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Your source for expert insights and practical advice on financial planning, investment strategies, and wealth management.

April 20, 2026
11 min read

If your salary is ₹12.75 lakh or below, your tax bill this year is ₹0. Not a typo. Here is the complete breakdown of the new Income Tax Act 2025 slabs, section mapping, and worked examples for ₹12L, ₹15L, ₹18L and ₹25L salaries.

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April 18, 2026
9 min read

Gold is trading around ₹1.52–1.54 lakh per 10g this Akshaya Tritiya 2026. Before you buy, here is what 10 years of festival-day gold prices and a direct comparison of all four gold investment forms tells you.

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April 12, 2026
10 min read

Nifty fell 10%+ in March 2026. Sensex crashed 1,400 points in a single session. Here's exactly why it's happening and what you should do.

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April 7, 2026
10 min read

A clear comparison of old and new tax regimes with worked examples across ₹8L, ₹12L, ₹18L and ₹25L salary levels so you can make an informed decision.

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April 7, 2026
8 min read

India's 60-year-old Income Tax Act 1961 is replaced from April 1, 2026. Here's what actually changes for salaried professionals — without the jargon.

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April 2, 2026
9 min read

Compounding is not a concept. It is arithmetic that works silently in your favour every single day you stay invested. Here is what it actually does to your money — with real numbers.

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All Articles

Personal Finance

Oracle Layoffs 2026: What 12,000 Indian Employees Can Teach the Rest of Us About Financial Resilience

April 27, 2026
12 min read

Oracle was not in financial trouble. It posted 22% revenue growth. Yet around 12,000 employees in India reportedly lost their jobs in a single morning. If your company decided tomorrow that AI makes your role redundant, are you financially ready?

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Personal Finance

How to Update PF KYC Online Without HR Approval in 2026 — Step-by-Step UAN Guide

April 29, 2026
12 min read

Since April 2025, bank account KYC can be updated directly on the UAN portal without employer approval. Here is the exact process, common rejection reasons and fixes, what still needs employer sign-off, and how to use Self-Mark Exit.

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Tax Planning

ITR Filing 2026-27: Deadline Is July 31 for Salaried Employees — What Changed and What to Do Before You File

April 30, 2026
10 min read

Finance Act 2026 introduced split ITR deadlines — July 31 for salaried employees, August 31 for non-audit business cases. The Income Tax Act 2025 is also changing terminology. Here is what every salaried employee needs to know before filing.

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Investing

Nifty 50 vs S&P 500: 20 Years of Returns Compared — What US Investors Need to Know About India

April 30, 2026
12 min read

India grows at 6-7% GDP annually. Yet Nifty 50 has underperformed the S&P 500 in USD terms across every measured period. Here is why — and what it means for NRIs and US investors considering India exposure in 2026.

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Retirement Planning

EPFO Minimum Pension Hike 2026: ₹7,500 Proposed But Not Approved — What EPS-95 Members Need to Know

May 01, 2026
11 min read

The ₹7,500 EPS minimum pension hike is not approved as of May 2026. The current minimum remains ₹1,000 per month unchanged since 2014. Here is what is actually proposed, who is eligible, how EPS is calculated, and what realistically happens next.

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Personal Finance

Bank Holidays May 2026: Complete List, What Closes, and 6 Things to Do Before April 28

April 27, 2026
9 min read

May 1 is a Friday. Banks are closed. May 3-4 is the weekend. That is three consecutive branch-closed days before May 5. Here is the full holiday list, what still works digitally, and exactly what to finish before tomorrow.

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Tax Planning

Credit Card Tax Notice 2026: Why the Income Tax Department Is Watching Your Spending — And How to Stay Safe

April 26, 2026
11 min read

The Income Tax Act 2025 introduced weekly data sync between banks and the tax department. Your credit card activity is now visible faster than before. Here is what actually triggers a notice, what does not, and exactly what to do if you get one.

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Commodities

MCX Gold Price Falling After Akshaya Tritiya 2026 — Should You Buy, Hold or Sell?

