Financial Planning Report
Financial Planning Report
Financial Planning Report
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The sanitation and euphoric that accompany the successful completion of task, would be incomplete without the mention of the people who made it possible.
After all, a success is a epitome of hard work, severance, undeterred missionary, zeal, steadfast, determination and most of all encouraging guidance. So, with immense gratitude, I acknowledge all those guidance and encouragement served as a beacon light and crowned my efforts with success.
I sincerely thank Mr. Pravin Nagpal, founder of Ifians Financial Services, Pune and my company guide for giving me an opportunity to take this project. I thank him for being a constant source of inspiration, mentor and above all for his encouragement. His experience in Market was itself a great source of knowledge and information for me. Despite his demanding schedule, he bestowed every possible facility to me, so as to carry on the project work without any encumbrance.
I would like to express my profound sense of gratitude of PROF.S.P.MARATHE of Institute of Business Management and Research, Pune and my faculty guide for guiding me as well as providing me the support to conduct this project.
With a deep sense of gratitude and indebtedness, I sincerely and whole-heartedly thank my fellow colleagues and the staff team at IFIANS Financial Services, Pune for giving me value suggestions and advice throughout the execution of the project. This project would not have been conduct successfully within time without their support and help.
Executive Summary
Financial planning is the process of assessing financial goals of individual, taking an inventory of the money and other assets which the person have, determine life goals and then take necessary steps to achieve goals in the stipulated period. It is a method of quantifying a persons requirement in terms of money. It was a great opportunity to work with IFIANS Financial Services, sub-broker of Motilal Oswal Securities, Indias leading broking firm. We will get to know the organisational structure and various business models of the company. Financial services refer to services provided by the finance industry. The finance industry encompasses a broad range of organizations that deal with the management of money. Among these organizations are banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, consumer finance companies, stock brokerages, investment funds and some government sponsored enterprises. Financial Planning is one such advisory service, which is yet to get recognition from investors. Although financial planning is not a new concept, it just needs to be conducted in organized manner. Today we avail this service from Insurance agent, Mutual fund agents, Tax consultant, Equity Brokers, Chartered Accountants, etc. Different agents provide different services and product oriented. Financial Planner on other hand is a service provider which enables an individual to select proper product mix for achieving their goals. The major things to be considered in financial planning are time horizon to achieve life goals, identify risk tolerance of client, their liquidity need, the inflation which would eat up living and decrease standard of living and the need for growth or income. Keeping all this in mind financial planning is done with six step processes.
Scope of work The scope of planning will include the following: Risk Management and Insurance Planning Investment Planning Retirement Planning Tax Planning
Followings are the objectives of work: To identify investment habit of people. To understand financial planning done in India. To analyze the characteristics of different asset class. To study changes in financial planning with change in age. To identify various avenues for investment. To examine factors influencing the investment decision
A good financial plan includes Contingency planning, Risk Planning (insurance), Tax Planning, Retirement Planning and Investment and saving option. Contingency planning is the basic of financial planning and also the most ignored. Contingency planning is to be prepared for major unforeseen event if it occurs. These events can be illness, injury in family, loss of regular pay due to loss of job. Such events are not certain but may have financial hardship if they occur. Thus a person should have enough money in liquid form to cover this risk. Risk Coverage is done through insurance. Risk can be classified into life risk, health risk and property risk. Today we have different insurance which covers different risk. Everyone is exposed to life risk but the degree of risk varies. Life insurance provides an economical support to the family and dependents. Apart from life risk we are also exposed to health risk. Health insurance covers health risk by funding medical expenses and hospital charges. 3
Also we have property insurance to cover risk attached to house property like theft, fire, damage, etc. and various auto insurance. Tax planning is what every income earner does without fail and this is what financial planning is all to them. A good plan is one which takes the maximum advantage of various incentives offered by the income tax laws of the country. However, do understand that the tax incentives are just that, only incentives. Financial planning objective should be getting maximum advantage of various avenues. It is to be remembered that tax planning is a part and not financial planning itself. There are many investments which do not offer tax shelter that does not mean they are not good investments. The prudent investment decision made and the returns that accrue will more than offset the tax outgo. In any case the primary objective of a good financial plan is to maximize the wealth, not to beat the taxmen. However many investment provides great returns which can offset the tax on it. A detailed study of various investments which provides deduction and exemption is given in report. Retirement Planning is also an important aspect of financial planning. To a greater extend most earning people do retirement planning. There are various schemes in market through which a person can do his retirement planning. To list a few are Annuity Insurance Plan, PPF and EPF.
TABLE OF CONTAINS
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Topic...................................................................................... 9 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Introduction to Financial Planning ............................................................................. 9 Study of various factors ............................................................................................ 10 Why I have selected this topic. ................................................................................. 11 Six step process of Financial Planning ..................................................................... 11 Constitute of Financial Planning............................................................................... 13
Chapter 2: Introduction to the Company ............................................................................. 15 2.1 2.2 Profile of IFIANS ..................................................................................................... 15 Services offered by IFIANS ..................................................................................... 15
Chapter 3: Introduction to Financial Planning Industry ...................................................... 22 Chapter 4: Scope of Work ................................................................................................... 25 Chapter 5: Objective of the Project Work ........................................................................... 26 Chapter 6: Research Methodology ...................................................................................... 27 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Research Design ....................................................................................................... 27 Data collection techniques and tools ........................................................................ 27 Sample Design .......................................................................................................... 28 Limitations ................................................................................................................ 29
A good financial plan should include the following things:-............................................... 30 7.2 Life Insurance ........................................................................................................... 36 7.2.1 7.2.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 Life Stage in Life Insurance........................................................................... 38 Need Analysis in life Stages .......................................................................... 39
Equities .................................................................................................................. 40 Mutual Funds ........................................................................................................ 40 Certificate of Deposits........................................................................................... 44 Public Provident Fund (PPF) ................................................................................ 44 Real Estate Investment .......................................................................................... 44 Gold ....................................................................................................................... 45 Investment in Bank ............................................................................................... 46 5
Savings Bank Account .............................................................................................. 47 7.10.1 7.10.2 7.10.3 7.10.4 7.10.5 Investment through Post Office ..................................................................... 47 Post office Recurring Deposit Account (RDA) ............................................. 47 Time Deposit.................................................................................................. 47 National Savings Certificates......................................................................... 48 Post Office Monthly Income Scheme ............................................................ 48
Chapter 8: Data Analysis and Interpretation........................................................................ 49 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9 8.10 8.11 Age distribution of the respondent............................................................................ 49 Income distribution of respondent ............................................................................ 50 Person willingness to take risk according to age ...................................................... 51 Investment made by the respondent in various avenues ........................................... 52 Satisfaction of investors on their previous investment ............................................. 53 Sources of information/reference for investor influencing investment decision. ..... 54 Investment Objectives of Individuals ....................................................................... 55 Respondent frequency of investment ........................................................................ 56 Financial Literacy of respondent .............................................................................. 57 Do respondent have enough time to manage their investment affairs ...................... 58 Case study: Financial planning for single women .................................................... 59 My observations: ............................................................................................... 60 Assumptions ...................................................................................................... 60 Solution.............................................................................................................. 61
Chapter 9: Observation and Findings ................................................................................. 64 Chapter 10: Limitations ...................................................................................................... 65 Chapter11: Suggestions and Recommendations .................................................................. 67 Chapter 12: Bibliography..................................................................................................... 74 Annexure .............................................................................................................................. 75 Questionnaire ................................................................................................................ 75
Index of Tables
Table 1: Key players in Financial Planning Services .......................................................... 23 Table 2 Income Tax slab for individuals ............................................................................. 31 Table 3: Analysis of life stage ............................................................................................. 39 Table 4: Investment in Gold ................................................................................................ 45 Table 5: Age distribution of respondent .............................................................................. 49 Table 6: Income distribution of respondent ......................................................................... 50 Table 7: Age distribution with respect to willingness to take risk....................................... 51 Table 8: Investment made by the respondent ...................................................................... 52 Table 9: Satisfaction of investors......................................................................................... 53 Table 10: Sources of information/reference for investor ..................................................... 54 Table 11: Investment Objective of Individuals.................................................................... 55 Table 12: Respondent frequency of investment .................................................................. 56 Table 13: Financial Literacy of respondent ......................................................................... 57 Table 14: Time available to respondent for investment management ................................. 58 Table 15: Current Portfolio .................................................................................................. 59 Table 16: Financial goal and time horizons ......................................................................... 60 Table 17: Earning and expenses .......................................................................................... 61 Table 18: Summary of Financial Plan ................................................................................. 63
Index of Figures
Figure 1: Data Collection Techniques ................................................................................. 27 Figure 2 : Types of life insurance ........................................................................................ 37 Figure 3: Life stage in life insurance ................................................................................... 38 Figure 4: Working of mutual funds ..................................................................................... 41 Figure 5: Types of mutual funds .......................................................................................... 42 Figure 6: Risks associated with different mutual funds ....................................................... 43 Figure 7: Age of respondent and percentage chart .............................................................. 49 Figure 8: Income of respondent and percentage chart ........................................................ 50 Figure 9: Age distribution with respect to willingness to take risk ..................................... 51 Figure 10: Investment made by the respondent ................................................................... 52 Figure 11: Satisfaction of investors ..................................................................................... 53 Figure 12: Sources of information/reference for investor ................................................... 54 Figure 13: Investment Objective of Individuals .................................................................. 56 Figure 14: Respondent frequency of investment ................................................................. 57 Figure 16: Financial Literacy of respondent ........................................................................ 58 Figure 17: Time available to respondent for investment management ................................ 59
ii.
