Suggest a topic
A lot of you reply to the daily emails with suggestions for posts, and I really appreciate that because it gives me post ideas, and I can write about stuff that is most relevant to you.
Normally, I take the gist of your suggestion; create a title of the post, and note it down on a virtual sticky note. But, the issue with this is that it is easy enough to miss an email, and sometimes the titles on the sticky notes don’t make any sense to me when I look at them later on.
So, I am creating a page here that is specifically for your suggestions for posts. You can leave a comment here suggesting an idea for a post, and if I know enough about the topic I will write about it.
That way we won’t lose track of anything you say, and if multiple people suggest the same topic for a post then I know that it should be written prior to moving on to other things.
Thanks for reading – and writing!
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why people do not compare the quality of the portfolio while comparing the return in debt funds.
I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re saying – can you elaborate please?
WHICH IS THE BEST PLACE TO INVEST RS 500 IN A SIP IN GOLD OR MUTUAL FUND AND IN WHICH COMPANY.
There is no such thing as best place to invest.
You are being Brutally Frank Manshu !
It was not my intention to be brutal
However, it is a bit exasperating to encounter this “best” question repeatedly, and in most cases the original commenter doesn’t bother to respond to me so these days I’m not really all that inclined to write a long story that I have repeated several times already.
I understand !
I want to understand the dynamics of various types fixed income mutual fund. Should we invest in it as oppose to Bank FDs. Why if yes (or no)? I understand there various types, mainly based on maturity period. In what conditions should one choose each type? When is the best time to enter into these MFs (for example, best time to enter into an equity based MFs is when market is low .. and of course I understand that we shouldn’t time the market but use SIPs instead). I also want to compare MFs against similar ETFs .. for fixed income. In the end which ones are best and why.
I know lot of questions. Thanks for your efforts.
Gaurav Jain
I have a post on comparison between FMP and Fixed deposit here http://www.onemint.com/2011/04/19/fmp-taxation-and-fd-comparison/
I think as far as longer deposits are concerned – that article covers the topic. For the shorter deposits since savings banks now have 6% or so interest rate the lure of liquid funds is that much lesser.
I won’t write anything on timing and I have written about MFs and ETFs several times but I guess I need to write a detailed post on comparing the features of the two generically.
Thanks for your ideas.
All of my questions are related to interest bearing (as oppose to equity investment) MFs / ETFs / FDs . I do understand difference between MF and ETF from equity perspective.. Only want to understand it when it is taking about fixed income / interest generating investments (e.g. Liquidbees).
ETF is just a legal shell – so there is no diff b/w ETF & MF based on whether they are equity or debt – that is not really material. The material part is what they own, which when I think about it now is what you seem to be interested in.
Thank you for your blog & articles, they’re really wonderful.
Could you please throw some light on world economy, USA / Europe / Greece/Italy and where does Indian economy fit in.
Thank you,
Kishore
Good topic suggestion – I’ll try to write about this in the coming week or the week after that. Thanks for the suggestion.
How Government Borrowing Affects Liquidity in System?
Great idea! I will write about government borrowings in the future for sure. Thanks.
I like your articles very much – they are very informative. Keep up the good work!
I have a query – please try to give a convincing answer if possible.
I invest in mutual funds by SIP only and in stocks directly. My SIP in mutual funds are for long periods – ten to fifteen years. I have read a lot on rupee cost averaging and the power of compounding but I am not convinced whether I should let a SIP in a particular MF run for so many years or book profits in between. I review my portfolio every six months. What if the SIP
ran for so many years and finally the MF performance plummets as it happened to
SBI MSFU Contra and Reliance Growth funds? I had been investing in these MFs for the past five years but feel that I should have booked profits earlier.
I don’t have a convincing answer.
I have few topics for Suggestion.
TOPIC :
1. Financial Liberalization- What has it really meant ?
2. Interest rate regimes across the countries.
3. Investment regimes across the countries.
4. Why service exports are increasing more than merchandise exports? What are the reasons?
I’m afraid if I write about these topics they will be mere opinions rather than facts because that;s the nature of the questions. I think if you asked ten people why they think we are doing well in services as opposed to exports you will get ten different answers.
