|In: Finance|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Progress in the medical field has enhanced the survival rates of people diagnosed with critical illnesses such as strokes, cancer, and heart diseases. But, we also know that the recovery might come at a significant financial expense. It could be a devastating condition for anyone – especially for business owners and breadwinners of the family as they might have to pay for the treatment while ensuring their family/business also functions smoothly.

Image Source – Critical Illness Cover

A large segment of the population believes that investing is a health insurance policy is enough to tackle all their medical expenses. However, bearing in mind, the rise in the number of life-threatening diseases these days, a simple health insurance policy is just not enough anymore. Treatment of a critical illness can add an unnecessary financial strain on your monthly expenses. At this moment of time, a dangerous illness policy comes into play.

A critical illness insurance policy acts as a financial cushion that helps in fighting the financial complications one may face while treating a critical illness. Also, it helps you to pay huge medical bills as well as daily expenses, without digging deeper into your hard-earned savings. In short, a critical illness policy supports you and ensures you do not have to borrow money from anyone in times of a medical crisis.

There’s a great chance of getting diagnosed by critical illnesses at old age. As your retirement approaches, it’s just savings and pension amount that will help you come out of the grave problem. A critical illness policy can save you from getting broke in the hours of need. Here’s a list of advantages, you will enjoy if you buy a critical illness policy at an early stage

No Depletion of Savings

Suppose, you got diagnosed by a critical illness, and you don’t have a CI policy to take care of your medical expenses. In this case, it is likely that your saving will get depleted as you will be utilizing them to meet your daily expenses while getting the critical illness treatment. These savings may be intended for your children’s marriage or education etc.

A simple delay in taking the right steps can change your entire life. For example, your daughter is graduating in the next three months, and you are supposed to send her abroad for her further studies. The savings you set aside for her studies may get used up during your recovery from the critical illness. This event can disturb your financial plans and can land you up in trouble.

Funds for Any Purpose

The best part about critical illness policy is that the claim is submitted on the basis of a simple diagnosis report of the doctor or the hospital. The claim, if approved, is not dependent on any conditions of hospitalization in listed hospitals or presentation of hospital invoices, etc. The insured can make use of the said sum in any way he deems fit. The sum amount may help you to pay your home loan EMI’s and allow you to uphold the same lifestyle that you were enjoying if you’d have received a regular monthly salary.

Tax Benefits

Every premium you pay towards the critical illness policy is tax deductible under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act.

Income/Pension Replacement

The income/pension that you used to draw could be replaced by the lump sum pay-out from a critical illness policy. This will help you with your utility bill payments, children’s marriage, EMI’s and other expenses. Critical illness insurance policy ensures that you have a financial back-up.

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Unity Technologies, creator of the world’s most widely used real-time 3D development platform, announced a collaboration with Baidu Inc., China’s leading Internet Giant, to develop a real-time simulation product that creates virtual environments allowing developers to test autonomous vehicles in simulated real-world situations. The Unity-based real-time simulation will now be available to developers taking part in Baidu’s Apollo platform – an open, comprehensive and reliable platform geared towards accelerating the development, testing, and deployment of Levels 3, 4, 5 autonomous vehicles.

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Tim McDonough, General Manager of Industrial, Unity Technologies, said

Baidu is helping make significant advances in autonomous driving in China and around the world by advancing collaboration amongst many developers and manufacturers, which is why we’re thrilled to be collaborating.

The ability to accurately conduct autonomous testing in a simulated environment allows for millions of simulations to simultaneously occur, providing Apollo partners with a competitive advantage while helping to keep their business costs down.

Unity’s real-time 3D platform allows automotive manufacturers [OEMs] to reduce errors and risk while increasing efficiency and speed of testing by offering simulations that replicate real-world scenarios.  Unity also offers customizable content available through its Asset Store created by its millions of developers.

In addition to its collaboration with Baidu, Unity works with eight of the 10 largest OEMs in the world by helping improve the way they design, build, service and sell automobiles. The brand has continued to invest in its automotive division by bringing in experts from companies like BMW, General Motors, Toyota, Volvo, and the Volkswagen Group.

Jaewon Jung, Chief Architect, Baidu, said

By using a platform like Unity, our developers can focus on testing and research without worrying about non-functional environments or building something from scratch. The Unity-powered game engine simulation for Apollo has the ability to expedite autonomous vehicle validation and training with precise ground truth data in a more effective and safer way.

As part of its growing autonomy efforts, Unity has recently collaborated to support Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deep learning for autonomous systems, as well as its recently launched SimViz Solution Template – a package that provides OEMs and other brands with autonomous driving simulations solutions. For more information, please visit Unity3d

|In: Finance|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Buying a car means upgrading your standard of living. You can finally afford what is a luxury to many. Having a car in the house is often the ultimate sign of happiness. It brings a family together. You can go for outings, road trips and what not! A car becomes an inseparable part of your life. Right now is the best time for you to buy a car. You ask why? It’s this festive season, a lot of automobile dealers have extravagant discounts and benefits.

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Here are 10 reasons why you should buy your dream car this Festive Season.

  1. Attractive Discounts

To attract customers, car dealers and manufacturers provide attractive discounts. In a way, this is a good strategy for both the buyer and the seller. You might not get such discounts through the year.