Risk Tolerance: Every individual should know what their capacity to take risk is. Some investments can be more risky than others. These will not be suitable for someone of a low risk profile, or for goals that require being conservative. Crucially, ones risk profile will change across lifes stages. As a young person with no dependents or financial liabilities, one might be able to take on lots of risk. However, if this young person gets married and has a child, person will have dependents and higher fiscal responsibilities. So persons approach to risk and finances cannot be the same as it was when they were single.
iii.
Liquidity Needs: When does money is needed to meet the goal and how quickly one can access this money. If investment is made in an asset and expects to sell the asset to supply funds to meet a goal, then it needs to be understood how easily one can sell the asset. Usually, money market and stock market related assets are easy to liquidate. On the other hand, something like real estate might take a long time to sell.
iv.
Inflation: Inflation is a fact of the economic life in India. The bottle of cold drink that is brought today is almost double the price of what would be paid for ten years ago. At inflation or slightly above 4% per annum, a packet of biscuits that costs Rs 20 today will cost Rs. 30 in ten years time. Just imagine what the cost of buying a car or buying a home might be in ten years time! The purchasing power of money is going down every year. Therefore, the cost of achieving goals needs to be seen in what the inflated price will be in the future.
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v.
Need for Growth or Income:As person make investments think about what is required, whether capital appreciation or income. Not all investments satisfy both requirements. Many people are buying apartments, but are not renting them out even after they take possession. So, this asset is generating no income for them and they are probably expecting only capital appreciation from this. A young person should usually consider investing for capital appreciation to take advantage of their young age. An older person however might be more interested in generating income for themselves.
One should identify their wealth status prior to move with financial planning. ii. Identify financial, personal goals and objectives: Each individual aspires to lead a better and a happier life. To lead such a life there are some needs and some wishes that need to be fulfilled. Money is a medium through which such needs and wishes are fulfilled. Some of the common needs that most individuals would have are: creating enough financial resources to lead a comfortable retired life, providing for a child's education and marriage, buying a dream home, providing for medical emergencies, etc. Once the needs/ objectives have been identified, they need to be converted into financial goals. Two components go into converting the needs into financial goals. First is to evaluate and find out when it is needed to make withdrawals from investments for each of the needs/ objectives. Then person should estimate the amount of money needed in current value to meet the objective/ need today. Then by using a suitable inflation factor one can project what would be the amount of money needed to meet the objective/ need in future. Similarly one need to estimate the amount of money needed to meet all such objectives/ needs. Once person have all the values they need to plot it against a timeline.
iii.
Identify financial problems or opportunities: Once goals and current situation are identified, the short fall to achieve the goal can be assessed. This short fall need to be covered over a period of time to full fill various needs at different life stages. Since future cannot be predict, all the contingencies should be considered will doing financial planning. A good financial plan should hedge from various risks. A flexible approach should be taken to cater to changing needs and should be ready to reorganize our financial plan from time to time.
iv.
Determine recommendations and alternative solutions: Now review various investment options such as stocks, mutual funds, debt instruments such as PPF, bonds, fixed deposits, gilt funds, etc. and identify which instrument(s) or a 12
combination thereof best suits the need. The time frame for investment must correspond with the time period for goals.
v.
Implement the appropriate strategies to achieve goals: Until person put things into action everything is waste. Necessary steps needs to be taken to achieve financial goals this may include gathering necessary documents, open necessary bank, demat, trading account, liaise with brokers and get started. In simple terms, start investing and stick to the plan.
vi.
Review and update plan periodically: Financial planning is not a one-time activity. A successful plan needs serious commitment and periodical review (once in six months, or at a major event such as birth, death, inheritance). Person should be prepared to make minor or major revisions to their current financial situation, goals and investment time frame based on a review of the performance of investments.
the individual or their family. Proper personal financial planning should definitely include insurance. One main area of the role of personal financial planning is to make sure that one has the ability to carry on living in case of some unforeseen and unfortunate event. Basically, insurance provides a safety net to provide the necessary funds when one meets with events like accidents, disabilities or illnesses. iii. Tax Planning: A good plan is one which takes the maximum advantage of various incentives offered by the income tax laws of the country. However, do understand that the tax incentives are just that, only incentives. Financial planning objective should be getting maximum advantage of various avenues. It is to be remembered that tax planning is a part and not financial planning itself. There are many investments which do not offer tax shelter that does not mean they are not good investments. In any case the primary objective of a good financial plan is to maximize the wealth, not to beat the taxmen. However many investment provides great returns which can offset the tax on it. But with the knowledge of the Income Tax (IT) Act one can reduce income tax liability. It also helps to decide, where to invest and to claim deductions under various sections.
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2.2.1 Income TaxIncome earned in a financial year is liable to tax as per the rates prescribed for that year. A financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March of the following year. India follows a residence based taxation system. Broadly, taxpayers may be classified as residents or nonresidents. Individual taxpayers may also be classified as 'residents but not ordinary residents'. An Indian company is always an Indian resident. Additionally, any other company whose affairs are wholly controlled and managed from India is also a resident. Any other company would be a non-resident.
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They provide following income tax services for Resident Indians: Filling of Income return for Individuals, HUF, Firms, Trust, Co-Op. Soc., Private Limited & Limited Companies (including MNCs). Income tax returns for Landlords, Rental income, Professionals Doctors, Architects. Electrical &Engg. Contractors. Rectification, Revision or Appeal of Income tax orders. To follow up for income tax refunds. To get the clearance certificate for going abroad. Payments on which income tax deduction at source required. Annual return for TDS in electronic form ( eTDS ). Registration of trust for charitable purposes.