I don’t feel up to it to write on these topics.
WHAT ARE THE MERITS AND DEMERITS OF MUTUAL FUNDS? WHAT ARE THE HIDDEN CHARGES OF MUTUAL FUNDS AND HOW IT IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SAVINGS INSTRUMENTS?
Here is a post on a sort of introduction to mutual funds.
http://www.onemint.com/2011/11/08/difference-between-shares-and-mutual-funds/
I’ll try to write about the rest of your suggestion in the days to come.
Hi Manshu –
I am 30 yrs of age and a relatively new entrant to direct equity investing. I have been regular with SIP MFs. Additionally I am also diversifying across different assets.
With respect to direct equity investing, I have been trying to create a position by buying on dips and selecting large cap companies mostly. As part of my long term strategy, I am interested in buying high dividend paying stocks over the years so that I get a continuous stream of revenue going forward. However I am unable to pick or identify regular high dividend stocks of good quality. Can you pls guide me on the same?
Thanks,
Mani
Hi Mani,
In these 2 posts you will find the highest dividend yielding companies in India from the biggest 300 companies listed. I think this should serve you well.
http://www.onemint.com/2011/09/05/dividend-yields-of-the-100-biggest-shares-in-india/
http://www.onemint.com/2011/10/05/dividend-yields-of-the-top-200-companies-in-india/
Thanks Manshu! I will go through this list. It helped a lot. But I think that I get the answer after reading through the post.
Thanks,
Mani
Excellent Mani – I appreciate that you took the time to leave a follow up comment. Thanks!
Hello
Thanks for your wonderful blog. Few things i would love to learn
1. Our inflation had gone up from 5 to 10% approx, but the growth forecasts have not come down by that much ( less than 2%). Why?
2. Ratings and Risks associated with Indian Banks
3. Risk associated with mutual fund houses
4. Real estate registration & taxes in various indian states.
5. Percapita Vs Petrol price (International & National)
6. Growth history statewise
7. Growth history industrywise in sensex
8. Fiscal Deficit Vs Growth
Hope to see some info from the above if found logical. Thanks in advance.
Regards
Inflation was already high when growth was estimated and the effect of the recession was also receding so that’s why it might feel like it hasn’t been revised as low as it should have been. In any case – I do think the GDP will be revised lower than what has been estimated.
For the other topics, I think these are good research topics for a student to go there and collect data but since I already have such a long list of topics that have immediately actionable information – I don’t think I’ll be able to tackle what you suggest.
I think the data may not be available in a few cases as well.
Hello Sir,
Thank you for this informative blog. It is very helpful to me if you post something
about this topic.
1. FUTURE CONTRACT. (Finance)
Sure, good idea – I’ll have a post on that in the future.
DVR Shares:
http://www.livemint.com/2008/05/05235749/Promoters-set-to-benefit-from.html
Good suggestion – I’ll have a post on it in the future.
DVR Detailed info :
http://www.bcasonline.org/articles/artin.asp?999
DVR Advantages / disadvantages:
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/whatdifferential-voting-rights-dvr-shares/433873/
Thanks for those links Furqan.
Dear Manshu,
I am not sure whether we have an article about the PPF in post office saving scheme in ONEMINT. If we dont have an article can you please write about it. Also if there is an article please share the link.
Thanks.
Karthik – Chennai
No, there isn’t one till now Karthik – that’s a good suggestion and I’ll write about it in the future.
Money Managament Software, which manage all the investments of all the family members say users like FD in various banks, Bonds, RD, KVP, NSC etc for all members and also warn me for the interst earned in each financial year for all family members.
Is there any software like this available ?
I don’t know about that Paresh – I assume you have seen Perfios and MProfit and are aware of what they can do?
Manshu,
I aware abt prefios and Mprofit is not of my use.
I need desktop version, no online business.
Do you suggest something.
No, nothing.
