It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try a search or browse one of our posts below.

Every investment must have a fair blend of safe, moderate and risky investments. While stocks and commodities can be considered as moderate to high risk investments, fixed deposits are safer investments. Needless to say, fixed deposits over a good amount of time have reigned the investment market as the most stable and safer mode of investment. This is the amount of money one deposits in a bank for a fixed period of time, and is also withdrawable after the time span is over.

Image Source

This obviously does not mean that an investor loses his/her right to money in times of emergency. One can still withdraw the money but then a portion of an interest payable has to be waived off. Also, in certain cases, a penalty charge has to be paid in case of pre-mature withdrawal. Now, having taken into consideration all the pros and cons of investing in a fixed deposit, let us tell you what are the major benefits of investing in an FD, and why you should start investing in one today.

Assured return rates – Mutual funds are subjected to market fluctuations and risks, so it may happen that you invest a good amount of money in the stock market and end up getting lesser returns. This is because the rate of returns keeps varying. However, in case of a fixed deposit investment does not take away the guarantee of earning assured returns. FDs are not subjected to market risks.

Availing Loans against FDs – If you have a fixed deposit investment, you can get a loan against it in times of emergency. The rate of interest on the loan is usually 1-2% higher than the rates offered on the fixed deposits.

Save Taxes – If you are thinking of a tax-saving investment regime, you can start investing your money in a Tax Saver Fixed Deposit. This allows tax deduction under Section 80C of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961. You can claim a maximum of Rs.1,50,000 by investing in a Tax Saver FD. However, a tax saver FD mandates you to invest your money for a lock-in period of five years, wherein pre-mature withdrawal in not allowed. But the good news is that, along with saving taxes you also earn assured returns.

Promotes Saving Habits – Since pre-mature withdrawal in case of a fixed deposit investment is penalized, you would not want to withdraw your money before maturity. So, this encourages your saving habits and keeps your money intact.

Easy withdrawal – In times of urgent financial crisis, you may want a lump sum amount of money. In these times, fixed deposits can be broken and withdrawn to cater to your financial emergencies. You shall be penalized for the same but then you always have a financial backing ready at hand.

Flexible investment – FDs can be created for a period ranging from one month to about 10 years. So, you have a lot of flexibility while investing in FDs.

Regular Income – Most FDs are compounded quarterly, so if you want you may also receive a regular income against your FDs.

The bottom line is to invest in a fixed deposit with a bank that offers you a good interest rate. Once you have made a choice, simply invest diligently and watch your money grow with time.

With the growth of online-commerce in India, there are many businesses that have been built to cater to that explosive growth. With growing demand, there have been more startups emerging in the space of Customer Support, Last Mile Delivery/Logistics, Automation [e.g. Grey Orange Robotics]. This article in Economic Times points out that e-commerce firms are the new drivers for the BPO industry & with more startups emerging in that space, this number would surely see an upward-trend !!!

The following presentation from Accel Partners gives the complete outlook on “online commerce in India”

With the growth of e-commerce & “hefty” discounts being the major driver for sales, what if the consumer gets some more discount than what the e-commerce website is already offering. Yes, We are talking about “Coupon Websites” !!! Coupon/Deal websites are “by-products” of online-commerce.

In the past, we have reviewed multiple “Coupon Websites” but very few provide “Human Touch” to the overall “online shopping experience”. PriceBurp, an online coupon & deals website offers consumers with great deals across different categories [e.g. clothing, stationery etc.] on e-commerce sites like Flipkart, Amazon etc. & site that we recommend for another reason as well.

It has tied up with Akshay Patra Foundation & every time consumer shops with PriceBurp, the startup would contribute to “Akshaya Patra” [Read more about it here]. Definitely bring social angle to the overall shopping experience J

If you are looking for some great deals for your valentine, do give PriceBurp a shot !!!

With the increase of online frauds in India, it becomes necessary that “Shopper becomes Smart” & along with discounts also checks the authenticity of the e-commerce website. Some of the smart shopping tips are:

  1. Shop from “known” websites e.g. Flipkart, Jabong, Shopclues, High5Store etc.
  2. Ensure that “Digital Payment” happens over secure [SSL] channel
  3. Ensure “not to save” the Credit Card is not saved. Since, no matter how renowned, the website is; better to keep CC information to yourself !!!
  4. Compare prices of “existing products” on price-comparison engines
  5. Get additional discounts on products by grabbing coupons from coupon/deal websites
  6. Untrusted app stores will continue to be a major source of mobile malware. Traffic to these stores will be driven by “malvertising,” which has grown quickly on mobile platforms [Source – McAfee]

We hope that these tips help  not only make your online shopping more “secure”, “delightful” but also brings-in good “karma” 🙂

If you want to share any tips, please leave them in the comments section !!!

ToneTag, a sound based proximity payment technology provider launched an Audio Pod for merchants. ToneTag Audio Pod is as simple as just tapping a phone on a Pod to complete a transaction. On tapping the phone on the ToneTag Audio Pod, the pod emits a sound wave carrying data that is received by the mobile phone. On confirmation of the same, the payment is complete.

Image Source – ToneTag

From the invention of wheels and flint stone tools to Nano-technology and artificial intelligence, man has always produced technologies and machines that make his life easier. In today’s world, technology is everywhere! Everything we do involves technology. It is completely integrated into our lives and the two have become inseparable. Even the way we make payments has evolved significantly. Today, we have different types of payment technologies available, including cards, mobile payment options such as NFC, QR codes, RFID chips, e-wallets, applications and many more.

But what about a device that can be placed anywhere and can enable payments via sound without any dependency on Wi-fi or internet? Sounds intriguing, right? That is because we do not associate sound with payments, but with more traditional things such as music. But why should the beneficial nature of sound be curtailed or confined to producing just music? Why can’t one utilize sound based technology to make payments? Well, with ToneTag Audio Pod, you can!

Kumar Abhishek, Co-Founder & CEO, ToneTag, said

ToneTag Audio Pod is a device that can be used by any merchant irrespective of their scale of operations or nature of the business. This device can be that trigger which enables mass acceptance of digital mode of payments amongst merchants. In our push towards a digital economy, a device like the ToneTag Audio Pod can bring in both the merchant and the consumer segment to accelerate the digital drive.

ToneTag Audio Pod is a one stop solution for everything in payments.

  • Enables quick and faster checkout at stores, with transactions being completed under three seconds and thereby acting as a queue buster
  • Any issuer, merchant or acquirer can use the ToneTag Audio Pod to receive payments
  • Payment acceptance from any e-wallet or banking application
  • Payment experience is better when compared to prevalent methods
  • No congestion and rush at stores, giving merchants and customers a pleasant retail experience
  • Works in offline conditions. No data connection required
  • Robust build quality, combined with state of the art design features
  • Space efficient and user-friendly

For more information, please visit ToneTag’s Blog on Audio Pod