Finance
Loans, credit scores, UPI, savings and budgeting — personal finance decisions for readers in India.
15 articles
How to Get a Duplicate PAN Card Online
Reprinting a lost or damaged PAN through NSDL or UTIITSL without changing your existing PAN number.
How to reprint a lost or damaged PAN card online, what it costs, and how to get an instant e-PAN as a stopgap while you wait.
How UPI Fraud Happens: Five Warning Signs to Watch For
Why receiving money on UPI can never ask you to enter your PIN, and the five patterns fraud actually follows
The actual mechanics of UPI fraud, fake collect requests, screen-sharing apps, QR scams, and five concrete warning signs to check for.
How Cashback Apps Make Money (and What It Costs You)
Cashback isn't charity — it's a cut of an affiliate commission, and the business model shapes what deals it actually shows you.
Cashback apps aren't charity — here's the affiliate commission, breakage, and float that actually fund your cashback.
Credit Card vs Debit Card for Everyday Spending: Which Saves You More
The float period matters more than the rewards program — but only if you can reliably pay the full bill.
The float period beats rewards as the real financial edge of a credit card — but only if you clear the bill in full every month.
How Much of Your Salary Should Go to Rent in India
The 30% rule ignores take-home pay, HRA tax exemption, and commute cost — here's how to work out your own number.
The 30% rent rule ignores HRA tax exemption and take-home pay — here's how to actually size your rent budget.
Fixed Deposit vs Recurring Deposit: How the Returns Differ
The same quoted interest rate doesn't mean the same actual return — the way money accumulates changes the math.
FD and RD can quote the same rate and still earn different returns — here's the real math and when to use each.
How to Read a Loan APR Instead of Just the EMI
Two loan offers can show the same EMI and still cost tens of thousands of rupees apart. Here is how to see it before you sign.
The EMI tells you what fits your budget, not what the loan costs. How flat vs reducing rates and fees hide inside a loan, with worked numbers, and how to use the RBI Key Facts Statement.
Buy Now Pay Later in India: The Costs Hidden in the Fine Print
The interest really is zero if you pay on time — the actual cost hides in flat late fees and credit bureau reporting instead.
BNPL's real cost isn't the advertised 0% interest — it's the flat late fees and credit score impact the fine print skips.
How to Turn a Spreadsheet Into a Simple Budget Tracker
Three columns, one dropdown, and a SUMIF formula do more than most budgeting apps that get uninstalled by week three.
A budget tracker that survives past week two needs to be fast to enter and automatic to summarize — here's the minimal structure that works.
SIP vs Lump Sum: How to Decide Where to Put Your Money
The honest answer depends on where the money is coming from, not on which one 'wins' historically
SIP vs lump sum isn't really a contest with a universal winner — it depends on whether the money already exists or is still coming in. A practical framework for deciding, with the trade-offs made explicit.
Buying vs Leasing a Car in India — The Math Most People Get Wrong
Why the monthly payment is the least useful number for comparing the two
A lease payment looks cheaper than a loan EMI for a reason that has nothing to do with which one costs less. Here's the real total-cost comparison, including the fees both options hide.
How Much Home Loan You Can Afford — The Math Banks Don't Show You
What a bank will approve and what actually leaves you financially comfortable are two different numbers
Banks will approve an EMI that eats half your take-home pay. That doesn't mean you should take it. Here's the real affordability math, the hidden first-year costs, and how to stress-test the decision.