Financial guides that help you make a decision.
Practical explanations, worked examples and comparisons, organised by topic. Use the linked calculators to explore your own numbers.
What do you need to understand before running the numbers?
How should I start investing?Build the mental model for SIPs, risk, time and expected-return assumptions.
Which tax regime should I compare?Understand the inputs that change the old-vs-new regime result before using the calculator.
What should I check before taking a home loan?Move from affordability to EMI, interest, prepayment and transfer decisions.
How much financial buffer is enough?Choose a reserve based on essential expenses and income stability.
How should I estimate retirement needs?Translate today's spending into a future corpus without hiding inflation assumptions.
How are different investment gains taxed?Start with asset type and holding period before estimating tax.
Investing
Investing guides
InvestingThe Cost of Delaying a SIP: Separate Deposits from GrowthDelay is meaningful when both plans are trying to fund the same goal on the same date. Comparing a 20-year SIP with another SIP that starts two yearsRead guide →
InvestingSIP vs PPF: Contribution Limits, Timing and Access MatterThe PPF contribution limit is an account constraint, not a slider that can be ignored to make a comparison attractive. Annual deposits must stay withiRead guide →
InvestingSIP vs FD or RD: Match Cash Flows Before Comparing ReturnsA ₹5,000 monthly SIP over 15 years invests ₹9 lakh gradually. Comparing it with a ₹9 lakh FD placed today gives the FD access to money that the househRead guide →
InvestingFD, Debt Fund or Arbitrage Fund: Compare When Tax Is PaidSuppose three products each start with ₹5 lakh. A bank FD may create annual interest-tax liability. A fund may defer tax until redemption. Even with sRead guide →
InvestingXIRR vs CAGR: Which Return Measure Should SIP Investors Use?Learn the difference between XIRR and CAGR using the same cash-flow example, and see why SIP investors usually need XIRR for irregular dated cash flows.Read guide →
InvestingTerminal Value in DCF: How Growth Rate and Discount Rate Change ValuationSee why small changes in terminal growth and WACC can sharply change DCF value, and how to read a sensitivity matrix without false precision.Read guide →
InvestingStep-Up SIP: How Annual Increases Grow Your CorpusSee how much a modest annual increase to your SIP changes your corpus over 20 years, and how much lower you can start if you commit to stepping up.Read guide →
InvestingSWP vs FD: Which Is Better for Monthly Income?A direct comparison of drawing monthly income from an SWP versus an FD on the same ₹10 lakh corpus — what each guarantees and what each risks.Read guide →
InvestingSIP vs Lumpsum: Which Is Better for Long-Term Investing?A side-by-side comparison of SIP and lumpsum on the same total amount, including what happens to a lumpsum if a downturn hits right after you invest.Read guide →
InvestingSIP Calculator With Inflation: Real Value ExplainedA SIP projection shows nominal growth, not what that money will actually buy. See the real, inflation-adjusted value of a long-term SIP corpus.Read guide →
InvestingSIP & Mutual Fund Guide for India: Plan, Calculate and ReviewA practical India-focused guide to SIPs and mutual funds: how to set a goal, choose the right return assumption, understand risk, compare SIP with lumpsum and review progress.Read guide →
InvestingRetirement Corpus for ₹50,000 Monthly Expenses: How Much Do You Need?Work backwards from ₹50,000 monthly expenses today to a retirement corpus using inflation, retirement age, longevity and post-retirement return assumptions.Read guide →
InvestingMutual Fund Taxation in India 2026: LTCG, STCG, Debt Funds & DividendsA current India guide to mutual fund taxation in 2026: equity-fund LTCG/STCG, specified debt funds, other funds, dividends and worked examples.Read guide →
InvestingHow Much SIP Is Needed to Build ₹1 Crore?See exactly how much monthly SIP you need to reach ₹1 crore across different time horizons and return assumptions, with a worked example.Read guide →
InvestingDirect vs Regular Mutual Funds: Cost Difference on ₹10 Lakh Over 20 YearsSee how a 1 percentage-point annual return gap can compound on ₹10 lakh over 20 years, and when the service attached to a regular plan may still matter.Read guide →
InvestingDCF Valuation Explained With a Complete Worked ExampleWalk through a hypothetical company DCF from free cash flow forecasts to terminal value, enterprise value, equity value and per-share estimate.Read guide →Financial Planning
Financial Planning guides