2.2.2 Service Tax:The service tax is payable on all the taxable service rendered in India (except Jammu & Kashmir), whether to an Indian or foreign client. However services rendered abroad shall not attract service tax levies, as it extends only to services provided within India however services have been classified with effect from 15.3.2005 which shall determine their taxability in case the payment is received in convertible foreign exchange. The rate of service tax for F.Y. 2009-10 is 10% ad valorem plus education cess of 3% ( 2% towards education cess and 1% towards higher education cess).* IFIANS provides following service in relation to service tax: Registration Record to be maintained and invoice. Payment of service tax. Classification of services. Adjustment of excess service tax paid. Credit of service tax paid. Calculation Interest and penalty. 16
Notice and visit by departmental officer. Assessment Revision and appeal Refund of tax.
Payroll Processing Services Includes: At Ifians, they provide end to end, client specific, cost effective payroll solution to their clients. The main features of this service are as follows: Entire process of Payroll which includes maintaining of records, master data, MIS etc. Bonus & other statutory benefits. Full and Final Settlement. Loan Management. Provident Fund, GIS, & Other statutory requirements. Preparation and filing of Monthly, Quarterly and Annual returns (TDS/TCS returns). 17
Private Limited Company: Maximum number of members is 50 and prohibits any invitation to the public to subscribe any shares or debentures, restrict the right to transfer its shares. Public Limited Companyinvites public to subscribe shares or debentures and any number of members or other than private limited companies.
Provides following services in respect of companies: Formation of Private/Public limited company. Drafting of memorandum and article of association of companies. Conversion of a private company into a public company and public Ltd. into a private Ltd. Changing the name of company. Change of registered office. Alteration of main objects of the company. Inclusion of new business in the memorandum of the company. Statutory meeting and statutory report. Appointment of directors and their remuneration. Holding and subsidiary company.
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Along with the mutual funds they also help for Investment in Post Office schemes: (How to open a PPF A / C, How to invest in NSC, How to start a Monthly Income Scheme i.e. MIS) Government, RBI and other Bonds Companies Fixed Deposits Mutual Funds Investment in Capital Gain Account Special Portfolio for Senior Citizens.
2.2.6 Insurance
Security is the most uncertain thing for every human being. Everyone wants to live a healthy life, which is uncertain. We always plan to provide everything to our family. In such an uncertain world, we help you to fulfill your plans by insuring you in the most suitable manner with:
Our Insurance advisors have a wide experience with both the above Companies, and provided hundreds of policy to our esteemed customers. Our experts provide you the most suitable policy according your income & requirements for maximum benefit. 19
2.2.7
Ifians helps to get a property on lease (Rent) with lowest ever charges. They have a good network of property owners who wish to give property on Rent in and around Pune. 2.2.7.1 Property Management and Leasing (for Owners):
Leasing / Rental: Ifians, a team with the database of more than 5000 clients. They get regular enquiries from those, who need properties on Rent. For the best deal of your property, contact us. However, no charges are being taken from owners for renting any property.
Ifians will take care about: Leasing / Renting of property to good tenants. To check if your property is managed properly from time to time. To check if the tenant is paying electricity bill etc and he is paying on time. To take care about the society charges, corporation and other compulsory taxes. To repair the property as required.
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2.2.7.2
We will forward the snaps (photograph) of property to you from time to time by email. To take care of the assets (furniture) etc as provided.
If you are the one intend to sell your property, we are the one to help you. If you are the one intend to purchase a property, we are the one to help you. At Ifians, we have a team of Lawyers, to take care of all the registration, verification and other procedure, so leave everything on us.
Loans: Our experts will guide you about the loans, the terms etc. It will be our job to help you get the best deal. Also, in association with HDFC Home Loans, we provide home loans at most attractive rates and such terms suitable to our customers. And of course, transfer of loans are also been taken care.
Soon we will be starting four wheeler, two wheeler and Personal loans through various institutions.
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Table 1: Key players in Financial Planning Services Company IndiaInfoline Investment Services Ltd Service offerings Online trading, equities, derivatives, commodity trading, IPO, MF distribution, personal finance, market and sector research, investment banking, wealth management MotilalOswal Financial Services Equity, derivatives, portfolio management, online trading, insurance, commodity trading, mutual funds, margin funding ICICIdirect.com Online trading, market and research, personalfinance and corporate services, equity, F&O, IPO, overseas trading, retirement solutions, life insurance HDFC Securities Online trading, call and trade, IPO, equity, derivatives Religare Enterprises Ltd Equities, commodity trading, personal finance, wealth management, asset management, portfolio management services, insurance solutions Sharekhan.com Equities, commodity trading, portfolio management, MF distribution, research EmkayGlobal Finance Ltd Wealth management, e-broking, research, commodity trading, equities, derivatives Indiabulls Securities Services Ltd Equities, research, commodities, MF distribution, derivatives Edelweiss Capital Ltd Equities, F&O, research,asset management services, investment banking GeojitBNP Paribas Financial Services Ltd Onlinetrading, MF distribution, insurance services, PMS, IPO, property services
Indians have been making investment through such agents which was restricted to a particular product. Apart from the above agent friends and professionals like Chartered
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Accountant played an important role in investment decisions. This is how for few decades investors have been doing their Financial Planning. However, financial services, especially on the retail side, have undergone a major transformation and financial consumers are demanding a holistic & comprehensive approach to their personal finance. Various factors have catalyzed this change like privatization of insurance and mutual fund sectors has increased product options for the investor. Second, fluctuating interest rates and the end of guaranteed return products have prompted investors to look for alternative modes of investment. And also with a number of miss-selling instances taking place in the financial markets, investors confidence in advisors has been shaken and the investors are asking for a trusted financial advisor.
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Primary Data
Secondary Data
Figure 1: Data Collection Techniques Primary data are those, which are collected afresh and for the first time, and thus happen to be original in character. This method was used by means of Personal Interview, wherein researcher had face-to-face contact with the persons. The reason behind choosing this 27
method was to have detailed information on the subject. It also provided opportunity for selecting the sample for interview. The interview conducted were a mixture of structured and unstructured interviews. Scope was kept open for detailed discussion at the discretion of the interviewee. Where there was a time crunch a structured procedure was followed wherein predetermined questions were put forward. The other method was adopted in primary data collection was Questionnaires. This was used to assist a more structured form of information. The information thus obtained was standard and in a more unbiased form. It assisted to collect data from a large sample size. The pattern adopted was a general form of questionnaire. Questions are in dichotomous (yes or no answers), multiple choice and open ended question. Open ended questions are restricted due to the difficulty faced in analyzing. The questioner was kept short and to the point. Secondary data means data that are already available i.e., the data which is already collected and analyzed by other. To get a better understanding and to have a larger exposure on the subject this method was used. Methods use was data available on worldwide web, articles in newspapers, financial industry reports, Financial Planning board of India reports and article, reports published by Government of India, etc. Support was also provided by the project guide by giving inputs from his years of experience
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6.4 Limitations
Lack of response from sample: It is also said as access to resource of information. As the method adopted was cold calling the respondent were not easily available for discussion. Unwilling to reveal financial position: In technical term it can be said as access to information. Many of are not comfortable to disclose our financial affairs openly. In such a situation researcher had to convince the respondent a lot more times. Time: Due to lack of time availability of respondent and the period which can be used to collect data was short the research could not be conducted on a large sample size. Using organization (company) name: Many a time to get access to respondent researcher had to revel the organization identity. People thought that it was for the purpose of sales of promotional activity, which lead to negative response from many people. Lack of expertise: On the side of the researcher there was lack of in-depth information on the topic.
