Articles
In-depth breakdowns of how the numbers actually work.
The RBI raised the repo rate. If your EMI stays the same, your loan may get longer
On 7 October the RBI raised the repo rate by 25 bps. On a ₹50 lakh home loan five years in, keeping the EMI unchanged adds about six months and ₹2.46 lakh. Raising it by ₹648 a month costs ₹1.17 lakh.
20 October 2026
EPF's ₹2.5 lakh line: the cost isn't this year's tax, it's the years left after you cross it
For most Indian IT careers, tax on EPF interest above ₹2.5 lakh a year is negligible. For a few, it costs tens of lakhs by retirement. What decides it isn't income, it's how many years are left after you cross the line.
7 October 2026
No-cost EMI: compare the checkout totals, not the label
Using IDFC FIRST's currently published EMI charges, a ₹60,000 phone on six-month no-cost EMI leaves ₹1,282 of tax and fee costs after the promotional offset. Sometimes EMI is still cheaper. Here's how to tell.
27 September 2026
Your ₹25,000 SIP isn't flat. It's shrinking.
At 6% inflation, a flat ₹25,000 SIP loses more than half its purchasing power over fifteen years. What 6%, 9.1% and 10% annual step-ups do to the post-tax result — and how much extra you actually put in.
23 September 2026
Direct vs regular: what the switch is worth, and what it costs
Using HDFC Flexi Cap's own disclosed expense ratios — 1.37% regular against 0.77% direct — the direct plan is worth ₹5,59,935 on a 15-year SIP. And the headline number everyone quotes understates it by ₹70,944.
22 September 2026
Tax harvesting: what it actually saves on a ₹25,000 SIP
Booking gains against the ₹1.25 lakh annual threshold each year cuts the tax on a 15-year SIP from ₹8,21,690 to ₹6,07,955 — a saving of ₹2,13,735. That is about a quarter of the bill, not all of it. Full year-by-year working.
16 September 2026
What your SIP calculator isn't telling you
A ₹25,000 monthly SIP at 12% for 15 years shows ₹1.26 crore. Here is what you actually retain after fund costs and capital gains tax, and what it buys after inflation — with the full working and every assumption stated.
12 September 2026