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As more Indians relocate abroad, the demand for international money transfers is rising for various purposes like education and investments. Understanding the costs involved, including exchange rates, fees, and taxes, is crucial. This article reviews prominent online platforms like Niyo, Thomas Cook, and BookMyForex to help users save time and money on remittances.

A retired Punjab IPS officer tragically attempted suicide after losing 8.1 crore to a sophisticated stock market scam. Posing as DBS wealth managers, fraudsters lured him with promises of high returns, leading him to invest his savings and borrow heavily. Despite paying hefty fees, his money vanished, highlighting the vulnerability even to educated individuals.

The Indian government has removed the mandatory requirement for probate of wills. This change simplifies succession planning for Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, and Parsis. While no longer legally compulsory, voluntary probate still offers crucial judicial confirmation of a will's validity. This is especially important for complex estates or strained family relationships.

India's credit card growth is slowing. New card issuances have dropped significantly. Private banks are increasing their market share in credit cards. Meanwhile, public sector banks are gaining ground in personal, home, and auto loans. This shift indicates evolving trends in consumer credit across different banking sectors.

Central government employees and pensioners anticipate a substantial pay hike with the 8th Pay Commission. A fitment factor of 2.15 could double basic salaries. This revision, likely effective from January 1, 2026, will also boost allowances and pension benefits. The government may take up to two years to approve these recommendations, leading to arrears for employees.

ET Wealth Reader's Query: Im 45 and have a brother and a sister. Our family partition deed, signed in 2011 by me, my father, and brother, was not notarised and the original is lost. If my mother passes away first, how will my parents' properties devolve?

LIC Housing Finance has slashed its home loan interest rates, with the lowest starting at 7.15% for borrowers with a CIBIL score of 825 and above. This move offers a competitive edge, as it is marginally lower than SBI's starting rate of 7.25% for standard home loans. The revised rates are tiered based on CIBIL scores and loan amounts.

If you're constantly checking your bank account for that tax refund, this guide will help you track your income tax refund status check online and understand why delays happen.

To achieve goals or create wealth, the important ingredients are patience, discipline, and consistent investment with a long-term focus. The most important thing is to find the right mix of assets in your portfolio, with appropriate tenure and liquidity, to meet short to medium-term goals.

Flexi cap funds attracted Rs 70,959 crore in 2025 as investors sought flexibility in a volatile market. Experts say the categorys appeal lies in fund managers ability to shift between large, mid and small caps as conditions change. SIPs and long-term horizons remain key for investors using flexi caps as core equity holdings.

Gilt mutual funds may deliver strong gains when the RBI begins cutting interest rates, but they are highly sensitive and suited only for informed, risk-taking debt investors. Gilt funds are debt mutual funds that invest in government securities or G-secs. As per Sebi norms, these schemes must invest 80% of their corpus in government securities.

The employee had three disciplinary proceedings pending against him; he sought an NOC for a passport to visit his daughter in Singapore, but his request was denied. He subsequently filed a case and won in the Odisha High Court. He was represented by Advocates S. Mallik, P.C. Das, M. Mallik, and A.P. Mohanty.

Investors can consider the Nifty Next 50 Index fund for a contrarian investment. Its recent underperformance compared to Nifty 50, coupled with attractive valuations, presents an opportunity. The index offers exposure to high growth sectors and a unique risk-return profile. Wealth managers suggest staggering investments over the next three months, potentially accumulating during market corrections.

Uttar Pradesh property owners will soon benefit from a new 16-digit land unicode system. This initiative aims to enhance property tax tracking and collection across municipal corporations. The system will provide unique identification numbers for properties, aiding in the prevention of fraud and land disputes. It will also facilitate easier access to property information and streamline transactions for citizens.

Linking PAN with Aadhaar is now mandatory for taxpayers. If PANAadhaar linkage is not over by December 31, 2025, the PAN may become inoperative from January 1, 2026.

Check out the latest 22K gold jewellery rates of Kalyan Jewellers, Tanishq, Malabar Gold, Joyalukkas.

Taxpayers are entitled to their refund if the Income Tax Department's CPC fails to process their ITR within the statutory nine-month deadline from the financial year's end. This lapse means the CPC loses its right to make adjustments, and the return becomes final as filed. Taxpayers can then pursue their refund through grievances or legal avenues.

Ashok Leyland shares hit a fresh 52-week high after Nomura reaffirmed its Buy rating and raised optimism around the commercial vehicle upcycle. The brokerage sees the company as a key beneficiary of improving CV demand, stronger volume growth and margin tailwinds, setting a target price of Rs 196 with healthy upside.

Investors seeking relatively safe debt options for short- to medium-term goals can consider corporate bond mutual funds in December 2025. These funds invest largely in AAA-rated papers, offering lower credit risk than other debt schemes, though investors must still track interest rate risks and fund manager prudence.

