Twelve smallcap mutual funds have been identified as top performers. The selection considered one-year returns, fund size, and expense ratios. These funds offer potential for high rewards but also carry significant risk.

ELI under EPFO: The deadline for activating Universal Account Number (UAN) and linking of bank account to Aadhaar for getting Employement Linked Incentive Scheme (ELI) benefits has been extended again. The original deadline was November 30, 2024 which was later extended to December 15, 2024. This deadline has now again been extended.

PF balance trasnfer: When changing jobs do remember to transfer your provident fund balance to the new company using the Employee Provident Fund Organisation website. Bishen Jeswant, Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, says applying for transfer of EPF when switching employment is a fairly routine process if the individual employees UAN (Universal Account Number) is active on the EPFO portal

Smart-beta investing, a rule-based strategy, blends active and passive approaches to achieve better risk-adjusted performance than traditional indices. With large-cap stocks offering valuation comfort, the Nifty 200 Quality 30 stands out as a strong benchmark for the quality factor.

A loan against mutual funds allows investors to use their mutual fund units as collateral to secure financing. Lenders evaluate the value of the pledged units and usually provide a loan based on a percentage of their market value. This option is appealing as it enables investors to address financial needs without liquidating their investments, allowing them to retain the potential for future growth.

GST: A new advisory by GSTN alerted taxpayers about changes being made with E-Way Bill generation time limits which is now reduced to 180 days from the date of the base document. For instance, documents dated earlier than July 5, 2024, will not be eligible for e-waybill generation starting January 1, 2025.

In November, mutual funds offloaded over 1 crore shares across seven stocks. Additionally, mutual funds sold shares in approximately 367 stocks during the month, as per data from Prime Database.

Markets regulator Sebi on Friday simplified the framework for asset management companies (AMCs) by reducing the requirement to upload draft SIDs to 8 working days from 21 days earlier. This is aimed at streamlining the process, reducing timelines, and enhancing investor protection while simplifying compliance for AMCs.

Tata AIA Life Insurance has launched Tata AIA Multicap Momentum Quality Index Fund. This open-ended scheme aims to generate long-term capital appreciation by investing in a portfolio of stocks replicating the Nifty 500 Multicap Momentum Quality 50 Index. The NFO is open for subscription from December 24 to 31.

Several altcoins are gaining traction in the crypto market, including Aureal One (DLUME), DexBoss (DEBO), yPredict (YPRED), and JasmyCoin (JASMY). Aureal One focuses on blockchain gaming, DexBoss on DeFi, yPredict on AI-driven crypto predictions, and JasmyCoin on IoT integration. These projects offer unique use cases and potential for growth in the next bull run.

In Lok Sabha, Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi inquired whether the government had received any representations from pensioners under the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS), 1995, requesting an increase in the minimum pension amount; and whether the government had any proposals to increase pension under the EPS, 1995, among other questions.

Higher EPS pension: The EPFO has given one last chance to the employers to upload wage details of the employees to process the higher EPS pension application. If the all the employers (old or new) does not accept the pension application, an individual will not be eligible to receive higher pension.

The difference between CAGR and XIRR is that CAGR calculates the annual growth rate of an investment over a specific period assuming annual compounding while XIRR calculates the annualized return for investments with irregular cash flows.

A fixed deposit is one of the most popular investment options in India. The banks that have revised rates include Federal Bank, Karnataka Bank, Equitas Small Finance Bank, RBL Bank and Bank of Maharashtra.

Bitcoin is capital asset: Jodhpur ITAT recently ruled that an Infosys employee who purchased Bitcoin using his salary should pay capital gains tax at 20% rate and also claim section 54F tax exemption after he sold the Bitcoin for Rs 6.69 crore. The Income Tax Department wanted this person to pay 30% tax on that more than Rs 6 crore gains but lost the case. Curious to know why and which legal aspect this person used? Read below.

Mirae Asset Mutual Fund has announced changes to the exit load period and structure for three of its schemes, which are from the equity, hybrid, and commodity-based categories. The fund house communicated these changes to its unitholders through a notice-cum-addendum.

It is possible that this could result in fewer fund launches. Mutual funds that launch schemes to keep distributors happy will under be less pressure to keep coming out with NFOs.

Investment with high returns: Want to maximise returns on your investments? Are you ready to take on some level of risk? From equity funds to investing in initial public offerings of companies, here are six investment options which have the potential for high returns. Read this story to know more about these investments.

Kotak811 bank account charges: Kotak Mahindra Bank has revised its general schedule of features and charges (GSFC) charges for its 811 EDGE, 811 Limited KYC and 811 Full KYC account variants. Moreover, Kotak Mahindra Bank has also revised its free ATM transaction limits for its Dream Different, 811 PVR debit card. Read to know more.

AMFI is set to announce stock re-categorization in early January 2025, potentially revising market cap classifications for large, mid, and small-cap segments, as predicted by Nuvama Alternative Research.

Central KYC (CKYC): The deadline to implement masking of know your customer (KYC) details in the CKYC database has been extended to January 20, 2024. The Central KYC Customer Records Registry (CKYCR) is trying to improve data security and privacy of customers in two ways - by masking the KYC Identifiers and by preventing any intermediaries from accessing the customers KYC details, says Wriju Ray.

