Things to consider before moving a loan
Shreya took a 20 year home loan of Rs 50 lakhs 3 years back at a fixed interest rate of 10.5 %. Now, in the current falling interest scenario, most banks are offering loans at the rate of 9.00 % – 9.5 % p.a. Since the amount of loan is sizeable and she still has 17 years to go, she wants to explore if it makes sense to switch over to another loan provider and take advantage of the low interest rates. But, moving a loan is a time consuming and a cumbersome process, and there is a cost involved too. These are some things which people like her should know and evaluate before taking a decision to shift.
Difference between RGESS and ELSS
Budget 2012 introduced RGESS ( Rajiv Gandhi Equity Saving Scheme ), a scheme which allows tax rebate/tax deduction for investment in specified equity schemes. Since there already exists another similarly structured scheme called the ELSS ( Equity Linked Saving Scheme ) under which an investor can claim tax rebate u/s 80C up to Rs. 1 Lakh, it is important to understand the differences between the two.
When is a guarantor required for a loan?
While we are on the topic of loan guarantee, (See previous post- Guaranteeing a loan? Be careful!) it is important to know why and when will the lending bank insist on a guarantor to approve your loan.
Guaranteeing a loan? Be careful!
Jay and Vijay are around 35 years of age and are childhood friends, who went to the same school and later passed out from the same engineering college. Jay settled down for the standard software job and now, 13 years later is in the middle management position and draws a handsome salary. Vijay wanted to be an entrepreneur, started his own company which unfortunately is not doing that great and the performance is inconsistent. He does not have a fixed regular income. Hence, when he approached a bank for a home loan, the bank asked for a guarantor. Vijay approached Jay to help him out, and Jay signed up as a guarantor without much thought.
Financial awareness – a must for all
I still remember the first class of my MBA finance course. Stressing on the importance of our chosen stream of specialization, our professor had said “One who studies finance need not know about HR, IT or marketing, but even those who study or will make a career in the above mentioned areas will still have to be financially literate to be able to manage their finances efficiently.
Sriraksha Financial Planning Services 