April 22, 2026
8 min read

Gold hit ₹1,58,000 on Akshaya Tritiya. Three days later it is at ₹1,53,600 — a ₹4,400 drop in 72 hours. Here is what is driving the fall, whether this is normal, and exactly what to do depending on your situation.

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Retirement Planning

NPS vs PPF 2026 — Why the 80% Withdrawal Rule Changed Everything (And Which One Actually Wins for Your Retirement)

April 21, 2026
10 min read

Until 2025, NPS forced you to hand 40% of your retirement corpus to an insurance company as an annuity. That rule is now down to 20%. Here is what that means for how NPS compares to PPF in 2026 — with the actual numbers.

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Tax Planning

Salary Tax Calculator 2026-27 — Zero Tax up to ₹12.75 Lakh, New Sections, and Which Regime Actually Wins for You

April 20, 2026
11 min read

If your salary is ₹12.75 lakh or below, your tax bill this year is ₹0. Not a typo. Here is the complete breakdown of the new Income Tax Act 2025 slabs, section mapping, and worked examples for ₹12L, ₹15L, ₹18L and ₹25L salaries.

Read Article
Commodities

Akshaya Tritiya 2026 Gold Price: Physical Gold vs Digital Gold vs SGB vs Gold ETF — What the Data Actually Says

April 18, 2026
9 min read

Gold is trading around ₹1.52–1.54 lakh per 10g this Akshaya Tritiya 2026. Before you buy, here is what 10 years of festival-day gold prices and a direct comparison of all four gold investment forms tells you.

Read Article
Personal Finance

EPFO 3.0 Withdrawal Rules 2026 — What Has Changed and How to Withdraw Your PF

April 15, 2026
10 min read

EPFO simplified partial withdrawals in October 2025, cutting 13 rules to 3 categories. Auto-settlement now covers ₹5 lakh claims in 3 days. Here is what changed and what is still coming.

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Economy

Strait of Hormuz Crisis — How a Conflict Thousands of Miles Away Hits Your Grocery Bill and EMI

April 13, 2026
11 min read

The Strait of Hormuz is 3,500 km from India. Yet within weeks, petrol, LPG, food prices and your home loan EMI are all under pressure. Here is the exact chain.

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Stock Market

Why Is the Indian Stock Market Falling in 2026? The Iran-US Conflict Explained

April 12, 2026
10 min read

Nifty fell 10%+ in March 2026. Sensex crashed 1,400 points in a single session. Here's exactly why it's happening and what you should do.

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Banking

RBI MPC April 2026 — Repo Rate Held at 5.25%, What It Means for Your Loans and Savings

April 11, 2026
9 min read

RBI kept the repo rate at 5.25% in April 2026. No EMI relief from this meeting. Here is what the decision means for home loan borrowers, FD investors, and your household finances.

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Economy

Crude Oil at $100+ — How Rising Oil Prices Hit Every Indian's Finances

April 11, 2026
9 min read

Brent crude crossed $115 in March 2026. For India, which imports 85% of its oil, this hits your petrol bill, groceries, loan EMI and savings. Here is the complete picture.

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Stock Market

FII Selling ₹1.23 Lakh Crore — What Foreign Investor Outflows Mean for Your Portfolio

April 10, 2026
10 min read

In March 2026, foreign investors pulled out a record ₹1.23 lakh crore from Indian markets. Here is who FIIs are, why they sold, and what it means for your portfolio.

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Fixed Income

Best FD Rates in India — May 2026 Updated Comparison Across All Major Banks

April 9, 2026
10 min read

RBI held the repo rate at 5.25%. FD rates range from 6.05% to 7.50% — updated May 2026. Complete comparison across major banks, small finance banks, and senior citizen rates.

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Investing

Should You Stop Your SIP During a Market Crash? What 30 Years of Data Shows

April 9, 2026
10 min read

Nifty is down 10%+ and your portfolio is bleeding. Every instinct says stop investing. Here's what 30 years of data actually shows about stopping SIPs during crashes.