Financial PlanningSalary or Freelance: Compare Cash and Replace Lost BenefitsA freelance receipt total cannot be compared directly with salary CTC. Revenue funds business costs, tax, time without billable work and benefits prevRead guide →
Financial PlanningFIRE and Coast FIRE: A Corpus Multiple Is a Planning ScenarioA conventional retirement estimate and a financial-independence goal can share the same saving maths, but an earlier retirement creates more years ofRead guide →
Financial PlanningEstimate Life Cover from Dependants’ NeedsA needs-based estimate begins with the spending that dependants would require, the years for which it must be funded, debts to clear and goals to protRead guide →
Financial PlanningBuild a Net Worth Statement Without Confusing It with CashNet worth is assets minus liabilities at a point in time. It is not monthly income and not the amount available to spend immediately. Use current realRead guide →
Financial Planning₹1 Crore Home vs ₹30,000 Monthly Rent: A 20-Year Financial ComparisonCompare a ₹1 crore home with ₹30,000 monthly rent over 20 years using loan cost, rent escalation, down-payment opportunity cost, appreciation and investment returns.Read guide →
Financial PlanningHow Much Will a ₹20 Lakh College Education Cost in 10, 15 and 20 Years?See how a ₹20 lakh education cost changes under different education-inflation assumptions, plus the SIP needed after existing savings.Read guide →
Financial PlanningHow Much Lumpsum Should You Invest Today to Reach ₹50 Lakh or ₹1 Crore?Work backward from ₹50 lakh or ₹1 crore targets across 5, 10, 15 and 20 years, with multiple return assumptions and inflation-aware examples.Read guide →
Financial Planning3, 6 or 12 Months: How Much Emergency Fund Do You Actually Need?Build an emergency-fund target from essential expenses, EMIs, insurance, dependants and income stability instead of relying on one universal rule.Read guide →Savings Schemes
Savings Schemes guides
Savings SchemesSCSS vs Post Office MIS: Monthly Income Comparison for Senior CitizensCompare SCSS and Post Office MIS using current 8.2% and 7.4% rates, payout frequency, deposit limits, liquidity and tax considerations.Read guide →
Savings SchemesNPS vs EPF: Which Is Better for Retirement?NPS and EPF aren't really substitutes — most employees have both. What each does, and why comparing them by corpus size alone is misleading.Read guide →
Savings SchemesNPS Tax Benefits in 2026: Employer Contribution, Tier I and Regime RulesUnderstand NPS tax benefits in 2026, including employer contribution under 80CCD(2), the 14% new-regime limit and old-regime employee deductions.Read guide →
Savings SchemesNPS Swasthya 2026: How the New NPS Healthcare Scheme WorksNPS Swasthya explained from PFRDA's 18 September 2026 rules: eligibility, contributions, health withdrawals, super top-up insurance, charges and exit treatment.Read guide →
Savings SchemesNPS Exit & Withdrawal Rules 2026: Lump Sum, Annuity & Partial WithdrawalCurrent NPS All Citizen exit rules after the 2026 amendments: normal exit, 80% lump sum, annuity minimums, small-corpus options and partial withdrawals.Read guide →
Savings SchemesGovernment Savings Schemes Guide: PPF, SSY, SCSS, MIS & NSCCompare major Government-backed small-savings schemes in India by purpose, eligibility, payout pattern, lock-in, rate sensitivity and the calculator to use for each decision.Read guide →
Savings SchemesFD vs RD: Which Works Better for Monthly Savers?Compare fixed deposits and recurring deposits fairly by matching cash flows, not by putting a lump sum FD against monthly RD deposits.Read guide →
Savings SchemesFD Interest Tax & TDS in 2026: What You Actually KeepUnderstand tax and TDS on fixed-deposit interest in 2026, including the current ₹50,000/₹1 lakh bank-interest thresholds and post-tax yield examples.Read guide →
Savings SchemesEPF Withdrawal Rules & Tax in 2026: Before and After 5 YearsUnderstand EPF withdrawal and TDS around the five-year service test, the ₹50,000 TDS trigger and why TDS is not the same as final tax.Read guide →Loans & EMI
Loans & EMI guides
Loans & EMIPrepay a Home Loan or Invest: Compare Equal Monthly BudgetsOne option pays the regular EMI and invests the surplus. The other pays the same EMI plus surplus into the loan. Both households must use the same monRead guide →
Loans & EMI₹10 Lakh, ₹20 Lakh and ₹30 Lakh Education Loan EMI: 5, 10 and 15-Year ComparisonCompare education-loan EMI and total interest across ₹10 lakh, ₹20 lakh and ₹30 lakh loans, including how moratorium interest can change repayment.Read guide →
Loans & EMIWhat Happens If You Pay Only the Minimum Amount Due on a Credit Card?See why minimum-only credit-card payments can extend repayment, how revolving interest works and what changes when new spending continues.Read guide →
