Friday, April 12, 2013

Prajna Capital

Prajna Capital


Types of bonuses in insurance plans

Posted: 12 Apr 2013 04:15 AM PDT

Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

 

IN THE most common understanding of the word, bonus is a reward or any extra amount that one may receive over and above the base amount. A similar concept is also applicable to your life insurance policy. In this context, a bonus is an additional sum that gets accrued to the policy on a yearly basis. This amount is paid out by the insurance company upon maturity of the plan, or in case of unfortunate death.


Understanding how bonus is determined: The premiums paid by policyholders are pooled within the insurance company's life fund. The company uses these pooled assets to pay out claims. A large part of the life fund is invested in government-secured debt instruments, with a small portion invested in equity to achieve a desired return. Based on the earnings from the investments made by the company and its claims experience, the company aims to distribute a part of its surplus to the with profits policyholders in the form of bonus.

The bonus rate is decided after considering a variety of factors such as the return on the underlying assets, the level of bonuses declared in previous years and other actuarial assumptions.

Bonus is offered on traditional plans that are built in to the plan structure. To avail of the bonus, it is important that the type of plan you have purchased is a `withprofits' one, often known as a participating policy as well.


Types of bonuses: The common types of bonus offered by insurers are simple reversionary bonus, compound reversionary bonus, terminal bonus, interim bonus, and cash bonus.

Simple reversionary bonus (SRB): This type of bonus is calculated on the sum assured only. This bonus is declared annually and is accrued to be paid out at the time of a claim or maturity.

Compound reversionary bonus (CRB): CRB is calculated as a percentage of the sum assured and all previously accrued bonuses. The bonus of each year is added to the sum assured and the next year's bonus is calculated on the enhanced amount.

Let's take an example to understand which type of bonus is beneficial for you.


Take for instance, Rahul Khanna owns two participating policies of Rs 5,00,000 each. Let's assume that on the first policy he gets a bonus using the simple revisionary method and on the second policy he gets a bonus using the compound revisionary method. The SRB declared on the policy is Rs 25 per `000 of sum assured, while CRB declared is 3 per cent throughout the policy term.

As seen from the table above, the CRB to be accrued at the end of the 10th year is much higher, compared with the SRB of the same year.

Terminal bonus: The terminal bonus, also known as a persistency bonus, is a bonus paid to indicate an overall performance of a participating policy. The terminal bonus is paid at the time of maturity or death of the life assured.

Interim bonus: Interim bonus is payable for those policies that mature or result in a death claim in between two bonus declaration dates. While the policy has already accrued the bonus declared at the end of the last financial year, there may be a short period in between the bonus declaration date and the maturity/claim date for which the policy has not received bonus. In such instances, bonus is added on a pro-rata basis using the interim bonus rates declared by the company. An interim bonus ensures that policyholders who claim benefits in midst of a year will receive credit for keeping the policy in force for that part of the year.

Cash bonus: The insurance company may decide to give the bonus in cash, that is, bonus accruing in a year will be paid to the policyholder at the end of the year.


This gives the policyholder an opportunity to receive the bonus year on year.


Things you should consider: Type of bonus offered: While evaluating a traditional policy, it is a good idea to consider beforehand the type of bonus that your plan offers. This would be mentioned in the brochure of the plan, or you could also check with your agent/intermediary.

Check bonus rates: While choosing your traditional plan, make sure to check the bonus rates offered by them over the years.


These rates are usually published on the insurer's website and will give you an idea of the kind of benefits you stand to gain from the particular policy. Additionally, it is recommended that you check the company's website as few insurers publish the declared bonus rate on their official website.

Happy Investing!!

We can help. Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

Leave your comment with mail ID and we will answer them

OR

You can write back to us at PrajnaCapital [at] Gmail [dot] Com

---------------------------------------------

Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds ( ELSS Mutual Funds ) to upto Rs 1 lakh and Save tax under Section 80C.

