Category: Tax Planning

CAGR Insights is a weekly newsletter full of insights from around the world of the web.

Chart Ki Baat

Gyaan Ki Baat 

Loans Against Mutual Funds — Convenience With a Catch

Open your banking app today and you’ll see it— “Loan Against Mutual Funds: Instant, Paperless, Pre-Approved.”
Tempting, right? After all, why redeem your investments when you can borrow against them and stay “fully invested”?

But here’s the real Gyaan: a loan against mutual funds is not a financial hack—it’s leverage.
You’re borrowing from your future wealth to solve a today problem.

Banks love this product because it’s safe, profitable and backed by your long-term savings. For you, it works only in rare situations—like a temporary cash-flow mismatch or a genuine emergency. Anywhere else, it quietly chips away at the power of compounding.

Remember:
Just because your portfolio can get you a loan, doesn’t mean it should.

Your mutual funds are meant to grow, not fund lifestyle purchases or impulsive spends.
Use this tool sparingly. Treat it like a fire alarm—break only in emergencies.

Personal Finance

• KYC rules for NPS onboarding changed for NRIs, OCIs: New rules permit digital onboarding from outside India. Read here
  
  
• The Rs 25 lakh mistake: The true cost of pausing your SIP for just 1 year: One year. That’s all it takes to shift your financial future onto a completely different path. Read here
  
  
• How Gen Z Is Rewriting the Rules for Personal Finance? Learn how this generation’s habits are reshaping the future of spending and financial behavior. Read here

Investing

• A Simple Look at How Big and Small Companies Are Moving in the Market: Big companies are soaring while smaller ones are struggling—creating a widening market gap that investors can’t afford to ignore. Read here

• Rupee hurtling towards 90, here’s how to guard your portfolio against currency turmoil: The rupee sank to a new low of 89.92 against the dollar on December 2. We recommend diversifying portfolios with global equities, gold and export-oriented sectors to hedge against further depreciation. Read here

Economy & Sector

• India’s services sector growth rebounds in November: The HSBC India Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), compiled by S&P Global, rises to 59.8 in November from 58.9 in October.Read here
  
  
• No targets for rupee, it’s market play: RBI governor: Rupee slips past 90 as RBI stays hands-off, signalling a market-driven currency even as capital outflows and weak inflows keep pressure firmly on the Indian unit. Read here

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That’s it from our side. Have a great weekend ahead!

If you have any feedback that you would like to share, simply reply to this email.

The content of this newsletter is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security in any jurisdiction. The content is distributed for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation to sell or buy any security or other investment or undertake any investment strategy. There are no warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or results obtained from any information outlined in this newsletter unless mentioned explicitly. The writer may have positions in and may, from time to time, make purchases or sales of the securities or other investments discussed or evaluated in this newsletter.

CAGR Insights is a weekly newsletter full of insights from around the world of the web.

Chart Ki Baat

Gyaan Ki Baat 

The Cost of Waiting to Invest

Many of us spend years “researching” instead of investing, waiting for the perfect market moment. The truth is, no one can time the market—not professionals, not analysts, not YouTube experts. While you wait for certainty, time quietly works against you.

Consider Investor A, who starts a modest SIP today, and Investor B, who waits five years for the “right time.” Both invest the same monthly amount, but Investor A ends up significantly ahead simply because they started earlier. Waiting may feel safe, but it’s a silent drain on wealth.

The solution is simple: prioritize starting over perfect timing. Choose a diversified fund, set up an SIP you can sustain, and automate it. Phase in lumps sums if needed. Check your portfolio periodically, not daily. In investing, the biggest risk isn’t a crash—it’s not starting at all.

Personal Finance

• What is Basic Salary under new code on wages for pension, EPF, and gratuity calculation? The statutory definition of Wages under the Code on Wages, 2019, mandates that the combined total of Basic Pay, Dearness Allowance (DA), and Retaining Allowance must constitute at least 50% of an employee’s total remuneration (CTC). Read here
  
  
• Lost track of old deposits or shares? Govt, RBI to launch one-stop portal: The integrated portal would make it substantially easier for citizens to locate their unclaimed funds and convenience, transparency and trust. Read here
  
  
• From 20s to retirement: How a strong credit score shapes your financial life: A strong credit score impacts financial opportunities at every stage of adult life enhancing loan approvals, lower interest rates, credit card benefits, and long-term financial stability from 25 to 60. Read here