Our panel of experts will answer questions related to any aspect of personal finance. If you have a query, mail it to us right away.

The cryptocurrency market anticipates a bull run, with projects like Aureal One (DLUME), DexBoss (DEBO), and yPredict (YPRED) attracting attention. Aureal One integrates metaverse and gaming, while DexBoss offers DeFi solutions. yPredict uses AI for trading insights. Other promising altcoins include JetBolt (JBOLT), Catslap (SLAP), Aptos (APT), Crypto All-Stars (STARS), and Kaspa (KAS).

Evaluating mutual funds requires assessing various financial ratios like Alpha, Beta, Sharpe, and Treynor to measure performance, risk, and return. These ratios help investors make informed decisions based on their goals.

Do you want to open a PPF account? Let's see the paperwork involved, eligibility and documents requiredto open a PPF account.

5-year Post Office Time Deposit: Here is a quick comparison of FD interest rates offered by top banks and Post Office Time Deposit for general citizens to help them make informed decisions that align with their financial goals.

Managing business finances involves navigating taxes and loan repayments. A GST calculator simplifies tax calculations, aiding accurate budgeting and expense tracking. Pairing this with a Bajaj Finserv Business Loan offers high loan amounts, flexible tenures, and quick approvals, empowering businesses to thrive.

PMAY-U 2.0: A financial subsidy of Rs 2.50 lakh would be provided to each of the one lakh new houses that the government intends to develop under PMAY 2.0 in five years from September 1, 2024.

Meme coins like Shiba Inu, Dogecoin, and Pepe have paved the way for new contenders. DexBoss (DEBO) is a rising star, offering decentralized exchange functionalities and a deflationary model. With its presale price of $0.01 and target listing at $0.0505, DEBO presents a promising investment opportunity in the DeFi space alongside other notable projects like Aureal One, yPredict, and BlockDAG.

As of November 2024, Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund had an AUM of Rs 1.13 lakh crore and manages 42 mutual fund schemes

Solana-based meme-coin launchpad Pump.fun has halted UK access after an FCA warning for operating without authorization. This coincides with declining prices for Solana meme coins like Bonk and DogWifHat (WIF), amid a broader market downturn. While the impact of Pump.fun's closure is uncertain, investors are eyeing more sustainable projects like the DeFi crypto exchange Lunex Network.

Higher EPS pension deadline: The EPFO is giving one last chance to the employers to upload wage details of the employees by January 31, 2025, so that 3.1 lakh pending applications can be processed. If you are EPF member or EPS pensioners who have applied for the higher EPS pension, then here is a step by step guide to track your application status.

The Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) will announce the stock re-categorization in the first week of January 2025

Top 5 equity schemes based on 10-year SIP returns

Investors can borrow money against their mutual fund units. This loan works like an overdraft. Interest applies only to the borrowed amount. Banks like SBI, ICICI, and HDFC offer this facility. Interest rates vary from approximately 8% to 11.5%. NBFCs also provide these loans. Borrowers can compare rates and EMIs before choosing a lender.

Mutual funds, including HDFC, SBI, Kotak, Axis, Nippon India, Quant, and ICICI Prudential, reduced their holdings in various stocks during November. HDFC decreased stakes in HDFC Bank and Tech Mahindra, while others trimmed positions in companies like Infosys, Bajaj Fin & Grasim

Passive funds are schemes that track a benchmark index and try to mimic its performance. They include passive index funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and fund of funds (FoF) that could invest in ETFs. These funds follow a benchmark and aim to deliver returns in tandem with the benchmark, subject to expense ratio and tracking errors.

Special FD deadlines: Punjab and Sind Bank and IDBI Bank are offering special fixed deposits with high interest rates till December 31, 2024. Investors looking for investments with high interest rates can do so before the deadline.

As of November 2024, the fund house had an AUM of Rs 4.92 lakh crore and managed 137 mutual fund schemes. Heres a look at its buying and selling activity for the month, based on data from Prime Database.

SEBI proposed MITRA, a platform developed by RTAs, to help investors find inactive and unclaimed mutual fund folios. It allows investors to search an industry-wide database, update KYC, and reduce unclaimed folios. Inactive folios are those with no investor activity for 10 years but still hold a unit balance.

Nippon India Mutual Fund, with Rs 5.76 lakh crore AUM, has HDFC Bank as its top holding. The fund house increased its holdings in ICICI Bank, Infosys, RIL, and SBI while reducing its positions in NTPC and Reliance Industries.

Here's how you can build a resilient career amid uncertainties

The Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) is expected to announce its semi-annual stock categorization in the first week of January. Several mid-cap stocks are anticipated to be upgraded to the large-cap segment, with the large-cap cut-off likely to be set around Rs 1 lakh crore. Based on current market-cap levels, AMFI may raise the large-cap threshold to approximately Rs 1 lakh crore, compared to Rs 84,000 crore in June 2024

Federal Bank has revised its interest rates on fixed deposits (FDs) and savings accounts, effective December 16, 2024.FD rates for general citizens range from 3% to 7.4%, while senior citizens enjoy interest rates from 3.5% to 7.9%. Read on to know more about interest rates offered on FDs of various tenures of this bank