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planning is a part and not financial planning itself. There are many investments which do not offer tax shelter that does not mean they are not good investments. However many investment provides great returns which can offset the tax on it. But with the knowledge of the Income Tax (IT) Act one can reduce income tax liability. The rate of income tax is different for different income levels, and thus, the income tax payable depends on the total earnings in a given year. Table 2 Income Tax slab for individuals A) Following are valid for Men Income Range Tax Percentage Up to 1,60,000 No tax / exempt 1,60,000 to 5,00,000 10% 5,00,000 to 8,00,000 20% Above 8,00,000 30% B) Following are valid for Women Up to 1,90,000 No tax / exempt 1,90,000 to 5,00,000 10% 5,00,000 to 8,00,000 20% Above 8,00,000 30% C) Following are valid for Senior Citizen Up to 2,40,000 No tax / exempt 2,40,000 to 5,00,000 10% 5,00,000 to 8,00,000 20% Above 8,00,000 30%
a.Section 80C: The government encourages certain types of savings mostly, long term savings for retirement and therefore, offers tax breaks on such savings. Sec 80C of the Income Tax Act is the section that deals with these tax breaks. It states that qualifying investments, up to a maximum of Rs. 1 Lakh, are deductible from income. This means that income gets reduced by this investment amount (up to Rs. 1 Lakh). Qualified investment under Section 80C are: Provident Fund (PF): The payment that is made to PF is counted towards Sec 80C investments
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Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF): If person increase PF contribution overland above the statutory limit (as deducted compulsorily by employer), even this amount qualifies for deduction under section 80C. Public Provident Fund (PPF): If person have a PPF account, and invest in it, that amount can be included in Sec 80C deduction. Life Insurance Premiums: Any amount that person pay towards life insurance premium for self, spouse or children can also be included in Section 80C deduction. Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS): The investments that are made in ELSS are eligible for deduction under Sec 80C. Home Loan Principal Repayment: The Equated Monthly Instalment (EMI) that is paid every month to repay home loan consists of two components Principal and Interest. The principal component of the EMI qualifies for deduction under Sec 80C Stamp Duty and Registration Charges for a home: The amount paid as stamp duty while buying a house and the amount paid for the registration of the documents of the house can be claimed as deduction under section 80C in the year of purchase of the house. National Savings Certificate (NSC): The amount that is invested in National Savings Certificate (NSC) can be included in Sec 80C deductions. Infrastructure Bonds: These are also popularly called Infra Bonds. These are issued by infrastructure companies, and not the government. The amount invested in these bonds can also be included in Sec 80CCF deductions. Pension Funds Section 80CCC: Section 80CCC: This section Sec 80CCC stipulates that an investment in pension funds is eligible for deduction from income. Section 80CCC investment limit is clubbed with the limit of Section 80C - it means that the total deduction available for 80CCC and 80C is Rs. 1 Lakh. Bank Fixed Deposits: This is a newly introduced investment class under Section 80C.Bank fixed deposits (also called term deposits) having a maturity of 5 years or more can be included in Sec 80C investment.
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Others: Apart from the major avenues listed above, there are some other things, like childrens education expense (for which receipts are need), that can be claimed as deductions under Sec 80C. Tax planning with section 80C - An age wise strategy: Typically, most people invest a large part of the money in Public Provident Fund (PPF) and the rest is taken care of by life insurance premiums and so on. However, investing this amount blindly is not the best way to go about it. Heres some help on how to go about allocating this 80C limit depending upon age. Age 21-30: In the initial phase of six-seven years of this age bracket, most people are single and little or no dependents. If there are no dependents, its not necessary to have a large life insurance. Instead focus on returns. Considering the state of the equity markets today, a substantial portion around 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the 80C contribution can be made in ELSS, which invests primarily in stocks. This will ensure that the process of investing for the long term has been started. Also, since there is a lock-in of three years for these schemes, it will lead to a forced savings. Age 31-45: By this time, person is expected to be married with small children. Also, there could be additional liabilities like buying a house or car. The first step that must be taken is to get adequate life insurance, for dependents and liabilities. Make sure to cover all the liabilities so that dependents are not under any financial pressure, in case of an unfortunate mishap. Use a term plan to get the highest possible cover at a low cost. Children college fees can be included as a part of the 80C benefits. The home loan principal payout can form the second leg of the contribution for this age group. So, besides EPF contribution, life Insurance premiums and home loan principal should be sufficient to take care of the entire Rs 1 lakh requirement. If there is still any shortfall, look at ELSS investments and Provident Fund. Age 46-60: Person is probably at the peak of the career or moving towards it. This is most likely the final phase of earning a regular income. There is a good chance that loans have been paid-off by now and children are in the stage of becoming independent. The last few years of this phase is when a lot of families plan and should retire their loans. It is also an age where life insurance is of extreme importance. Re-evaluate need for life cover at this 33
point of time. If life cover is needed more, increase it substantially. Health insurance need to be included due to various diseases and illness taking toll with growing age. Hence, risk management is of extreme importance here. Senior citizens: In this age group, capital protection and need for regular income are two most important needs. One must first opt for a Senior Citizens Savings Scheme that will give tax benefit. Since SCSS is generally parked in a lump sum, look at fixed deposits only if they are giving high interest rates. If interest rates are low, then person should opt for PPF, if person is in the highest tax bracket as liquidity is still the best (account should have completed 15 years a long time ago) and can withdraw tax-free amounts comfortably. b.Mediclaim (Sec 80D): Individual and Hindu Unified Families (HUF) are eligible for deduction under Section 80D for mediclaim premium paid. Deduction can be claimed on premium paid for assessee, spouse, dependent children and dependent parents. The criteria of dependency isnt applicable in case of a spouse (i.e. she/he may even be independent, but the assesse can still pay the premium on his/her life to get tax benefits for the same). Deduction For non-senior citizens: The amount of mediclaim insurance premium paid or Rs. 15000, whichever is less For senior citizens: The amount of mediclaim insurance premium paid or Rs. 20000, whichever is less. c. Interest and Dividend Received (sec 80L): Deduction up to a maximum of Rs. 15,000 (out of which Rs. 3,000 is especially dedicated to government securities) is allowed from the taxable income in respect of aggregate earnings from some specified sources. The schemes are: Deposits with Banking Company, Co-operative Banks & Co-operative Societies. Housing Boards Small Savings Schemes National Savings Certificates Post Office Time and Recurring Deposits National Savings Scheme, 1992 34
Post Office Monthly Income Scheme Notified debentures of co-operative societies or institutions or public sector companies Government Securities
iv. Retirement Planning: A retirement plan is an assurance that person will continue to earn a satisfying income and enjoy a comfortable lifestyle, even when they are no longer working. Due to the improved living conditions and access to better medical facilities, the life expectancy of people is increasing. This has led to a situation where people will be spending approximately the same number of years in retirement what they have spent in their active working life. Thus it has become imperative to ensure that the golden years of the life are not spent worrying about financial hardships. Planning for retirement and choosing a pension strategy to safeguard financial security can be a minefield. In the last few years, there have been many changes; the volatility of the stock market, reduction of final-salary pension schemes, the rise of buy-to-let property portfolios and changes in taxation and pension legislation. Reasons for doing Retirement planning can be understood with the following: Life expectancy With advancement in technology life expectancy is likely to increase. Which means a person would be spending a large amount of time in his post retirement period. Thus one needs to have a regular income to sustain living which is only possible if prepared for it when earning. Medical emergencies With age come health problems. With health problems, come medical expenditure which may make a huge dent in post-retirement income. Failure here could lead to liquidate (sell) assets in order to meet such expenses. Remember mediclaims do not always suffice. Nuclear families Independence is the new way of life, gone are the days when people use to have an entire cricket team making a family. Today's youth prefer not more than two children. With 35
westernization coming in, the culture of joint family is changing. Most prefer independence and stay away from their family. No government sponsored pension plan Unlike the US and UK where they have IRA and state pension respectively as social security benefit during retirement, the government of India does not provide such benefits. So, persons are responsible for themselves now. Job hopping With youngsters hopping jobs regularly they do not get benefit of plans like super annuity and gratuity. Both these require certain number of working years spent in the service of a particular employer. Inflation One needs to take into account inflation while calculating retirement corpus as well as returns. With the rising inflation it would only the raise the cost of living and it would also eat the return on the investment. The CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) of inflation over the past 10 years is 5.5 per cent. Assuming an individual at the age of 30, requires Rs 25,000 a month to lead a comfortable life, for the same standard of living after 30 years, he may require Rs 1.25 lakh a month, given the inflation factor. In India persons employed in the organised sector have some form of social security such as Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Employees Pension Scheme (EPS) and gratuity. Those who are employed in government and its related arms also enjoy the benefit of pension along with GPF and gratuity. But these two sections account for only seven per cent of the working population. The remaining 93 per cent of the people have no form of mechanism to take care of their retirement. Over 80 per cent of Indian employees have done no retirement planning independent of any mandatory government plans.