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Retirement Planning

NPS in India — What It Actually Is, What the Annuity Catch Means, and Whether You Should Invest

April 8, 2026
12 min read

NPS gives you an extra ₹50,000 tax deduction that no other instrument offers. But 40% of your corpus must go into an annuity at retirement. Here is what that means in practice, who benefits most, and who should skip it.

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Banking

RBI New Rules April 2026 — UPI 2FA, ATM Charges, CIBIL Updates Explained

April 8, 2026
9 min read

From April 2026, RBI has introduced mandatory 2FA for all digital payments, faster CIBIL updates, new ATM charges, and no foreclosure penalty on home loans.

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Tax Planning

Old vs New Tax Regime 2026-27 — Which One Should You Choose?

April 7, 2026
10 min read

A clear comparison of old and new tax regimes with worked examples across ₹8L, ₹12L, ₹18L and ₹25L salary levels so you can make an informed decision.

Read Article
Tax Planning

New Income Tax Act 2025 — What Actually Changes from April 1, 2026

April 7, 2026
8 min read

India's 60-year-old Income Tax Act 1961 is replaced from April 1, 2026. Here's what actually changes for salaried professionals — without the jargon.

Read Article
Commodities

Gold Investment in India 2026 — Current Prices, Best Form to Buy, and How Much to Hold

April 6, 2026
11 min read

Gold hit ₹1,58,000 in April 2026. Before you buy, here is which form actually makes sense — physical, digital, SGB, or Gold ETF — and how much your portfolio should hold.

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Investor Psychology

Why Investors Stop SIPs at Exactly the Wrong Time — And How to Not Be One of Them

April 5, 2026
10 min read

Most SIP investors stop during market crashes — precisely when SIPs work best. Here is what drives these decisions, what the data shows about the cost, and how to build systems that keep you invested.

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Investment Strategy

SIP vs Lumpsum — Which Works Better for Indian Investors, and Does the Answer Change During a Market Crash?

April 4, 2026
11 min read

SIP or lumpsum — the honest answer depends on whether you have a monthly income or a one-time corpus. Here is how to think about it, with data from Indian markets and context from the current 2026 crash.

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Fixed Income

FD vs Debt Funds — Which Is Better for Your Money in 2026?

April 4, 2026
11 min read

Fixed deposits and debt mutual funds both claim to be the safe option. They are not the same thing. Here is an honest comparison covering returns, taxation, liquidity, and risk — with current April 2026 numbers.

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Investment Metrics

CAGR vs XIRR — Why Comparing Your SIP Returns to a Friend's Lumpsum Is Misleading

April 3, 2026
9 min read

Most investors use the wrong metric to measure SIP performance. CAGR is for lumpsum. XIRR is for SIPs. Using CAGR on a SIP can make a 13% XIRR look like a 7% return. Here is the difference with examples you can calculate yourself.

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Financial Planning

Goal-Based Investing — How to Stop Investing Randomly and Start Investing With Purpose

April 3, 2026
12 min read

Most Indians invest without knowing what they are investing for. Here is a practical framework for building separate investment buckets for each life goal — with actual SIP amounts, inflation-adjusted targets, and asset allocation that changes as each goal gets closer.

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Investment Fundamentals

Real vs Nominal Returns — Why Your 7% FD Is Probably Not Growing Your Wealth

April 2, 2026
9 min read

A 7% FD in a 6% inflation environment gives you 1% real growth. A savings account at 3.5% is shrinking your wealth. Here is how to calculate what your investments are actually doing to your purchasing power.

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Investment Strategy

The Power of Compounding — Why Starting at 25 Beats Investing Double at 35

April 2, 2026
9 min read

Compounding is not a concept. It is arithmetic that works silently in your favour every single day you stay invested. Here is what it actually does to your money — with real numbers.

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New articles published weekly. All content is reviewed by the PlanivestFin Research Team.