52 money terms in plain words, each with an example in rupees and the calculator that uses it.
A simple budget: 50% of take-home pay for needs, 30% for wants and 20% for savings and investments.
Income tax paid during the year in four instalments, when tax after TDS is ₹10,000 or more.
A pension for life bought from an insurer with a lump sum, at a fixed rate.
How your investments are split between equity, debt, gold and cash.
The steady yearly growth rate that takes an investment from its starting value to its ending value.
Earning returns on past returns, so money grows faster the longer it's invested.
A number from 300 to 900 that shows lenders how reliably you repay loans and cards.
Insurance on bank deposits of up to ₹5 lakh per depositor per bank, if the bank fails.
Two versions of the same mutual fund: direct plans have no distributor commission, so a lower expense ratio.
Tax-saving equity mutual funds with a 3-year lock-in, eligible for section 80C in the old regime.
Savings kept aside for a job loss or a big unexpected bill: usually 3 to 6 months of essential spending.
The fixed monthly payment that repays a loan and its interest over the loan's tenure.
A retirement savings account for salaried employees, funded by 12% of basic pay from you and your employer.
A fund that tracks an index or gold and is bought and sold on the stock exchange like a share.
A fee some mutual funds charge if you sell within a set period, often 1% within a year for equity funds.
The yearly cost of running a mutual fund, taken out of its value every day.
Saving and investing enough that your investments can pay for your living costs for good.
Money deposited with a bank for a fixed term at a fixed interest rate.
The share of your monthly income that goes on EMIs, which lenders use to decide how much they'll lend.
Statements on the income tax portal showing the TDS, interest, dividends and investments reported against your PAN.
A rule that protects gains made before 1 February 2018 on shares and equity funds from long-term capital gains tax.
A lump sum your employer pays when you leave after 5 or more years of service.
Cover for hospital bills, so one illness doesn't empty your savings.
The part of your house rent allowance that's tax-free in the old regime when you pay rent.
A mutual fund that copies an index such as the Nifty 50, instead of picking shares.
Raising the cost of an asset by inflation before working out the capital gain, so only the real gain is taxed.
The rise in prices over time, which means the same money buys less each year.
Paying off part of a loan early, which cuts the interest you pay.
The share of a home's price a bank can lend: at most 90%, 80% or 75% depending on the price.
Profit on an asset held longer than its holding period: 12 months for listed shares and equity funds, 24 for most others.
The smallest credit card payment that avoids a late fee, usually 5% of the bill; the rest still costs interest.
Two ways to work out income tax: lower slab rates with few deductions (new), or higher rates with deductions such as 80C and HRA (old).
A 15-year government savings scheme with tax-free interest, at a rate set every quarter.
Your return after inflation: what your money actually gains in buying power.
Bringing your investments back to your chosen split after markets move them.
A 5-year government deposit for people aged 60 or more that pays interest every quarter.
A deduction of up to ₹1.5 lakh a year for investments and payments such as PPF, ELSS, EPF and life insurance, in the old regime.
A deduction for health insurance premiums for yourself, your family and your parents, in the old regime.
A tax rebate that brings tax to nil for incomes up to ₹12 lakh in the new regime and ₹5 lakh in the old.
Profit on an asset sold within its holding period, taxed at 20% for listed shares and equity funds, at your slab rate otherwise.
Investing a fixed amount in a mutual fund every month, automatically.
Government bonds linked to the price of gold that also pay 2.5% interest a year.
A flat deduction from salary or pension income: ₹75,000 in the new regime, ₹50,000 in the old.
A government savings scheme for a girl under 10, with tax-free interest, maturing when she turns 21.
Taking a fixed amount out of a mutual fund every month, while the rest stays invested.
Tax taken out of a payment before you receive it, such as salary, FD interest or rent, and credited against your PAN.
Life cover that pays your family a lump sum if you die during the term, and nothing if you don't, which keeps it cheap.
Extra contributions to your EPF account beyond the required 12%, earning the same interest.
Your yearly return on investments made and withdrawn on different dates, such as a SIP.