Invest Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

These links can be used to Purchase Mutual Funds Online that are regular also (Investment, non-tax saving)

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms from all AMCs

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Applications

These Application Forms can be used for buying regular mutual funds also

Some of the best Tax Saving Mutual Funds available ( ELSS Mutual Funds )

  1. ICICI Prudential Tax PlanInvest Online
  2. HDFC TaxSaverInvest Online
  3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver FundInvest Online
  4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) FundInvest Online
  5. Birla Sun Life Tax Relief '96 Invest Online
  6. IDFC Tax Advantage (ELSS) FundInvest Online
  7. SBI Magnum Tax Gain Scheme 1993Invest Online
  8. Sundaram Tax SaverInvest Online
  9. Edelweiss ELSS Invest Online

------------------

Best Performing Mutual Funds

    1. Largecap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock Top 100 Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Focused Blue Chip Fund
      3. Birla Sun Life Front Line Equity Fund
    2. Large and Midcap Funds Invest Online
      1. ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan
      2. HDFC Top 200 Fund
      3. UTI Dividend Yield Fund
    1. Mid and SmallCap Funds Invest Online
      1. Reliance Equity Opportunities Fund
      2. DSP BlackRock Small & Midcap Fund
      3. Sundaram Select Midcap
      4. IDFC Premier Equity Fund
    1. Small and MicroCap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock MicroCap Fund
    1. Sector Funds Invest Online
      1. Reliance Banking Fund
      2. Reliance Banking Fund
    1. Tax Saver MutualFundsInvest Online
      1. ICICI Prudential Tax Plan
      2. HDFC Taxsaver
      3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund
      4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund
    2. Gold Mutual Funds Invest Online
      1. Relaince Gold Savings Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Regular Gold Savings Fund
      3. HDFC Gold Fund

How to increase your flat resale value

Posted: 12 Apr 2013 01:12 AM PDT

Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

Get an agent

First, know the current rate in your area. You may need a good real estate agent to help sell your flat. However, it isn't a question of selling alone; one has to ensure it is sold quickly and the rate is better than the prevailing one. Therefore, hire a professional agent with good contacts.

Also, informing the maids and guards in your premises could prove helpful. Agents usually charge one to two per cent of the transaction value as commission. This, however, is negotiable.

A compact kitchen

It is best to remodel the kitchen and the bathrooms. Most women judge a house based on how compact and useful the kitchen looks. If it isn't spacious, ensure you have dedicated space for daily- use electronics items such as a microwave- oven, a mixer- grinder and a washing machine. To give it a modern look, one could consider furniture fixtures for these. Modular kitchens are becoming popular, as these make the kitchen look bigger; all unwanted items can be stashed away in stylish drawers. You can get these custom- made for anything upwards of 30,000.

Basic wood- work and kitchen fixtures could fetch you 5- 15 per cent more than the actual resale rate in your area.

Fix problems

Don't leave repair work for the new buyer. This would leave a bad impression, which might result in lower resale value. Plumbing and lighting problems are common and people often avoid resolving these.

As a buyer would spend a huge sum on the house, he/ she wouldn't want unnecessary overhead expenses. Basic changes in electrical wiring and fixing taps and fittings could cost you 20,000- 50,000.

Upgrade interiors

On an average, people spend 100- 700 a square foot on beautifying their house, including on interiors and upgrades.

A spacious living room and a compact kitchen improve the image of a house. Get rid of unwanted or broken furniture, as these occupy space and make the house look smaller than it is. One might also consider painting at least those parts of the house that look shabby and are probably putting off buyers.

For a one bedroom hall kitchen flat, basic paint work would cost 20,000- 30,000.

Ready documents

If the house was bought on a loan, ensure your loan papers are in good condition, as potential buyers would need to take a look at these. Produce all loan- related papers and provide their photocopies. Obtain a no- objection certificate from the society, as this would indicate the house is ready for sale and the seller has no dues towards the society.

Good documentation takes away stress, making a customer more confident about buying a house.

