| Bank | General Public (Best Rate) | Senior Citizen (Best Rate) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBI | 6.45% | 7.05% | 444-day Amrit Vrishti; 1yr at 6.25% |
| HDFC Bank | 7.10% | 7.10% | Rate card effective 1 Sept 2026 |
| ICICI Bank | 7.10% | 7.10%+ | Select tenures |
| Axis Bank | ~7.00% | ~7.50% | Select tenures |
| Bank of Baroda | ~6.85% | 7.25% | Golden Goal scheme |
| Punjab National Bank | ~6.70% | ~7.20% | Select tenures |
| Bank of India | ~6.85% | 7.45% | Among highest PSU senior rates |
| Category | YTD 2026 | 3 Year (CAGR, approx.) | 5 Year (CAGR, approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large Cap | -2.4% | 13.8% | 16.5% |
| Large & Mid Cap | -1.5% | 15.0% | 17.8% |
| Flexi Cap | 1.2% | 14.8% | 17.5% |
| Mid Cap | 8.5% | 18.5% | 21.8% |
| Small Cap | 15.3% | 20.5% | 25.0% |
| ELSS (Tax Saver) | 0.5% | 14.2% | 17.0% |
| Nifty 50 Index Fund | -2.8% | 13.2% | 15.6% |
| NPS Scheme | 1 Year | 3 Year (CAGR) | 5 Year (CAGR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scheme E (Equity) | ~3-5% | ~15-16% | ~17-18% |
| Scheme C (Corporate Debt) | ~7.8% | ~7.5% | ~7.2% |
| Scheme G (Govt Securities) | ~7.5% | ~7.8% | ~7.3% |
| Best PFM (overall, LIC/UTI PF) | — | 9.01% | 7.52% |
| City | Price Range (₹/sq.ft) |
|---|---|
| Mumbai (suburbs) | 18,000 – 32,000 |
| Delhi NCR | 9,000 – 18,000 |
| Bengaluru | 7,500 – 14,000 |
| Pune | 6,500 – 11,500 |
| Chennai | 6,000 – 10,500 |
| Hyderabad | 6,200 – 11,000 |
| Lender | Home Loan Rate (from) |
|---|---|
| Union Bank of India | 7.35% |
| SBI | 7.25% |
| Bank of Baroda / PNB | 7.35% – 7.55% |
| ICICI Bank | 7.50% |
| HDFC Bank | 7.90% |
| Kotak Mahindra Bank | 7.99% |
A pure term plan (10–15x annual income cover) is the most cost-efficient way to protect dependants. Avoid mixing insurance with investment (ULIPs/endowment) — buy term, invest the difference separately in mutual funds or PPF.
A family floater of ₹10–25 lakh base plus a super top-up is recommended for most urban families given rising healthcare inflation (~14% p.a.). Check room-rent sub-limits, waiting periods and claim settlement ratio before buying.
Rule of thumb: to retire on today's monthly expenses of ₹X, adjusted for inflation (assume 6%) over N years to retirement, target a corpus of roughly 300× your desired monthly post-retirement income (25× annual expenses, assuming a 4% safe withdrawal rate). A 30-year-old aiming to retire at 60 with a ₹1 lakh/month lifestyle today should target a corpus of approximately ₹9–10 crore at retirement, factoring inflation. Start early — compounding does the heavy lifting.
| Investment | Tax Treatment |
|---|---|
| Equity/Equity MF (held >1 yr) | LTCG @12.5% above ₹1.25 lakh/year |
| Equity/Equity MF (held <1 yr) | STCG @20% |
| Debt MF (any holding period) | Taxed at slab rate (as per current rules) |
| PPF, EPF, SSY | EEE — fully tax-exempt (interest & maturity) |
| FD Interest | Taxed at slab rate; TDS above ₹40,000/yr (₹50,000 for seniors) |
| NPS (Tier 1) | Extra ₹50,000 deduction u/s 80CCD(1B); 60% lump sum tax-free at maturity |
Picking funds/stocks purely because they performed well last year, ignoring that past performance rarely repeats.
Jumping into equities or locking money in FDs/insurance without 6 months of expenses set aside liquidly first.
Buying ULIPs or endowment plans for "returns" instead of pure term insurance plus separate investing.
Locking most net worth in illiquid property, leaving little for diversified, liquid growth assets.
Trying to buy at the bottom and sell at the top, instead of disciplined SIP/rupee-cost averaging.
Planning retirement or goals using today's costs without adjusting for 6-7% annual inflation.
Investing without mapping money to specific goals (retirement, child's education, home) and timelines.
Acting on stock tips from WhatsApp/social media/relatives without independent research.
Leaving nominee details blank or outdated across bank accounts, FDs, MFs and insurance policies.
Waiting for the "right time" to start, losing years of compounding that can never be recovered.
Total of everything you own minus everything you owe. Track this annually.
Keep in a liquid instrument (savings account / liquid fund), separate from investments.
A simple budgeting split of post-tax monthly income.
Quick estimate of how long an investment takes to double at a given annual rate.
Extension of Rule of 72 — estimates years for money to become 4x.
What you actually earn after inflation erodes purchasing power.
| Asset Class | 5-Year Avg Annual Return | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|
| Equity (Nifty 50) | ~15-16% | High |
| Small Cap Equity | ~22-25% | Very High |
| Gold | ~18-20% | Medium |
| PPF / EPF | ~7.5-8.25% | Low |
| Bank FD | ~6.5-7% | Low |
| Real Estate (residential) | ~6-9% | Medium |