is literally a matter of life and death, since purchasing Life Insurance is basically planning for after the death. When healthy and well, people from all walks of life prefer not to think that one day they would pass away. Factor to be considered before buying an Life Insurance Policy Before buying a Life Insurance Policy it is always important to find out why do I want to buy Insurance and for what purpose. How much Life Insurance Cover do I need, comes second. Few factors which need to be considered are:
Age and number of dependents. Annual Income and Annual Expenses. Outstanding Liabilities like Home Loan, Car Loan etc. Investments and Savings. Life Style Expenses. Money require in Future
Life Insurance Term Insurance Endowment Insurance Whole Life Insurance Money-Back Plan
ULIP
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7.2.1
38
7.2.2
Table 3: Analysis of life stage Need / Purpose Recommended Insurance Plan Savings &capitalappreciatio n Protection (Risk cover Security to dependents Risk cover Child's future studies Child's marriage Retirement Benefits Risk cover Pension plans Persons aged above 40 Persons not having pension provision from their employer Risk cover Periodic payments Risk cover Savings Endowment Plans Money back policy Persons having recurring financial requirements Low to moderate income Requirement of fixed sum after lapse of certain period Children plans Term policy Young individuals Low income Have dependents Couples having small kids Have dependents ULIP Moderate to high income Best Suited For
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7.3 Equities
Equities are a type of security that represents the ownership in a company. Equities are traded (bought and sold) in stock markets. Alternatively, they can be purchased via the Initial Public Offering (IPO) route, i.e. directly from the company. Investing in equities is a good long-term investment option as the returns on equities over a long time horizon are generally higher than most other investment avenues. However, along with the possibility of greater returns comes greater risk.
Share Price Determination At any given moment, equitys price is strictly a result of supply and demand. The supply is the number of shares offered for sale at any one moment. The demand is the number of shares investors wish to buy at exactly that same time. The price of the stock moves in order to achieve and maintain equilibrium. Another theory of share price determination comes from the field of Behavioral Finance. According to Behavioral Finance, humans often make irrational decisions particularly, related to the buying and selling of securitiesbased upon fears and misperceptions of outcomes. The irrational trading of securities can often create securities prices which vary from rational, fundamental price valuations. Stock market investments= Economics + Mathematics/Statistics + Psychology Economics Deals with fundamentals of company. Statistics deals with study of companies financial statement and it past performance in stock market. Psychology deals with market sentiments (Herd mentality) which are most crucial as it can lead in wrong direction.
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The flow chart below describes broadly the working of a mutual fund:
Figure 4: Working of mutual funds Types of Mutual Funds Scheme in India Wide variety of Mutual Fund Schemes exists to cater to the needs such as financial position, risk tolerance and return expectations etc. The table below gives an overview into the existing types of schemes in the Industry By Structure o Open - Ended Schemes o Close - Ended Schemes By Investment Objective o Growth Schemes o Income Schemes o Balanced Schemes o Money Market Schemes Other Schemes o Tax Saving Schemes o Special Schemes o Index Schemes o Sector Specific Schemes o Structural Description of Mutual Fund o Study of Individual Financial Planning
Most mutual funds are open-end. The reason why these funds are called "open-end" is because there is no limit to the number of new shares that they can issue. New and Most mutual funds are open-end. The reason why these funds are called "open-end" is because 41
there is no limit to the number of new shares that they can issue. New and existing shareholders may add as much money to the fund as they want and the fund will simply issue new shares to them. Open-end funds also redeem, or buy back, shares from shareholders. In order to determine the value of a share in an open-end fund at any time, a number called the Net Asset Value is used Closed-end funds behave more like stock than open-end funds; that is to say, closed-end funds issue a fixed number of shares to the public in an initial public offering, after which time shares in the fund are bought and sold on a stock exchange. Unlike open-end funds, closed-end funds are not obligated to issue new shares or redeem outstanding shares. The price of a share in a closed-end fund is determined entirely by market demand, so shares can either trade below their net asset value ("at a discount") or above it ("at a premium"). Since one must take into consideration not only the fund's net asset value but also the discount or premium at which the fund is trading, Broad mutual fund types
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Risk Hierarchy of Different Mutual Funds Different mutual fund schemes are exposed to different levels of risk and investors should know the level of risks associated with these schemes before investing. The graphical representation hereunder provides a clearer picture of the relationship between mutual funds and levels of risk associated with these funds:
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PPF account can be opened in a nationalized bank or a post office. It is a 15-year account. The entire amount including accumulated interest can be withdrawn after 15 years.
Real estate is basically defined as immovable property such as land and everything permanently attached to it like buildings. Real property as opposed to personal or movable property is characterized by the right to transfer the title to the land whereas title to personal property can be retained.
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7.8 Gold
The love for gold in India is legendary. There has always been a good demand for gold in India making it the largest consumer of gold in the world. The consumption of gold is mostly in form of jewellery. But as investment an investors generally buy gold as a hedge or safe haven against any economic, political, social or currency-based crises. These crises include investment market declines, inflation, war and social unrest.
Gold can be bought in various forms, one can either buy it in the form of physical gold -bars, biscuits and or coins or even in a dematerialized form. Gold jewellery is not a good investment as it is not as liquid as bars or gold fund. Gold Exchange-Traded Fund or Gold ETF is the new investment option of recent origin. This open-ended mutual fund collects money from the investors to invest in standard gold bullion. Instead of physical holding the gold, the investors will be assigned units of the gold ETF. Gold ETF are listed in the stock exchanges of their respective countries. GoldETFs give the same advantages of holding gold in the physical form without the hassles associated with keeping gold in physical form.