I am not familiar with investing approah. Only after reading your mails regularly, iam getting to know the factors to be considered for investing. still i am in the early stages of learning.But i had been investing in some shares and mutual funds before simply on the advice of others. I have lost track and the papers which are available with me are confusing. I do not know how much i have invested and how much i have lost. can you suggest me how to read my portfolio and understand. Is there any software which guides me through this mess and enables me to approach this investment systematically.
regards
ganesan
Hmmm this shouldn’t be all the difficult – all stocks and mutual funds are Demat right? And do you get Demat statements or you know how to check them online?
All my investments are in de mat except one gold etf. But guide me how to access my account via internet. the statement given by the demat service provider in chennai is not clear.
Gold ETF has to be in Demat – there’s no other way to hold it. Look at your statements and it should be there, maybe by a name that you don’t recognize. You should have a list of holdings with names in your Demat statement and that’s all you need.
I don’t think anyone other than your service provider can tell you how to access it online so call them and get their assistance. But I think your statement should enough. Just copy paste all the names here and I’ll let you know how to find their current prices.
thank you manshu
The concept of special interest rates on FD of a specific tenure has been here for quite some time. Ex. ICICI offers 9.25% on 390 day deposit but only 8.25% on a 391 day deposit. Is this just a way for them to get better focus on certain tenures and be able to reduce asset liability mismatch or is there something more to it?
I’m sorry I won’t be able to write about this because I don’t know why they do this. I’ve asked a few people that I thought would know but even they weren’t able to come up with a satisfactory answer. I don’t think it’s because of the asset liability mismatch because everything close to that maturity should come up to the same high interest rate in that case.
Could you review two products of Max New York Life at leisure viz. Life Gain Plus and Life Partner Plus?
To be honest, I’ve never heard of these products
I’ll try to review them in the future. Right now I have 17 drafts that I’d like to get finished first
it appears that the dtc might not be passed this fiscal, in that case doesn’t this mean it’s better to invest in fmp’s and other mutual fund products compared to co or bank fd’s.
Even when DTC passes – it would just rule out double indexation – FMPs will still be eligible for indexation and will be more tax efficient.
This is about the tax liability of income received.I pay Rs 4 Lacs to my wife thro a cheque.She invests the amount in Bank FD and earns interest of Rs 36000/ in a year. As I understand my wife need not pay any tax on Rs 4 Lacs she has received nor she has to pay any tax on Rs 36000 interest she has received.Only I have to pay tax on Rs 36000 interest which she has earned.Is my assumption correct?
That’s my understanding as well, and your wife doesn’t have any income of her own right?
Dear Sir
I am a regular reader of yours. I find them very interesting and informative. i also have a little question for you.
Can you tell the better investment between PPF and bank FDs. Also the implementation date for the increased limit for the PPF account.
One more thing, is it advisable to continue the PPF for another 5 years after completion of its tenture of 15 yrs.
Thanks & Regards
Prashant
Better investment b/w PPF & FD depends on how soon you need the money really. With PPF it’s locked for 15 years right so even if you earn more in PPF – the fact that it’s locked for such a long period will surely come into play for a lot of people.
I will schedule this post and write about it in the future. Thanks for the suggestion.
Hi Manshu –
It will be great idea if you can post a topic on “How to read Balance Sheets?” of companies. I understand that it might be a complex topic. Probably you can stagger it across few posts.
I went through the archives as much as I can but couldn’t find something on that topic. Pls let me know in case I missed any post on that topic.
Thanks,
Mani
Hi Mani,
Thanks for the suggestion – that is indeed a good idea thought slightly complex and will have to be staggered as you suggest. I’ll write on it though it may take time because there’s already quite a bit of back log here.
Thanks for your suggestion.
Thanks Manshu for considering the request. Surely I can wait until you get through the other items on your list. Meanwhile do you have any books to recommend on this topic for beginners like me?
Any book that they use to teach finance 101 in MBAs will be a good start – I can’t quite recall what the name was of the book I used but you could pick one up that’s easily accessible to you.
I’d also recommend reading Prof. Aswath Damodaran’s website and blog to help with this. You could start that immediately and he takes real examples which makes it really interesting.
Here are the links:
http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/
http://aswathdamodaran.blogspot.com/
Thanks Manshu! Appreciate your help very much!!
