It is fairly easy to procure a credit card and easier still to spend thereafter. Credit card usage has steadily been on the rise in India over the last few years. The lure of instant gratification, not having to postpone your purchase and the convenience associated with not having to carry cash have made these cards an almost must have for one and all. However, like any other product, credit cards too come with their own set of considerations that must be kept in mind to avoid financial loss or a spiraling debt trap. [More]

An investment in real estate is perhaps one of the most substantial financial transactions that one undertakes. There are usually enough and more clauses in real estate agreements that most of us don't read carefully and end up running the risk of being legally and financially out-muscled by large sized companies. Thus keep the following points in mind before you sign any agreement: [More]

Following the recent developments in Andhra Pradesh over allegations of excessive interest rates charged by MFIs to small borrowers, it seems that the chorus for a serious review of the industry is building up. The Andhra Pradesh government has passed an ordinance to regulate MFIs and mentioned the high suicide rate among farmers as the trigger for regulating MFI activities requiring lending entities to register with designate entities. [More]

What is offered as cash back is typically coming out of the commissions that card issuers receive from merchants and establishments. One needs to ensure that his expenditure amount and frequency is not swayed by the sole purpose of availing the offer. Other than this, cash back cards will make sense only if you don't usually carry an outstanding balance on your card and if the card associated fees and charges are not higher than the maximum amount you can get as cash back. [More]

The need for travel insurance is fairly straightforward. One just needs to consider the countless number of things that could go wrong on such journeys and then evaluate the minimal amount of premium that one needs to pay to eliminate or at least reduce the financial impact of any of these risks. Let's look at what all your travel insurance policy should generally cover and what you need to keep in mind while choosing your product: [More]

Over the last few years, various forms of money equivalents like using your international credit cards, debit cards or even the latest prepaid travel cards have evolved when travelling abroad. So how does one evaluate these options and what should be parameters for consideration? [More]

With inflation expected to be in double digits for the sixth month in a row, it came as no surprise to anyone when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised its repo rate, at which it lends to banks, by 25 basis points to 5.75% yesterday and its reverse repo rate, at which it borrows from banks by 50 basis points to 4.50%. [More]