Keep it clean

Keeping the place clean is the first step towards keeping negativity out. Therefore, even if you aren't staying in the house, ensure it is clean. A clean house, one that has natural light, has a positive impact on the buyer.

Small changes in the house, coupled with good maintenance and hygiene, could definitely attract potential buyers willing to give a premium.

Customize, but don't overdo it

Those who have extra space such as balconies have an edge, as balconies and store rooms act as add- ons. If you don't have a great view from the house, try enhancing the look of your balcony with plants and flower beds, as these provide a natural and soothing effect. If you have a dry balcony, convert this into a small storage room by separating it with a sliding door. The extra room would be a great selling point.

Happy Investing!!

We can help. Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

Leave your comment with mail ID and we will answer them

OR

You can write back to us at PrajnaCapital [at] Gmail [dot] Com

---------------------------------------------

Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds ( ELSS Mutual Funds ) to upto Rs 1 lakh and Save tax under Section 80C.

Invest Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

These links can be used to Purchase Mutual Funds Online that are regular also (Investment, non-tax saving)

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms from all AMCs

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Applications

These Application Forms can be used for buying regular mutual funds also

Some of the best Tax Saving Mutual Funds available ( ELSS Mutual Funds )

  1. ICICI Prudential Tax PlanInvest Online
  2. HDFC TaxSaverInvest Online
  3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver FundInvest Online
  4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) FundInvest Online
  5. Birla Sun Life Tax Relief '96 Invest Online
  6. IDFC Tax Advantage (ELSS) FundInvest Online
  7. SBI Magnum Tax Gain Scheme 1993Invest Online
  8. Sundaram Tax SaverInvest Online
  9. Edelweiss ELSS Invest Online

------------------

Best Performing Mutual Funds

    1. Largecap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock Top 100 Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Focused Blue Chip Fund
      3. Birla Sun Life Front Line Equity Fund
    2. Large and Midcap Funds Invest Online
      1. ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan
      2. HDFC Top 200 Fund
      3. UTI Dividend Yield Fund
    1. Mid and SmallCap Funds Invest Online
      1. Reliance Equity Opportunities Fund
      2. DSP BlackRock Small & Midcap Fund
      3. Sundaram Select Midcap
      4. IDFC Premier Equity Fund
    1. Small and MicroCap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock MicroCap Fund
    1. Sector Funds Invest Online
      1. Reliance Banking Fund
      2. Reliance Banking Fund
    1. Tax Saver MutualFundsInvest Online
      1. ICICI Prudential Tax Plan
      2. HDFC Taxsaver
      3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund
      4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund
    2. Gold Mutual Funds Invest Online
      1. Relaince Gold Savings Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Regular Gold Savings Fund
      3. HDFC Gold Fund

Use Mutual Fund SWPs for getting fixed payments

Posted: 11 Apr 2013 07:37 PM PDT

Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

 

Investors time withdrawals optimally to save on tax



The systematic withdrawal plan, or SWP, could be called the lesser known cousin of the much talked about and publicised systematic investment plan (SIP).


There's yet another cousin — the Systematic Transfer Plan (STP
). In SIP, you invest a fixed sum of money at regular intervals (monthly/ quarterly) to buy some units of a mutual fund scheme. In SWP, as the name suggests, you do the opposite: You redeem some mutual fund units from your portfolio to get a fixed sum of money at regular intervals (monthly/quarterly/half year/yearly).


In SIP, you get a higher numbers of units when the markets are down, and lesser in a buoyant market. In SWP, going by the product logic, you redeem higher number of units when the markets are down and lesser number of units when the markets are rallying.
This is because the amount you want to withdraw is always kept fixed. So SWPs are not very suitable for equity schemes but work better with debt schemes. A variation of the SWP that allows withdrawal of a fixed amount at regular intervals can take the form of withdrawals where only the appreciation in your portfolio, which is not always fixed, is withdrawn at regular intervals.