Great, you’re welcome!
I would like to request you to post your views on different types of Mediclaim policies , benefits of having it in early age other than tax benefit, also expect your views to have a policy from Natiolised Insurace co. against private Insurance co.
Regards,
Shailesh
I don’t know much about mediclaim policies so not sure how useful my post will be but I will try to write one up about it.
Not sure if you’ve already done so before – can you publish a post on home insurance? Especially, what are the options available, what risks are included/excluded etc. Thanks in advance.
That’s a good idea Mandar – I have no knowledge of home insurance but I think it’s time to look at some policies and learn a bit about it. I’ll try to write a post on it in the future.
Portfolio for a Modern Indian
Hi Manshu,
You seem very knowledgeable about most of the Indian investment opportunities and your blog seem to attract quite a lot educated persons too. Why don’t you start a collaborative (probably first of its kind in India) model asset allocation and diversification post for an average middle class Indian?
There are so many avenues of investment but people in India still struggle to find the right balance in their asset allocation to achieve that peaceful and prosperous retirement fund after 25/30 years. Many of them don’t even know about the demons of inflation, taxation and investment costs etc.
I know one shoe does not fit all but collaboratively (with data backing up) we can find a model portfolio for a single regularly earning individual which can be extrapolated by anybody interested according to his family composition.
Given that DTC is coming in effect next year and it is going to stay for a long long time, we pretty much know the implications for various investments.
We of course wont suggest any specific investment instrument like a specific mutual fund or a stock but a general idea about how one should go about investing to get an optimum return at the start of the retirement. And since it is collaborative, with a proper disclaimer I don’t think anybody is going to hold you accountable for anything.
What do you think?
(btw, I might also start the same on my upcoming blog but wanted to use your platform)
That’s a good idea but it’s much beyond the bandwidth I currently have and I think people will need so much customization that the time spent on constructing one is better utilized in reviewing different products. Plus I’m not too keen on collaborating with anyone right now because I like to do things on my own schedule as far as the blog is concerned.
But all the best in trying to do this with your blog.
Hi Manshu,
Thanks for the interesting and informative posts. Have one question-
I want to invest a lumpsum amount of money to generate some monthly income for my parents after their retirement. They will be in lowest tax bracket. A comparison between different available options (return%, ease of maintenance etc) will be greatly appreciated.
-ARC
Hi ARC,
That’s a good suggestion – I can think of only two options right now – Senior Citizens Saving Scheme (Post Office) and Senior Citizens Fixed Deposits (Banks). The other options that come to mind like annuities of insurance companies or other monthly income plans don’t yield that well. Let me look at this in detail and write a post on this.
Thanks!
Thank you for taking time to reply me. I will look into details of those 2 suggestions you mentioned. What’s your opinion about regular monthly redemption of a Growth debt based mutual fund as an indirect method?
I think a detail post on this topic will be helpful for many people.
It adds complexity and uncertainty and if the tax bracket is not high then I don’t think that’s worth it. As a matter of fact I did write FMPs in my original comment but then I deleted it because first you don’t know what return you will get and second the main lure for these instruments is that they are tax efficient but in your case that might not be a factor at all.
However, I think your idea does merit a deeper look and I’d like some time to think about it. Thanks again!
Makes complete seense. Thank you.
There is a lot of talk about GDP .Can you please do a review explaining how GDP of India is calculated , what are the activities considered in GDP,who calculates it Etc
Yeah, that’s a good topic, especially with the news in today. Thanks for your suggestion.
Suggested Topic: How ” INFLATION” rate is calculated.
Thanks for the subject how GDP is calculated. Similarly this subject of INFLATION may be explained in simple terms. Thanks regards.
Good suggestion – I’ll have a post on that in the future.
Please explain something about the processes that are being exercised in calculating Dearness Allowances for the Salaried Class
Dearness allowance? I don’t think I’ll be able to write about it – I don’t know anything about how that is calculated or what it entails.
Check this out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dearness_allowance
Which works better in Taxing saving funds segment..?