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The minimum deposit amount varies with each bank. It can range from as low as Rs. 100to an unlimited amount with some banks. Deposits can be made in multiples of Rs. 100/-.
With effect from A.Y. 1998-99, investment on bank deposits, along with other specified incomes, is exempt from income tax up to a limit of Rs.12, 000/- under Section 80L. Also, from A.Y. 1993-94, bank deposits are totally exempt from wealth tax. The 1995 Finance Bill Proposals introduced tax deduction at source (TDS) on fixed deposits on interest incomes of Rs.5000/- and above per annum.
The minimum investment of Recurring Deposit varies from bank to bank but usually it begins from Rs 100/-. There is no upper limit in investing. The rate of interest varies between 7 and 11 percent depending on the maturity period and amount invested. The interest is calculated quarterly or as specified by the bank. The period of maturity ranging from 6 months to 10 years.
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The interest rate of savings bank account in India varies between 2.5% and 4%. In Savings Bank account, bank follows the simple interest method. The rate of interest may change from time to time according to the rules of Reserve Bank of India.
The minimum investment in a post-office RDA is Rs 10 and then in multiples of Rs. 5/- for a period of 5 years. There is no prescribed upper limit on investment.
The post-office recurring deposit offers a fixed rate of interest, currently at 7.5 per cent per annum compounded quarterly. As the post office is a department of the government of India, it is a safe investment. Interest earned on this account is exempted from tax as per Section 80L of Income Tax Act.
7.10.3Time Deposit
The scheme is meant for those investors who want to deposit a lump sum of money for a fixed period; say for a minimum period of one year to two years, three years and a 47
maximum period of five years. Investor gets a lump sum (principal + interest) at the maturity of the deposit. Time Deposits scheme return a lower, but safer, growth in investment.
The rate of interest is relatively high compared to the 4.5% annual interest rates provided by banks. Although the amount invested in this scheme is not exempted as per section 88 of Income Tax, the amount of interest earned is tax free under Section 80-L of Income Tax Act.
It is having a high interest rate at 8% compounded half yearly. Tax benefits are available on amounts invested in NSC under section 88, and exemption can be claimed under section 80L for interest accrued on the NSC. Interest accrued for any year can be treated as fresh investment in NSC for that year and tax benefits can be claimed under section 88.
Deposit in Monthly Income Scheme and invest interest in Recurring Deposit to get 10.5% (approx) interest. The interest income accruing from a post-office MIS is exempt from tax under Section 80L of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Moreover, no TDS is deductible on the interest income. The balance is exempt from Wealth Tax.
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Figure 7: Age of respondent and percentage chart Almost 70% of respondent was from age group 21yrs to 45yrs this is considered to be most active age group. During this age, life of an individual changes very drastically. The career is in growing stage in starting few years and there are hardly any responsibilities, at this time there is a lot of funds available for disposal. It is this age where maximum risk can be taken and a greater period can be given to grow the amount invested. As a person enter into their 30s they have increased family responsibility and gradually the risk taking ability reduces with the age. 49
175
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Respondent Percentage
Figure 8: Income of respondent and percentage chart Financial planning is about assessing our present cash flows; estimating the required cash flow after a certain period of time and to determine the steps required to achieve this over a period. The amount of disposable income at hand determines various investment decisions. It also helps in making tax plans so that maxim benefit can be gained through various tax exemptions. So it is necessary to know the income inflow of an individual. The above graph shows that a major portion of respondent are in income slab of upto Rs.2,00,000 p.a.; this indicates that the persons may be in the beginning stage of career. With increasing income slab the no of respondent are reduced. 50
Age Group
Total
29 14 10 9
25 19 13 7
63 40 53 19 175
Figure 9: Age distribution with respect to willingness to take risk The investment decisions are more based on the willingness to take the risk rather than the ability to take risk. The above graph describes the willingness to take risk at various life stages. At the younger age people are more willing to take risk which reduces over the years as responsibility increase. Although different individual may have different preferences which could contradict their age, many a time investment is a function of willingness rather than ability which is clearly described by above graph.
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Avenue Life Insurance Fixed Deposit Mutual Fund Equity Market Gold PPF Post Office Deposit Total
Respondent 45 28 25 13 5 38 21 175
Percentage 100 62 58 28 12 82 48
120 100 80 60 Respondent 40 20 0 Life Fixed Insurance Deposit Mutual Fund Equity Market Gold PPF Post Office Deposit Percentage
Figure 10: Investment made by the respondent A fair idea of asset allocation of individuals in various asset classes can be observed through this. It was observed that the all respondent had a life cover policy. This shows that the basics of financial planning were achieved. The next major portion was provided Fund due to it being more secure investment and also tax exemption offered. Major investments were also made in Bank Fixed Deposits and Post Office Deposits. Equity was not a preferred investment among many due to its volatile nature but many used it as a long 52
term investment by investing in large companies. Investment in gold was more in form of jewellery which is not a good option as investment. Very few invested in g gold coins/bars and Gold ETFs.
Neutral 23%
Yes 32%
No 45%
Figure 11: Satisfaction of investors : A major portion of respondent was unsatisfied with the returns they got on their investment. This reflects that investment decision was not taken properly. Few common reasons cited were: nowledge Inadequate knowledge about the instrument in which investment was made Misguided by the agent of financial company 53
Also a major portion of investment was in assets which has a low risk low returns category. This also was a major reason of respondent unsatisfied with current returns.
Respondent
72
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29 23
Professionals
Agents / Broker
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There are sources of information which are vital in making investment decision. The graph shows the source of information which is plotted according to its authentication. On the X axis the extreme right indicates highest authentication and it get reduce as we move to right. We find that major respondent have taken investment decision on the bases of information provided by Agents & Broker of different financial company. The next major information source is Newspapers, publication and media which are considered to be highly authenticated data. Help of professionals in investment decision is taken not by many, due the fees charged by various professional for their service. There is less number of respondents taking their investment decision on information provided by friends. Mostly the information provide by such people is based on their experience which may not be true for others.
Table 11: Investment Objective of Individuals Investment Objective Principle Safety Maintain Standard of Living Meet future expenses Safeguard against contingencies Total 175 100% 41 38 23% 22% Respondent 37 59 Percentage 21% 34%
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Investment Objective
17%
29% 34%
Figure 13: Investment Objective of Individuals : Investment objective to a greater extend determine the investment tenure and the avenue. Different investment objectives have different investment avenues to meet them. By determining the objective we can easily determine the investment vehicle for indivi individuals. The persons looking for principal safety can investment in Post office schemes, government securities, banks and PPF. Investment in Equity and Mutual funds can give greater returns which can beat high inflation rate. Term deposits are useful when mo money is needed after a fixed period of time.
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Monthly Quarterly Half Yearly Annually Single /One Time Respondent Percentage
Figure 14: Respondent frequency of investment A good number of investors prefer to invest regularly on monthly basis, thanks to Systematic Investment Plan. Monthly investment helps to invest in small denominations with benefits of Rupee cost averaging. Monthly investment was largely found in Mutual Funds. To a surprise many prefer to invest in single or one time installment without knowing the risk attached to it. One time investment is a good option only for physical assets life real estate and gold.
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Respondent
Poor
Average Respondent
Good
Very Good 0 20 40 60 80
The purpose behind knowing the financial literacy is to get to know how better the respondent can take investment decision individually. A large portion of respondent stated they have a good knowledge of investment avenues but their investment portfolio contradicted. Thus it states that many are not ready to acknowledge that they do not possess the required knowledge. This keeps them into darkness and may lead to wrong investment decisions, which are hard to correct.