Many Indians delay writing wills, but digital wills offer a simple solution. They address the complexities of scattered digital and physical assets. The ABCD app provides an accessible platform for creating legally valid wills. This modern approach ensures loved ones face less uncertainty during vulnerable times. Estate planning must evolve with digital financial behavior.

A man who invested Rs 75 lakh in ULIPs and surrendered them for Rs 3.22 crore was penalized Rs 2.48 crore for reporting the income under the wrong head in ITR. ITAT Hyderabad canceled the penalty, ruling that a mere reporting error does not constitute misreporting under Section 270A(9) of the Income Tax Act.

Eighteen equity mutual funds have delivered over 15% XIRR on SIP investments in 2025. SBI Focused Fund and ICICI Pru Focused Equity Fund led with over 20% XIRR. Mirae Asset Midcap Fund and ICICI Pru Midcap Fund also showed strong performance. Investors who started SIPs on January 1, 2025, saw significant returns.

ICICI Bank is introducing new credit card charges effective January-February 2026. A 2% fee will apply to online gaming transactions, and a 1% fee will be levied on transportation spending exceeding Rs 50,000. These changes also impact third-party wallet loads and other credit card features.

Kerala High Court ruled against retrospective higher pension claims for 67 CIAL employees. Despite CIAL offering retrospective contributions with interest, the court emphasized that EPF operates on an accrued investment basis. Employers cannot retrospectively contribute beyond statutory limits to gain benefits not available earlier, upholding the fund's financial sustainability.

Gifts to daughters-in-law are tax-free, but income from these gifts is taxed to parents-in-law due to an outdated clubbing rule. This provision, intended to prevent tax evasion, now unfairly burdens senior citizens and can lead to disputes. Budget 2026 is an opportunity to reform this rule, aligning tax law with modern realities and cultural practices.

Neptune Logitek's stock will list on December 22. Grey market indicators suggest a flat debut. The company's Rs 46.62 crore IPO was subscribed 1.61 times. Neptune Logitek provides integrated logistics solutions. Proceeds will fund truck purchases and debt repayment. Investor sentiment in the SME space remains cautious.

As long as the stock is priced above the 200-day SMA on the daily time frame, it is generally considered to be an overall uptrend.

IndiGo joins the Sensex on December 22, replacing Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles. This comes amidst significant flight cancellations due to new duty rules, impacting operations and leading to brokerages cutting target prices. The airline reported a substantial quarterly loss, though revenue saw a year-on-year increase. Despite recent challenges, shares remain up year-to-date.

SEBI has restructured mutual fund expense ratios by introducing Base Expense Ratio (BER) and moving statutory levies like STT, GST and stamp duty outside expense limits.

Land investment in India offers potential outsized gains but carries legal risks including title disputes and zoning issues. Experts recommend thorough legal scrutiny, professional surveys, and treating land as a long-term investment in your portfolio.

Lower annuitisation, extended investment timelines and flexible withdrawals have made NPS more investor-friendly.

Students studying abroad and their parents will see budgets stretched, while international travellers can expect last-minute plans and discretionary spending to become 10-15% more expensive.

Investing abroad directly with a foreign broker works best for sophisticated investors who trade sparingly and can hold for the long term.

Hotels shake off a seasonal lull as rising room rates and demand tailwinds lift the sector outlook.

A price fall may look tempting, but Bitcoins new links to macro markets demand a different kind of caution.

The benefit allows you to cancel your trip without citing a reason, but the 24-hour intimation rule could limit its utility.

Aditya Birla Health Insurance CEO, Mayank Bathwal, talks to Riju Mehta about the benefits of the new insurance bill, the need to resolve insurer-hospital conflict through dialogue, and the reasons for the large number of customer complaints in health insurance.

If you are confused by personal finance terms, jargon and calculations, heres a series to simplify and deconstruct these for you. In the 82nd part of this series, Riju Mehta explains what this practice means.

Welcome to TrendMap, your quick guide to the performance of different investment segments. In this edition, we present a 10-year performance tracker of various asset classes. The annual returns are ranked for multiple asset classes across equity, debt, precious metals and real estate.

Italy is among Europes most in-demand golden visas, ranking in the top-3 European Union programmes by volume.

Rapidly increasing in both usage and transaction value, credit cards continue to be a prominent mode of cashless spending. Whether youre a first-time or seasoned user, here are some pointers to remember.

ET Wealth Reader's Query: I gifted my wife Rs 10 lakh, which she will report as exempt income in her ITR. If she invests this amount in an FD, the interest earned will be clubbed with my income and shown in my ITR. How should she report this in her return to ensure the interest isnt taxed twice in both our ITRs?