Go for Canara Robeco/HDFC Tax savers – good returns over long durations. Just note that when DTC comes into effect in Apr 2012 ELSS will no longer be eligiblw for 80C deduction.
Rajesh – here is a post that I did on Tax Saver mutual funds, and you can look at the list therein.
http://www.onemint.com/2011/12/07/an-update-on-elss-tax-saver-mutual-funds/
Manshu – Wonderful brainstroming session here on newer topics. Great step! Just love your site.
Btw -what time zone do you work in? I see most FB posts very early in the India day.
Thanks I appreciate that.
hi,80ccf bonds gives rebate upto 30% of invested amount with maximum limit 20000 ie
20000 for people in highest tax slab give effective return of 17% ie 6180 tax saved of 20000 and buyback option after 5 years gives 30780,
the intrest is taxable,how the maturity intrest taxed……..?
The maturity interest is taxed the same way other interest is taxed – by adding it to your taxable income and charging it at your slab.
I am Suman. Can you please suggest me best Children Plan for my daughter future secure. My daughter age is around 1.9 years. What ever you suggest I will go with that. I wish to give best secure future for my kid.
I am a middle class family only. I want to be a best father of my child.
I am planning to pay 2000/- per month. Please suggest best plan for my kid.
1. ICICI Prudential Smart Kid New Unit Linked RP
2. Birla Sunlife Children’s Dream Plan
3. Aegon Religare star Child
4. HDFC SLIC Young Star Super
5. Kotak Headstart Future Protect
Thanks,
Suman
Thank you for the suggestion Suman and I appreciate your sentiment – I must admit that I have never looked at any children plans ever so I really don’t know much about them. I would say that it is not necessary to buy a children’s plan to secure your child’s future. You can very well do this by investing in PPF, tax free bonds, fixed deposits and diversified funds yourself. From what I’ve seen of insurance company’s investment products – they are a bit too complicated and don’t have all that attractive returns. I can look at these products but it will probably take me very long and it might be better for you to start investments in some safe debt instruments yourself.
Can you please give me the information on Best Children Future Plans
One of my friends, a senior citizen (63) is expecting a large inflow of money (Rs.5-10 lakhs in one or more installment) within a short period of say below 3-12 Months.
He already owns a house but has income below the taxable limit of Rs.1 lakh. He has no loan liability.
He wants to know the best possible SAFEST AVENUES to preserve this amount for at least 5-7 years with NO TAX and NIL RISK.
Can you give some options / suggestions
Mr Hariharan
Senior Citizen savings scheme which gives a return of 9% pa is ideal. This can be opened in SBI or Post Office.This is safe and the returns are assured.
But then that is taxable is it not?
Safest avenues are bank fixed deposits, postal deposits, senior citizens scheme as Mr. Ramamurthy point out, there are issues of tax free bonds that come out and though those are slightly higher risk than these other options, they are still fairly safe.
But frankly, from what I see of the mindset of your friend – the best thing would be to stick with SBI FDs – that’s the safest thing I can think of and though they aren’t tax free – your friend may never hit the taxable limit with his earnings.
I have got 50000 rs that can be unused for 6 months. Is it worth investing in liquid funds. My friends say let it be idle in savings bank because there is a short term cap.tax in liquid funds. Your guidance please.
Hi Manshu,
In the previuos budget there was mention of employers contribution into NPS can be accounted as business expenses & the employee also getting tax benefir under 80C. Has it become law, can i use it from this FY??
health insurance schemes
There are thousands of institutions either employing people or form them into various groups of interest. Why they do not take group insurance policy with a benefit of at least Rs2.5 -5.0lakhs for life and Rs. 10 lakhs for Accident benefit.
I don’t know anything about this.
Please do a post on Muthoot NCD – II
http://www.muthootsecurities.com/Muthoot-NCD.htm
Sorry couldn’t locate their offer documents or any other source of info about the company.
Please find below the details of the offer in short:
Name of the Issue : Muthoot Finance NCD – Series II
Issue Date : 22nd December,2011
Issue Size : Rs.300 Cr + Rs.300 Cr. Green Shoe Option
Period : 2, 3 and 5 years
Interest Rates
Annual Option : 13%, 13.25% and 13.25% for 2, 3 and 5 years respectively
Cumulative Option : Double in 5 ½ Years
Minimum Investment : Rs.5000 and multiples of Rs.1000 thereafter.