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38% 62%
Yes No
Figure 16: Time available to respondent for investment management It reflects that not many have time to do financial planning. In such cases it is mostly observed that the investment decision was influenced by people around.
Total Assets 370,000 * PPF will mature after 11 years and FD will mature after 5 years 59
8.11.1 My observations:
Ms. Sharma cannot maintain the same lifestyle given her current circumstances. Her investments were in conventional fixed income instruments with no exposure to equity.
Her loans i.e. car loan EMIs and home loan EMIs took away more than 50% of her salary.
Before separation, she was dependent on her husband for her personal expenses. She was not familiar with different investment avenues.
The course of action: After conducting several rounds of discussion with Ms. Sharma, I identified her immediate goal was to buy a house and the long-term goals were buying car, saving for her child's education and her retirement. The table displayed below summarises her financial goals and time horizon. Table 16: Financial goal and time horizons Financial goals Time horizon (years) Buying a house 5 Son's Education 12 Retirement 28 Future cost (Rs) 675,000* 3,000,000 11,200,000
8.11.2 Assumptions
We advised her to maintain at least Rs 100,000 in bank account to meet any contingency.
Interest income on cash is not considered as part of her monthly income. We assumed her salary will grow by 10% p.a. and inflation will increase by 6% p.a. I have not considered the impact of alimony in this case study. However, for women in similar situations that can be an additional source of income.
The current house will be either transferred in the name of her ex-husband or sold. We assumed that there was no profit generated from this transaction.
I have assumed return of 7% p.a. post-tax on investments in fixed deposits and equity. 8.11.3 Solution
Cut down expenses: I started Ms. Sharma's financial planning by projecting her monthly cash flows by getting the break-up of income, expenses and savings. The table below shows that her monthly expenses were more than 90% of her salary, which led to negligible savings. Hence the first advice was to stop spending liberally on things that were secondary for her day-to-day operations. Spending more can lead to increase in debt and reduced savings, which in turn would delay her financial goals. I advised her to sell her current car and prepay the loan and defer this goal by 3 years. Table 17: Earning and expenses Monthly Budget A. Salary Current (Rs) 30,000 Recommended (Rs) 30,000 18,000 9,000 1,000 8,000 12,000
B.Total Expenses (a+b+c+d) 24,500 a) Household exp. 15,000 b) Child's Education c) Car EMI d) House Rent C.Total Savings (A-B) 1,000 8,500 5,500
Opt for Insurance: The most important financial instrument that was missing in her portfolio was insurance. Insurance helps the insured's dependents in case of the eventuality. In this case, her 5-Yr old son was the sole dependent and has at least another 15 years before which he can take care of himself financially. Hence we suggested her to opt for term insurance policy for cover of Rs 50 lakhs for 20 years. The annual premium for this comes to Rs 14,000. Next we advised her to opt for medical insurance with insurance cover of Rs 5 lakhs. The premium for the same worked out to Rs 5,000 per year. Buying house: Based on her income, financial commitments and ability to service the loan, I advised her to opt for a 1BHK house worth Rs 35 lakhs. She should avail of home 61
loan for 85% of the cost. I advised her to stay in a rented apartment till the time she is able to accumulate the corpus for the down-payment and the stamp duty and registration fees. The monthly rental worked out to Rs 8,000 p.m. Next step was to make a plan for accumulating corpus of Rs 675,000. The stamp duty and registration charges of Rs 150,000 will be taken care by the fixed deposit which will mature after 5 years. For the down-payment of Rs 525,000, we advised her to invest Rs 7,300 p.m. for next five years, assuming return of 7% p.a. post-tax. Son's education plan: Ms. Sharma wishes to send her son to engineering college after completion of junior college i.e. after 12 years. The estimated expenses for the same worked out to Rs 30 lakhs. We advised her to avail education loan for 80% of the estimated cost. For the balance cost of Rs 6 lakhs, we advised her to invest Rs 2,700 p.m. for next twelve years, assuming return of 7% p.a. post-tax. Retirement planning: Ms. Sharma plans to retire at the age of 55 years. Given her current financial commitments, she cannot start planning for her retirement immediately. Hence, it was suggested that she start her retirement planning from the age of 43. Her expenses post-retirement will comprise of : Household expenses, Premium towards medical insurance, Health care expenses and Travelling expenses Assuming growth of 10% p.a. in salary, we expect her salary to be Rs 10 lakhs p.a. at age of 43. Considering her current household expenses and travelling/healthcare expenses; her retirement corpus worked out to Rs 1.12 crores. Accordingly, I advised her to invest Rs 44,200 p.m. from the age of 43 years till the age of 55 years, assuming return of 7% p.a. post-tax.
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Table 18: Summary of Financial Plan Financial goals Time Future Start Investment Investment CAGR (%)
675,000*
32
7,300
7%
12
3,000,000 32
12
2,700
7%
28
11,200,000 43
13
44,200
7%
Asset Allocation: The risk-appetite of Ms. Asha Sharma is moderate. Hence I recommended asset allocation of 45% in equity and 55% in debt. As she does not have the required skill sets to invest in equity directly, I advised her to invest in equity mutual funds via SIP route. For debt investments, I advised her to invest in fixed deposits and debt mutual funds. I also advised her to invest in tax efficient products like ELSS and PPF to save on taxes. In conclusion: Person willing to have strong financial should follow below basic points: Indentify key financial goals. Find a financial advisor. Identify your risk appetite Buy Insurance. Save more, cut-down expenses. Review your financial plan.
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1. About 90% of the respondents do not seek advice from a professional financial planner. 2. Only 47% of the respondents are regular Investors while 53% are satisfied with 1 or 2 policies 3. It was found that 67% of the investors invest using scientific tools while rest are investing using intuition. 4. The investment criteria of the investors are mostly in real estate or their own business. 5. It was noticed that investors are very conscious about their money. They need more returns with less risk. 6. Most of the investor are satisfied with their mode of investment. Investors who belong to income group 3-5 lacs are investing in insurance while investors whose income is 1 lacs are still investing in insurance. 7. It was found that 98% of investors are aware about ULIPS.
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Chapter 10: Limitations Reasons cited for not undertaking financial planning are:
Will start financial planning later No one knows when the later would come. We need to change this psychology and need to understand that financial planning is needed at every stage of life and earlier we start is better. Waiting to have money to do financial planning We should realize that we need a plan to have money and not money to have a plan. Lack of knowledge there are plenty of books and websites that can help to gain the knowledge of financial planning. A person can even engage a certified financial planner for this purpose. Misguide earlier under name of financial planning -We need to understand that financial planning is not restricted to a particular asset class or product. Believing financial planning is only for rich - It is a fact that financial planning is even more important for the person with an average income than it is for someone who earns a very high income.