Investing

• Is This How the AI Bubble Pops? Tech’s new MBS? SPV-funded data centres look safe—until one assumption breaks. The hidden risk no one’s talking about is here. Read here

• A Simple Look at How Different Assets Perform Over Time: Asset performance changes wildly every year, proving why smart diversification wins long term—see which assets quietly dominated the decade. Read here

Economy & Sector

• Oct-25 Trade Deficit: Widens to a record high: India’s merchandise trade deficit widened to a record high of USD 41.7 bn in Oct-25 from USD 32.2 bn in Sep-25. While exports registered a mild sequential contraction, it was the steep jump in imports (especially gold) in the month that drove the trade deficit higher. Read here
  
  
• IMF gives India a ‘C’ on its GDP and other national accounts data, the second-lowest grade: The IMF noted that India’s national accounts and inflation data do not adequately capture key aspects such as the informal sector and people’s spending patterns. Read here

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That’s it from our side. Have a great weekend ahead!

If you have any feedback that you would like to share, simply reply to this email.

The content of this newsletter is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security in any jurisdiction. The content is distributed for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation to sell or buy any security or other investment or undertake any investment strategy. There are no warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or results obtained from any information outlined in this newsletter unless mentioned explicitly. The writer may have positions in and may, from time to time, make purchases or sales of the securities or other investments discussed or evaluated in this newsletter.

CAGR Insights is a weekly newsletter full of insights from around the world of the web.

Chart Ki Baat

Gyaan Ki Baat 

Markets Don’t Need a Nanny—They Need Transparency

The Lenskart IPO stirred up the usual storm online—sky-high valuations, promoters buying shares months earlier at a deep discount, and sudden profitability thanks to a one-time accounting entry. The outrage was loud, familiar… and partly misplaced.

Yes, the IPO looked expensive. Yes, retail investors should be cautious. But blaming SEBI for allowing an overpriced IPO misses the whole point of how markets are supposed to work.

A regulator’s job is transparency, not valuation. SEBI must ensure that every material detail—promoter transactions, financial history, risks, and red flags—is disclosed truthfully. It is not SEBI’s role to decide whether a company is worth investing in. Because once the regulator starts judging valuations, it stops being a watchdog and starts becoming an investment advisor—and that’s a slippery slope.

Think back to the 80s and 90s, when IPOs were filled with fabricated numbers, vanishing promoters, and zero accountability. That was real failure. Today, even the most overpriced IPOs come with detailed disclosures and enforceable accountability.

The truth is simple: the freedom to make good investment decisions also includes the freedom to make bad ones. If an IPO looks unattractive—skip it. But don’t expect the regulator to save you from your own choices.

Personal Finance

• Why buying health insurance should be your first move in personal finance: Health insurance is often treated as an afterthought, yet a single medical emergency can undo years of savings. With rising healthcare costs, early coverage has become the most essential starting point in personal finance. Read here
  
  
• How an 80-year-old widow won a 50-year fight for pension: 80-year-old widow wins justice after 50-year battle as High Court slams Haryana’s apathy and orders immediate pension relief. Read here
  
  
• How every day micro-payments eat into your savings: Have you ever wondered how many micropayment transactions we make each day? Micropayments through digital wallets such as Paytm, PhonePe, and Google Pay, often involving minimal amounts of money, have turned every phone into a frictionless payment device. It starts with a tap for chai, another for a quick ride, and one more for an app subscription. Read here

Investing

• The One Thing My Worst Investments Had in Common: He reveals how illiquid investments—from private equity to art fractions—became his biggest mistakes, trapping money for years with no escape. Read here

• Why All-Time Highs Matter in the Market: Data shows markets often surge after record highs—investors who panic miss gains, while those staying invested benefit from strong long-term momentum. Read here

Economy & Sector

• India looks for oil tankers to import Middle East crude ahead of sanctions deadline: A dozen vessels have been hired so far this week to ship crude from various Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and UAE. Read here
  
  
• India’s flash PMI falls to six-month low in November as manufacturing slumps: The Flash India Manufacturing PMI slumped to a nine-month low of 57.4 in November from 59.2 last month. Factory production growth recorded its weakest reading since May, with firms noting subdued intakes of new business. Read here

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That’s it from our side. Have a great weekend ahead!

If you have any feedback that you would like to share, simply reply to this email.