Using SWPs effectively


While retired people use SWP the most, it could also be used by corporates to pay advance tax and employee salaries, by parents to pay for their child's school fees, by professionals, corporates and others to pay service tax, and several other cases where there is a need for payment at regular intervals.


The structuring for each, to make them most tax efficient, could be done looking at the cash flow of the investors and also the regularity and amount of payments. One of the most effective ways of settling for an SWP when most of the portfolio is in equity-oriented schemes, is to first shift part of the total corpus into a liquid fund, and the rest, which would be required after a year or more, into debt funds. In this way the tax incidence would be much less.


Another way of restructuring a portfolio for an SWP is to shift part of it into a liquid scheme, another part in one or more debt fund(s), and shift from the equity portfolio to the debt portfolio whenever there is a rally in the equity market.


Watch out for tax incidence


According to Mittal, one of the most important things to look at in SWPs is the incidence of tax on withdrawals. In this case, financial planners should take care of the indexation benefits under the Income Tax Act.


For example, if one invests in a debt fund before March 31, 2013, and withdraws in April 2014, he/she would be eligible for double indexation benefits — for fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2014. That is, by investing for a little over a year, one can reap tax benefits for two years.
On the other hand, if one invests in a debt fund in say April 2013, and withdraws in October 2014, that is for about one-and-a-half years, he/she will be eligible for benefits for just one year. So here, even if the investor earns for 18 months, he/she gets the indexation benefits only for one year. Thus, because of some mismatch in timing the investments and withdrawals, a part of his/her gains are paid as taxes.


The timing of investments and withdrawals are very important for making the whole portfolio tax efficient. Keep in mind the earnings expectations from debt investments, the inflation index and the duration for which you are investing.


Usually during the accumulation phase in one's life, the portfolio is heavily tilted in favour of equity-oriented schemes, while during the withdrawal phase it should be tilted towards debt funds, with a tax-efficient SWP in place.

Happy Investing!!

We can help. Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

Leave your comment with mail ID and we will answer them

OR

You can write back to us at PrajnaCapital [at] Gmail [dot] Com

---------------------------------------------

Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds ( ELSS Mutual Funds ) to upto Rs 1 lakh and Save tax under Section 80C.

Invest Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online

These links can be used to Purchase Mutual Funds Online that are regular also (Investment, non-tax saving)

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms from all AMCs

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Applications

These Application Forms can be used for buying regular mutual funds also

Some of the best Tax Saving Mutual Funds available ( ELSS Mutual Funds )

  1. ICICI Prudential Tax PlanInvest Online
  2. HDFC TaxSaverInvest Online
  3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver FundInvest Online
  4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) FundInvest Online
  5. Birla Sun Life Tax Relief '96 Invest Online
  6. IDFC Tax Advantage (ELSS) FundInvest Online
  7. SBI Magnum Tax Gain Scheme 1993Invest Online
  8. Sundaram Tax SaverInvest Online
  9. Edelweiss ELSS Invest Online

------------------

Best Performing Mutual Funds

    1. Largecap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock Top 100 Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Focused Blue Chip Fund
      3. Birla Sun Life Front Line Equity Fund
    2. Large and Midcap Funds Invest Online
      1. ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan
      2. HDFC Top 200 Fund
      3. UTI Dividend Yield Fund
    1. Mid and SmallCap Funds Invest Online
      1. Reliance Equity Opportunities Fund
      2. DSP BlackRock Small & Midcap Fund
      3. Sundaram Select Midcap
      4. IDFC Premier Equity Fund
    1. Small and MicroCap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock MicroCap Fund
    1. Sector Funds Invest Online
      1. Reliance Banking Fund
      2. Reliance Banking Fund
    1. Tax Saver MutualFundsInvest Online
      1. ICICI Prudential Tax Plan
      2. HDFC Taxsaver
      3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund
      4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund
    2. Gold Mutual Funds Invest Online
      1. Relaince Gold Savings Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Regular Gold Savings Fund
      3. HDFC Gold Fund

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