Livemint
Elections 2026Markets / Livemint
Worried about inoperative EPF account? Here's a breakdown of how the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation categorises such accounts, how the funds can be redeemed and what steps members can take to recover it.
The Income-Tax department can issue notices for discrepancies in tax returns. A notice doesn't imply trouble but may require correction. Taxpayers should verify notices online and respond promptly with necessary documents to avoid penalties.
ChatGPT advises young professionals to avoid lifestyle inflation and focus on building financial systems. Key habits include increasing investments with salary hikes, avoiding fixed obligations, and prioritising income expansion.
Many people mistake a reserve pool for a short-term investment or misinterpret a credit card limit for a buffer.
Delaying SIP by 10 or even five years can have significant impact on your final corpus a difference of as much as 5 crore in the final value. Here's a look at how much wealth 5,000 per month in SIPs over varying number of years, can generate for you
Census 2027 introduces QR code-based ID cards for enumerators to enhance security and reduce cyberfraud risks during door-to-door data collection. Here's all you need to know.
Retail participation in F&O trading is on the rise. However, individual traders keep losing significant sums of money, whereas institutions earn through algorithmic strategies. Here's how traders can stay ahead in the game, as advised by ClearTax CEO Archit Gupta.
The Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana account is presently providing 8.2% earnings per period, calculated yearly
PPF vs FDs vs SIPs: A first-time investor's choice should depend on your particular financial situation and future goals. Take a look below to assess, which works best for your lifestyle and planned retirement targets
Senior citizens' health insurance plans should offer better claim support, chronic illness coverage, restoration benefits and flexible features. These 2026 plans will help protect the elderly against rising healthcare costs.
The 8th central pay commission is consulting with stakeholders to gather input for its recommendations. Meetings are scheduled across various states and territories to collect feedback. Here's what some of the biggest employee groups are demanding
If Indian-source taxable income from property sales, equity gains, dividend or interest crosses 15 lakh in any financial year, deemed residency kicks in and every treaty benefit disappears.
50-30-20, envelope, and zero-based budgeting: three personal finance systems that help manage income, control spending, and improve savings discipline through structured planning, flexible methods, and financial clarity.
Nikhil Kamath proposed a gold-backed stablecoin to monetize idle gold in Indian households. CoinSwitch's Ashish Singhal noted existing global products but highlighted challenges with India's gold, including regulation, trust, and storage of non-standardized gold assets.
The EPFO ECR filing deadline reminder urges employers to submit the April 2026 returns and deposit provident fund contributions by 15 May to avoid penalties, interest charges and compliance issues.
India has increased import tariffs on gold and silver to 15%, up from 6%, to reduce imports and protect foreign exchange reserves. This tariff increase led to a nearly 6% price surge in both metals, impacting demand for gold jewellery and prompting investors to consider silver as an alternative.
High income, high lifestyle, zero strategy. Why even top executives with stellar careers often fail at wealth creation and how misplaced confidence and poor execution derail financial futures.
Mirae Asset Mutual Fund has launched the Platinum Hybrid Long-Short Fund under the SIF category, offering conservative investors risk-adjusted returns through hedged equity, arbitrage and debt exposure in the country.
Gold and silver prices fell in India on 14 May amid key global developments. MCX gold futures slipped 0.37% to 1,62,270 per 10 gm, while silver futures dropped 1.61% to 2,96,160 per kg. Markets remained focused on the Trump-Xi summit, the new US Fed chair, and oil market volatility.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that the cabinet will discuss Dearness Allowance and the Seventh Pay Commission on May 18. A recent 4% DA increase brings it to 22%, but state employees still lag behind central staff due to differing pay commissions.
Warren Buffett cautioned against the growing trend of gambling in investing as markets reach record highs, citing excessive greed driving asset prices. He pointed to the rise of one-day options trading and prediction markets as alarming developments that misprice securities.
The Bihar government has approved a Dearness Allowance increase for state employees and pensioners, raising it by 5 percentage points for the 6th Central Pay Commission and by 9 points for the 5th, effective January 1, 2026. This is a key financial decision by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
New inflation data suggests a possible 4.2% increase in Social Security COLA for 2027, up from 3.2%. Rising costs of essentials have led to revised projections by analysts and advocacy groups, highlighting a significant loss in purchasing power for beneficiaries since 2016.
See an EPF account locked message when you try to log into your employee provident fund. This can happen due to multiple reasons. Here's what steps EPFO members can take to resolve the issue and access their account
The EPFO is all set to launch a new web portal soon, known as the E-PRAAPTI, to help members recover their old and inoperative employee provident fund accounts. Here's all you need to know
A Bengaluru tech professional sought a realistic startup plan from ChatGPT. The advice emphasised using a stable job as financial capital, maintaining low fixed expenses and focusing on genuine problems over trendy ideas.