The content of this newsletter is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security in any jurisdiction. The content is distributed for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation to sell or buy any security or other investment or undertake any investment strategy. There are no warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or results obtained from any information outlined in this newsletter unless mentioned explicitly. The writer may have positions in and may, from time to time, make purchases or sales of the securities or other investments discussed or evaluated in this newsletter.

CAGR Insights is a weekly newsletter full of insights from around the world of the web.

Chart Ki Baat

Gyaan Ki Baat 

The Wealth Gap You Don’t See

At a recent get-together, Meera and Rohan noticed a pattern. While most of their friends spent the evening discussing school admissions, tuition fees, and rising child expenses, the couple — both in their 30s, working in IT — stayed quiet. Not because they had nothing to add, but because their financial reality looks very different. They’ve chosen the DINK lifestyle — Double Income, No Kids.

At first glance, it may look like just a lifestyle choice. But financially, it’s a game-changer. With a household income of ₹30 lakh, Meera and Rohan spend about ₹18 lakh a year and invest the remaining ₹12 lakh into SIPs. At a conservative 12% return, they could build a corpus of ₹17 crore in 25 years — enough to retire nearly a decade early.

Now compare that with a similar couple raising a child. Monthly child-related costs like school fees, food, healthcare, and an education corpus easily eat up over ₹42,000 every month. This shrinks their investible surplus from ₹1 lakh to about ₹58,000. Over 25 years, that difference compounds into a staggering gap of more than ₹7 crore.

But here’s the real takeaway: the advantage isn’t simply in not having kids. It’s in what you do with the surplus. DINK couples who give in to lifestyle inflation — bigger cars, luxury vacations, premium apartments — lose the same edge.

The true gyaan? Financial freedom isn’t about whether you have kids or not. It’s about discipline. Channel your savings into consistent, goal-based investments — and let compounding do the heavy lifting.

Personal Finance

• Can you change your tax regime from new to old and vice-versa, while filing ITR? Not always: For FY 2024-25, the new tax regime is the default, impacting ITR filing. Switching to the old regime requires careful consideration, especially for those with business income who must file Form 10-IEA before the due date. While revised ITRs allow regime changes, belated ITRs restrict this option, emphasizing the importance of timely filing. Read here
  
  
• RBI may allow banks to lock the phones bought on credit if buyer defaults on repayment: Report: Last year, the Reserve Bank of India asked lenders to halt locking phones of defaulting borrowers, the sources said. The practice involved using an app installed at the time of loan issuance to lock the devices. Read here
  
  
• No generational wealth, how a Reddit user grew net worth to Rs 60 lakh; check details: A Redditor explains his journey from a Rs 5,000 salary to a net worth of Rs 60 lakh through disciplined financial habits, highlighting the role of structured investments and strategic risk management. Read here

Investing

• The Bar Only Gets Higher: Wealth-building is tougher than ever—global rivals, soaring costs, and AI raise the bar. But persistence beats all. Want to know the hidden edge to thrive today? Read here
  
  
• How FIIs Have Played the Indian Market: FIIs master the art of buying low, selling high, and shifting between equity and debt. Want to know the biggest lesson they teach Indian investors? Read here

Economy & Sector

• India’s Real Estate to scale up office and industrial assets beyond 2 billion sq ft by 2047: India’s real estate is set to scale into a $5–10 trillion market by 2047, driven by urbanization, demographics, tech, and sustainability. Curious how each asset class will transform? Read here

• GST reform: Indian companies likely to witness up to 7% growth in revenues after new rates, says Crisil: Research agency Crisil says that due to the reduced goods and services tax (GST) rates, Indian companies are expected to witness a 6-7% rise in revenues in the financial year 2025-26. The new GST structure will be effective from 22 September 2025. Read here
  
  
• India plans to put large infra projects in fast lane: India is accelerating its infrastructure development with a focus on mega-projects like bullet trains, shipbuilding yards, and access-controlled highways, aligning with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. The government aims to boost economic growth through infrastructure creation, encouraging public-private partnerships to moderate spending. Ministries are directed to expedite project approvals, with a high-level committee reevaluating goals for faster clearances. Read here

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That’s it from our side. Have a great weekend ahead!

If you have any feedback that you would like to share, simply reply to this email.

The content of this newsletter is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security in any jurisdiction. The content is distributed for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation to sell or buy any security or other investment or undertake any investment strategy. There are no warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or results obtained from any information outlined in this newsletter unless mentioned explicitly. The writer may have positions in and may, from time to time, make purchases or sales of the securities or other investments discussed or evaluated in this newsletter.