Loans & EMIHow Much Home Loan EMI Can You Afford on a ₹1 Lakh Salary?A practical framework for how much home loan EMI a ₹1 lakh monthly salary can realistically support, and the loan amount that translates to.Read guide →
Loans & EMIHow Long Does It Take to Clear a ₹1 Lakh Credit Card Balance?Compare minimum payment with ₹5,000, ₹10,000 and ₹20,000 monthly repayment on a ₹1 lakh credit-card balance under a disclosed APR assumption.Read guide →
Loans & EMIHow Loan Prepayment Reduces Interest: EMI vs Tenure ExplainedA ₹5 lakh prepayment on a ₹50 lakh home loan, worked through month by month, showing exactly how much interest it actually saves.Read guide →
Loans & EMIHome Loan Balance Transfer: When Does a Lower Rate Actually Save Money?Calculate whether a home-loan balance transfer is worth it using rate savings, remaining tenure, fees and a clear break-even example.Read guide →
Loans & EMIFlat Rate vs Reducing Balance Interest: Why “10%” Can Mean Different CostsSee why a 10% flat-rate loan is much more expensive than a 10% reducing-balance loan using the same ₹5 lakh, 5-year example.Read guide →
Loans & EMIFixed vs Floating Home Loan in 2026: Which Can Cost Less?Compare fixed and floating home-loan rates using EMI sensitivity, rate-reset mechanics and a ₹50 lakh worked example—without pretending to predict rates.Read guide →
Loans & EMIEducation Loan Moratorium Explained: How Interest Builds Before Your EMI StartsUnderstand course period, moratorium, interest servicing and capitalisation before education-loan EMI begins, with a worked example.Read guide →
Loans & EMICredit Card EMI vs Personal Loan: Comparing the Cost of Borrowing ₹1 LakhCompare a ₹1 lakh card EMI and personal loan using interest, processing charges, applicable tax assumptions and total repayment without declaring a universal winner.Read guide →
Loans & EMIComplete Home Loan Guide for India: EMI, Affordability, Prepayment & TransferA practical home-loan decision guide for India covering EMI, affordability, fixed versus floating rates, prepayment, balance transfer, credit profile and tax considerations.Read guide →
Loans & EMICIBIL Score for Home Loan: How 700, 750 & 800 Can Affect Eligibility and CostUnderstand what CIBIL scores of 700, 750 and 800 can mean for a home-loan application, without fake universal approval cut-offs or rate promises.Read guide →Tax & Salary
Tax & Salary guides
Tax & SalaryPlan Advance Tax Around Instalment DatesAdvance tax is based on estimated tax remaining after applicable TDS/TCS and eligible credits. Regular instalment targets are cumulative: 15% by 15 JuRead guide →
Tax & SalaryTDS on Salary 2026: How Monthly TDS Is Calculated from CTCSee how employers estimate annual salary tax and spread TDS across payroll, including bonus, declarations, mid-year job changes and the 2026 tax slabs.Read guide →
Tax & SalaryProfessional Tax by State in 2026: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana & MoreA 2026 professional-tax guide for salaried employees, with verified examples from Maharashtra and Karnataka and a state-by-state checking method.Read guide →
Tax & SalaryNew Tax Regime vs Old Tax Regime: Which Is Better?The new regime wins for most salaried taxpayers under current slabs. The decision framework and the deduction level where old regime actually wins.Read guide →
Tax & SalaryHome Loan Tax Benefits in 2026: Interest, Principal and HRA TogetherUnderstand 2026 home-loan tax benefits for interest, principal and HRA, with old/new-regime distinctions and self-occupied versus let-out scenarios.Read guide →
Tax & SalaryHRA Exemption Calculation 2026: Formula, 8-City 50% Rule & Worked ExamplesCalculate HRA exemption under the 2026 income-tax rules with the expanded eight-city 50% rule, formulas and worked salary-and-rent examples.Read guide →
Tax & SalaryGratuity Calculation 2026: Formula, Service Rules & Tax TreatmentCalculate gratuity under the current Social Security Code framework, with the 15/26-style formula illustration, wage definition caution and tax notes.Read guide →
Tax & SalaryGST Calculator: How to Calculate GST on Any AmountCalculate GST on any amount using common GST rates or a custom rate, with clear examples for adding and extracting GST from prices.Read guide →
Tax & SalaryForm 16 Explained for 2026: Part A, Part B, TDS and Salary ReconciliationLearn how to read Form 16, reconcile salary and TDS, spot mismatches and connect payroll figures to your income-tax return.Read guide →
Tax & SalaryCapital Gains Tax on Shares, Mutual Funds, Gold and Property: How the Rules DifferCompare current Indian capital-gains treatment across listed shares, equity mutual funds, specified debt funds, gold and property, with holding-period examples.Read guide →Markets & Trading
Markets & Trading guides
Foundations