Income-tax rules: Here's how capital gains generated from digital, paper (which includes gold ETFs, gold mutual funds and sovereign gold bonds) physical and inherited gold are taxed for residents and NRIs.
Property sales can sometimes result in capital losses due to various reasons. Taxpayers are allowed to set off such losses against capital gains. Both short-term and long-term losses can be carried forward for up to eight years. Full details here.
Public sector lender Canara Bank on Tuesday (12 May) hiked its MCLR rates by 5 bps. We explore how this increase will likely impact borrowers' repayments for car loans, home loans and personal loans.
After a PPF account matures, investors can withdraw the corpus, extend it for five years, or make phased withdrawals. Choices depend on financial goals and liquidity needs. Details here.
8th Pay Commission consultations are gaining pace, with stakeholder meetings, regional visits, and an extension of the memorandum deadline, as central government employees and pensioners await updates on salary and pension revisions.
To file an FIR for a cybercrime involving elderly parents or family members, swift evidence collection, online fraud reporting and bank notification are crucial. Quick action will help minimise financial losses and protect the victim's rights.
The NC-JCM, led by Shiv Gopal Mishra, submitted a 51-page memorandum to the 8th CPC, proposing salary hike, increased minimum pay and expansion of family units for salary calculations from 3 to 5 to reflect current realities.
When adjusted to the current Consumer Price Index (CPI), a pension of 200 should cost 353 to retain its original purchasing power.
SCSS vs FD comparison highlights higher assured returns from government-backed schemes than bank fixed deposits over five years, with SCSS offering superior maturity value alongside FD flexibility for investors.
The Senior Citizens' Savings Scheme (SCSS) offers investment options for individuals aged 60 and above, with quarterly interest payments. It has a five-year maturity period and allows extensions. Here's what happens if you extend the tenure.
Dearness Allowance: After the Finance Ministry and IBA, the Indian Railways has also hiked DA component of employees' salaries by 2%, from 58% to 60%, with effect from 1 January 2026. Here's all you need to know
From NRE vs NRO confusion to tax treaties and GIFT City access, heres a practical roadmap for NRIs to simplify cross-border investing and build one coherent global financial strategy.
Canara Bank MCLR hike by 5 bps may raise EMIs on floating-rate loans like home, auto and personal loans, while Bank of Baroda keeps rates unchanged, impacting borrowers linked to MCLR resets from 12 May 2026.
Ripple's former CTO, David Schwartz, has revealed that XRP significantly increased his wealth compared to Bitcoin and Ethereum. He once held 26 million XRP, which peaked at $3.65, while he regrets selling Ethereum too early.
Homebuyers must choose between banks and housing finance companies (HFCs) for loans. Banks offer lower interest rates with strict documentation, while HFCs provide flexibility and quicker processing, making them suitable for self-employed borrowers.
Aditya Birla Health Insurance launches Activ Yuva, a wellness-first plan offering unlimited hospitalisation cover, OPD benefits, income protection, and rewards for healthy lifestyle habits through its HealthReturns model for young consumers.
App-based domestic help platforms promise reliability and ease. But as promo prices fade and surge fees kick in, urban users are rethinking whether the convenience justifies the rising monthly bill.
The Indian government raised import duties on gold and silver to 15% to curb rising import costs due to the West Asia crisis. This hike may lead to higher domestic gold prices and reduced jewellery demand, with investors advised to rebalance their portfolios accordingly.
Post Office Monthly Income Scheme 2026 offers guaranteed monthly income, capital safety and stable returns at 7.4% interest, making it suitable for conservative investors seeking low-risk savings options in the country.
The US Senate Banking Committee released the Clarity Act text, defining financial regulators' jurisdiction over cryptocurrencies. Key provisions address stablecoin rewards, anti-money laundering compliance for crypto firms, easing SEC fundraising rules, and others
As of May 13, gold is priced around 161,410 per 10 gm, while silver reached 296,570 per kg, driven by demand and currency fluctuations.
The first wave of May Social Security payments is scheduled for distribution this week. Payments are based on birthdates, with recipients born between the 1st and 10th receiving payments on May 13, followed by others on May 20 and May 27.
Income-tax returns: Form 26AS displays taxpayers' financial statements and can be accessed via the Income Tax portal or your banks' website. Taxpayers can view, download, and provide feedback on the document.
Non-resident Indians can transfer overseas earnings to India via NRE accounts, which are not taxable if income is foreign. NRO accounts manage Indian income but incur taxes. Details here.

28 C