PPF returns fall to 7.9%: What to do

A combination of term insurance and PPF/equity mutual funds will work better for most others

Currently, interest rates of small savings schemes are revised every quarter and are linked to yields on government bonds. According to the formula given by the Shyamala Gopinath panel, the interest rates of small savings schemes are reset every quarter and ...

The Public Provident Fund is one of the safest and convenient modes of investment for Indians. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com The Public Provident Fund, or PPF, is a government backed small-saving scheme. Though initially started with the objective of providing social security during retirement to workers in the unorganised sector and for self-employed individuals, it has become a very popular tax-saving instrument. Here are some important points to keep in mind before investing in PPF.

Investors generally look at PPF as an alternative to fixed deposits

The Centre today lowered interest rates by 0.1 per cent on Public Provident Fund and small savings deposits. The new rate would be effective from April 1.Meanwhile, For the January-March quarter even as banks have started lowering their deposit rates, government has kept interest rates on small savings schemes like PPF and Kisan Vikas Patra unchanged.Since April last year, interest rates of all small saving schemes have been recalibrated on a quarterly basis. For the January-March quarter, ...

The last-minute rush to invest in a PPF or in any other scheme may not help you get tax relief while filing your returns in July.

People invest for a variety of reasons. While some invest to meet their children’s educational expenses, others do so to fund their post-retirement life. But the key aim for all is to attain financial stability over the long-term. The typical mindset of ...

Balanced funds, it seems, are the toast of the town in the MF street. With returns from bank fixed deposits and small savings schemes diminishing, risk averse investors are turning to balanced funds, some of which have given one-year return in the range of ...

A woman’s best protection is a little money on her own,” said Clare Boothe Luce, American author, famously. Such a cache becomes even more important if she is a single mother or the sole earning member. Often, women are unaware of the true state of their ...