While equity savings funds could offer higher returns over three-five years, they would also be more volatile.

'Banks will continue to increase FD rates to attract more deposits and meet the increasing demand for credit.'

Be wary of co-operative banks which have historically been most vulnerable.

Suppose you had bought a television set that came with a one-year warranty. It breaks down two years after purchase. You can't react emotionally and say that such an expensive set should last for at least five-six years.

A term plan's premium is lower than that of a wholelife plan.

In contrast with their strong performance in 2020 and 2021, pharmaceutical and healthcare funds experienced a decline in 2022, with returns plummeting by an average 9.8 per cent. This trend has continued in the current year, with year-to-date return remaining in the negative (-4.9 per cent). In the past three months, pharma funds have been hit hard, experiencing a 7.9 per cent decline.

Improved credit profile may make you eligible to transfer your existing home loan to another lender at a much lower rate.

Make sure that the person you are buying the plot from is the rightful owner.

Rebalance the portfolio at least once a year to ensure it remains in sync with the target asset allocation.

Many investors want to exit equities now and re-enter when they begin to rise. Such timing is difficult to pull off.

End users should take the plunge despite higher home loan rates as these tend to be cyclical.

Make sure buying a house won't lead to compromises on other crucial financial goals.

Make sure buying a house won't lead to compromises on other crucial financial goals.

Despite its recent underperformance, gold must be a part of your portfolio.

Many retail investors, who are experiencing their first bear market, are shocked at the erosion in the value of their mutual fund (MF) portfolios. The pain is especially acute for those who had taken excessive exposure to sector/thematic and small-cap funds. Even international diversification has failed to stanch the bleed in this downturn.

If you pledge market-linked instruments and their value plummets, you will have to provide additional collateral, points out Sanjay Kumar Singh.

'A policy that covers a wider range of diseases will offer greater peace of mind.'

Having exposure to international funds and gold is a must for those who have foreign currency-denominated goals.

Gold loan is currently the fastest-growing loan category (among the various types disbursed to individuals). On February 26, 2021, the outstanding loan against gold jewellery stood at Rs 56,596 crore. By February 25, 2022, it had risen to Rs 71,408 crore, a year-on-year growth of 26.2 per cent, according to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) data. Several factors are driving the demand for gold loans.

Multi-asset funds offer exposure to gold, which tends to do well in times of geopolitical tensions and inflationary pressures, suggests Sanjay Kumar Singh.