Closing Date : 07th January, 2012
Dear manshu,
what is your opinion on elder pharmaceutical ltd? They have come out with FD scheme offering 12% interest.
regards
ganesan
I have no idea about them, and I’m currently not inclined to learn more about them and write a post on their FD. That’s due to the large number of other posts that are lined up already, and the low appeal of this particular FD.
Can you please cover a topic on TAN ( known as Tax Deduction Account Number) as many people are not aware of its existence.
I’m sorry but I don’t know enough about this to write an article about it.
Please find the details of the offer in short:
Name of the Issue : Muthoot Finance NCD – Series II
Issue Date : 22nd December,2011
Issue Size : Rs.300 Cr + Rs.300 Cr. Green Shoe Option
Period : 2, 3 and 5 years
Interest Rates:
Annual Option : 13%, 13.25% and 13.25% for 2, 3 and 5 years respectively
Cumulative Option : Double in 5 ½ Years
Minimum Investment : Rs.5000 and multiples of Rs.1000 thereafter.
Closing Date : 07th January, 2012
Apologise so much, it got wrongly posted here instead of another place. Sorry!
No, no, no need to apologize! This is great info and spurred me to find the document that I was looking for. The post will be up shortly – thanks a lot!
Can you give some insight on some of the worst financial world crisis in the past . Let us take Mexico crisis of 1994, East asian crisis, Hyperinflation of Germany ( 1920) , Zimbwambe etc.
This helps to see contemporary things in perspective
That’s a good suggestion and I’ll try to write a post on it or at least link to other good posts that I find. It’s going to take some time though due to the several posts already lined up.
Thanks!
What would you suggest, going in for purchase of Muthoot NCD would be a good deal say for two year.
For a small part of your portfolio yes – see today’s post here:
http://www.onemint.com/2011/12/20/muthoot-finance-secured-ncd-issue/
Hi Manshu,
There is a discussion going on NPS. Can we have a comparison between NPS and PPF options.
I think people should stay away from NPS right now (unless they are in government service) – it’s a good idea that has been ruined in the implementation by government and it’s not worth your time right now.
How to create a retirement portfolio through equities?
Interesting question, and I think there was a comment here earlier about creating retirement income for parents – I think these two topics lend themselves well and can be written in a post. Thanks!
What to keep in mind regarding financial planning when you are expecting a baby?
What is the correct time to start saving for baby’s education, marriage etc.?
Hmmm, well this is certainly new and I had never thought of this topic before…I’ll try to write about it though I don’t know how well it will come out. Thanks for the suggestion!
This isn’t new, but maybe nobody asks it. Every would be parents have this burden. Especially if both are working and the female will have to quit the job, creating loss of income.
Oh yes, I perfectly accept the need to think such a thing through and plan for it – I meant more in terms of if I am competent enough to write about this – but I will do my best.
thanks
Yes cost of one income is gone in too high. You need to plan very carefully for it. And always have a backup plan. Circumstances change and you might have to join job before you planned.
1. A post on Nidhi companies (if not done earlier) can be done.
2. I have invested in fd of unitech. Maturity amt. yet to be recd. even after a month. Pls. advise friends not to invest in this co. Pls. let me know to whom i can complain.
1. A post on Nidhi companies.
2. To whom should be air our grievance if fd amount is not repaid on maturity
Please file your complaint with the below link. But ensure you register yourself before you file a complaint:
http://www.consumercourt.in/fixed-deposit/
J – I’m afraid I don’t know much about Nidhi companies to be able to write about them. Sorry.
I want to start MF,SIP but in my city there is no facility to deposit form in relevent bank directly. I called one agent and discused,he told that he would deposit my form in CAMP office ,this is also privet, my query are-
1-How much mony will be dedected from my MF for agent and CAMP office and when either yearly or on every sip?
2-How to diposit MF form direct to company (Bank)?
… kind regards
Vineet Gour
7702243168
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