable FD: break-even rate by slab
02 Nov 2026
A tax-free 7% equals a taxable 10.17% at the 30% slab but only 7.38% at 5%. The taxable-equivalent yield for every slab, and what 9% leaves after tax.
TaxInvesting StrategyWaiting in cash for a fall: the price you must beat
02 Nov 2026
If cash earns 6.5% while you wait, a market up 6.5% still ties with investing now. The break-even buy price for 1, 2 and 3 years, before and after tax.
Investing Strategy
What ₹1 crore is worth in today's rupees after 20-30 years
02 Nov 2026
At 6% inflation, ₹1 crore in 20 years buys what ₹31 lakh buys today, and ₹17 lakh after 30. A table for 5%, 6% and 7%, and what ₹50,000 a month becomes.
RetirementPersonal Finance
Annualising a short return: 2% in a month is not 24%
01 Nov 2026
A fund up 2% in a month is not earning 24% a year. How annualising a short return misleads, with worked examples for gains and for falls.
Fund ReturnsInvesting StrategyCash drag: what 5% cash does to an equity fund's return
01 Nov 2026
A fund holding 5% in cash earns about 0.3 points less in a 12% year and loses about 0.8 points less in a −10% year. The arithmetic behind it.
Fund ReturnsPortfolio Holdings
Diversification in numbers: two assets, one smoother ride
01 Nov 2026
Two assets that each average 5% a year can combine into a portfolio that compounds faster and never loses. A four-year worked example.
Investing StrategyExit load break-even: is it worth waiting to redeem?
01 Nov 2026
A 1% exit load on ₹1 lakh costs ₹1,000. How to weigh that against waiting a few days, with the arithmetic and the questions to check before you redeem.
Costs & FeesInvesting Strategy
Expense ratio in rupees: what 0.5%, 1% and 2% cost per day
01 Nov 2026
On ₹10 lakh, a 1% expense ratio is about ₹27 a day and 2% is about ₹55. Turning a percentage into rupees, and what the gap compounds to over 20 years.
Costs & FeesMarkup vs margin: a 25% markup is only a 20% margin
01 Nov 2026
Markup and margin sound alike but use different bases. A conversion table, a worked ₹800 example and the pricing mistake that quietly shrinks profit.
Personal FinanceHow-To GuidesPortfolio return is a weighted average, not a simple one
01 Nov 2026
Three funds returning 12%, 8% and -10% do not make a 3.3% portfolio. How weights decide the answer, with a worked ₹10 lakh example and a short checklist.
Investing StrategyFund Returns