Reasons for failure of financial plan are:No financial education This is probably be the number one reason why we mess up our financial lives, because no one has taught us how to manage finances. Investing simply without knowing what we are doing is financial suicide. More over not many are willing to learn it on their own. With lack of knowledge we are bound to have a wrong way. We need to understand that almost everything today is related to money in one way or another. Leaving planning options and choices to others We are never responsible to ourselves in life, but the truth is that personal finances are persons own responsibility. Mostly believe that government or employer would take care of their financial well being in future. Person should understand that the best government or employer can do is guide and provide opportunities. Relying on lousy advisors There are many financial agents which claim to have all the knowhow of financial planning. With lack of awareness we believe the agents and put all 65
our hard earned money on their recommendations which may not be right all the time. Such advices are mostly related to a product category and do not cover financial principal of diversification. Expensive free advice In India advice come free from every corner, and every other person loves to do that. Advices can come from family members, friends, and professionals. We should know from whom to take advice. Greed Everyone ones to get rich over a night, when greed enters the mind it blocks logical thinking. In the process of getting more we often lose more. We should understand that there is risk attach to every investment which may not suite our risk appetite. Give no priority to personal finance management We all know financial planning is important but when it comes to implementing its not the same. Any investment objective should be preceded by a proper financial plan. Investment without objective can lead us nowhere. No clear or specified financial goals Many of us are not clear about our financial goal, we just want to earn money. Making lots and lots of money is not a proper goal. We fail to understand the various need which would come with our growing age. Following the crowd mentality - Some call it the herd mentality, too. When people blindly follow the advice of other its bound to meet disaster.
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People need to be educated and informed about Financial Planning and this provides a greater opportunity to financial product distributer like Reliance Money to educate people. Companies can arrange for seminars and sessions through which they can provide information to people and in return can get prospective clients from the audience. In this way both the audience and the company can also be benefited. Financial planning is not a onetime activity; the initiative should be taken by financial planner to put this forward to their client. Regular meetings should be conducted between the financial planner and client to review the investment portfolio. Alteration should be made in portfolio as per need and requirement of the client. This will ensure that the investment objectives are achieved. It will create goodwill for the financial planner and his company. This is one area where many planners are lacking today. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up is need of hour and it should be understood by financial service provider. Goal should be properly divided into short term, medium term and long term. Proper allocation should be done in various instruments according to the time period of goal. There are various instruments available which can site different time period needs. If investment are giving regular return or are going to get matured should be reinvested properly. If an investor is seeking help from advisor then he should collect enough information of product from different sources. It will help to take proper investment decision and choose a right advisor. It is also necessary that advisor should have enough experience. Thus the ultimate responsibility is on the investor when it comes to taking investment decision.
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Always keep investment a simple affair. Diversification is must but not to a greater extend. Investor should know exactly what he is investing in. If they do not have adequate information, question should be asked to financial advisor. It is better to invest in instruments which we can understand rather than being dependent on someone else advice. All the documentations should be complete and need to be preserved. At time of maturity it is necessary to produce the investment documents which act as a proof. But many times investors do not have proper documents which dishonors the claim at maturity. It is also recommended that all the disclosure documents also be preserved as it would help in case of any dispute in settlement. Investment through SIP should be encouraged. A little amount regularly invested for long period can create a greater wealth. SIP helps in Rupee cost averaging, develop habit of saving and it provides convenience of investment. Buy and hold. Investment should be done fairly for a longer period of time only then capital appreciations is possible.
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The household savings in India can be broadly categorized into the following types: Savings in physical properties Savings in financial instruments or financial household savings
Financial household savings in India usually include the following: Savings deposits with banks Life insurance policies Provident funds Pension funds Liquid cash of households Deposits with non-banking financial institutions Unit Trust of India Investment Schemes
The major portion of financial saving goes into pension funds and life insurance. It has been found recently that the traditional instruments of savings like special tax incentives or higher interest rates are not able to increase the rate of private saving rate in the long run. It is also found that the response of saving for the interest rate changes in India was amongst the lowest in the developing countries. 69
Over past 30 years, the prime two instruments for household long term saving like pension saving and life insurance have come to an idle state. On the other hand, the mutual funds started to become more successful in the early years of 1990s. Considering these two factors, we can conclude two weaknesses of the saving market in India. First, public sector dominates the markets. Second, the allocation of portfolio is under control that makes the low returns from the market developments.
Financial Needs Analysis Might have a financial support from parents. No habit of Investments and likes to spend. May be thinking of Buying a Home or Car. Planning to get married. May be thinking of Higher Education. Can take high risk
Financial Planning Understanding the importance of savings and benefits of compound growth returns. Save more and invest more, its only possible during this stage of life, where responsibilities are less. 70
Life Insurance Needs are almost negligible, but should be included in investment as it will not only provide life cover but also would create a habit of Saving. ULIP would be better option in this stage.
Equity and equity related instrument can occupy a greater portion of portfolio. Need for liquidity is less but still keeping in mind the era of pink slip contingency plan should be in place. Should think for building real estate. Very long term investment
Life Insurance Need Analysis-Stage II- Newly Married Life Stage Analysis Age of 31yrs to 45yrs. Married and have Dependents, Kids. Income on rise. Might have taken some Loan i.e Home Loan, Car Loan etc. Have a high Expenditure. Effective tax planning is needed. Might have started some Investments in Equity or Mutual Funds. Risk appetite is Moderate
Financial Needs Analysis Have a high Debt Repayment through Instalments i.e. EMIs May want to save for Childrens education. Persons need to financially protect their Family and Dependents from unfortunate events. Elderly parents also need financial support. Start saving for retirement
Financial Planning Need a more stable portfolio, with moderate risk. Should concentrate on less volatile investment Insurance is a must, include child plan and retirement plans under this. 71
Life Insurance Need Analysis- Stage III-Proud Parents (Pre-Retirement) Life Stage Analysis
Age of 45-60 years. Major expenses go towards Child higher education and marriage. Reduced Loan Burden Have a good Income. Retirement on mind. Low risk taking appetite.
Financial Needs Analysis Saving for retirement. Childs Higher Education Expenses or Marriage. Previous Investments giving Good dividends and Returns.
Financial Planning Should invest in instruments which provide regular return, such as fixed income products. Major portion of investment should be diverted towards retirement plan. Health insurance should be included. Investment should be highly liquid
Life Insurance Need Analysis- Stage IV- Post-Retirement Life Stage Analysis Age 60 years or above. Retired from employment. Might have taken some assignment as consultant. Planning to pursue long cherished hobbies. Children are financially independent and married. 72
Reduced monthly income. Might have small or no Loan outstanding liabilities. Marginal or zero risk appetite.
Financial Needs Analysis Need regular income to maintain current life style. Need to protect investments from market risk. Need to save for spouse. Require enough cash balance for any emergency medical expenditure for both self and spouse.
Financial Planning Single Premium Immediate Annuities Health Insurance is a must Regular income products Should do estate planning
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Friday 7th Oct 2011, 02:45PM http://finance.mapsofworld.com/savings/india/household.html Friday 7th Oct 2011, 12:25PM
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Annexure
Questionnaire
1) What is your Age? a) 21-30 Yrs b) 30-45 Yrs c)45-60 Yrs 2) What is your Income? a) Up to 2,00,000 c) 3,00,000 - 4,00,000 e) Above 5,00,000 3) What kind of risk you can take in your investment? a) High b) Moderate c) Low b) 2,00,000 - 3,00,000 d) 4,00,000 - 5,00,000 d) Above 60 Yrs
4) What kind of investment you have done? a) Life Insurance d) Equity Market b) Fixed Deposit e) Gold c) Mutual Fund f) PPF g) Post office deposit
6) What is your source of information for investment decision? a) News Papers, Publications and media b) Professions c) Agents/Broker d) Friends, peer group etc 7) What is your investment objectives a) Principle safety b) Maintain standard of living c) A meet future expenses d) Safeguard against contingencies 8) How frequently you do investment? a) Monthly b) Quarterly c) Half yearly d) Annually e) Single/One time
9) How do you scale yourself in Financials knowledge? a) Very Good b) Good c) Average d) Poor
10) Do you have enough time to manage your investment affairs a) Yes b) No
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