  1. Exclusive Offers and Gifts

Most dealers add greater value during this period of festivities by conducting lucky draws for extra gifts and goodies or even cashback benefits on your purchase.

  1. Exchange Old for New

Most retailers and dealers introduce exchange offers during the festive period. As there is an increase in the demand for used cars, companies are giving exchange offer to their customers. If you are looking for an upgrade, just replace your old car with a new one!

  1. Insurance discounts

Most of the dealers offer you a free insurance for the first year if you buy a car during the offer period. You need to discuss it with the auto dealer for more details.

  1. Extended Warranty

Dealers offer you a 1 year or 3~5 years warranty on your car if you buy in the offer period during Festive Sale Offers. If there is any defects or failures in the car, the warranty can save you from spending money on it.

  1. Road Side Assistance

There are some dealers who also offer Road Side Assistance. So in case your vehicle breaks down, you get the assistance for free. This saves you a lot of money.

  1. Corporate Discounts

If you work for a corporate or for a government organization, you can avail discounts if the dealer provides a corporate or PSU discount.

  1. Attractive Interest Rates

Many lenders offer low-interest rates during a festive season to attract customers. Even the rate for down payment is low.

Buying a car needs research and a lot of thinking. You need to choose a car which serves your needs, is of a good brand, has a high resale value and fits your budget. If you want to make your car buying process simpler, choose a Car Loan. Here is why you should avail a Car Loan.

  • You don’t have to wait for a long period to buy your car. Most of the lenders provide up to 100% finance based on your ex-showroom price.
  • The process to avail a car loan is simple. You can get instant loan through the lender apps. All you need to do is choose the loan you want to avail, enter your loan amount, fill your PAN and get money in your bank account instantly.
  • You can choose the tenure for your car loan according to your choice with attractive interest rates.
  • When you avail a car loan you can choose an amount higher than your ex-showroom price so as to account for extra expenses of insurance, registration, accessories etc.
  • You do not need to keep your car as security or collateral.
  • Get options to choose a payment mode feasible to you.

Let this festival bring more light and happiness. This Festive Season buy your dream car and set out on a memorable journey.

|In: Finance|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

When you buy health insurance, it is essential to read every document of the contract carefully before providing your signage, as there might be hidden clauses that you may be unaware of. On the other hand, there is also a major advantage to a medical insurance policy in the name of recovery benefit. Are you aware?

Image Source – CoastToCoastRecovery

What is a Recovery Benefit?

Recovery benefit is called by many other names such as a Restore benefit or a Refill benefit. Under the clause of recovery benefit, if the total amount of money that you insured gets depleted because of the treatment of a disease or ailment; the medical health insurance company is liable to pay the entire amount to restore it.

Understanding with the help of an example

Let us take the example of Rob. Rob is an IT worker who has purchased a health insurance plan of a total of INR 10 Lacs.  In the worst case scenario, if Rob is diagnosed with a serious medical ailment such as renal failure or kidney problem, he will exhaust his insured money within the first 4 to 6 months of his treatment plan. This is due to the rising costs of the medical industry.

After 2 months, Rob is in the hospital again, but this time due to a cardiac arrest. He uses up INR 2 Lacs in the first 2 months of the treatment. In such a worst case scenario, it is up to the medical health insurance company to pay your insured amount to restore the total. As a result, Rob gets an extra coverage of INR 10 Lacs in the first policy year.

Therefore, in this situation, even the treatment for his heart condition expenses will be covered for up to the amount of INR 10 Lacs.

Hence, Rob would get medical health insurance coverage of INR 20 Lacs for the price of INR 10 Lacs. But, this may sound too good to be true.

Where is the drawback?

If the Basic Sum Insured and multiplier advantage [if any] is depleted due to declarations made and paid during the Policy Year or made during the Policy Year and accepted as payable, then it is concurred that a Restore Sum Insured [equal to 100% of the Basic Sum Insured] will be repeatedly accessible for the particular policy year, provided that:

  • The Restore Sum Insured will be enforceable only after the Basic Sum Insured comprehensive of the Multiplier Bonus under Section IV have been completely depleted in that year; and
  • The Restore Sum Insured can be used for declarations made by the Insured Person in respect of the advantages stated in Section I;
  • The Restore Sum Insured can be used for only future declarations made by the Insured Person
  • No Multiplier Bonus under Section IV will apply to the Restore Sum Insured;
  • The Restore Sum Insured will only be applied once for the Insured Person during a Policy Year;
  • If the Restore Sum Insured is not utilized in a Policy Year, it will not be carried forward to any succeeding Policy Year.
  • In the case of Family Floater policy, Restore Sum Insured will be available for all Insured Persons in the Policy.

Exclusion: Disease/ailment for which a claim has been paid in the current policy year under Section I.

What does this mean?

The Recovery benefit policy will be applicable only for future declarations and claims only for un-related diseases and ailments.

If Rob was undergoing treatment for renal failure for which the total bill amounted to INR 15 Lacs, he would have had to pay the remaining INR 5 Lacs from his own bank account. Why is this? Because the recovery benefit will be used only for a subsequent claim.

In other words, a health insurance plan which includes the policy of recovery benefit is an absolute essential.

Reference Sources

https://www.personalfinanceplan.in/should-you-purchase-a-health-insurance-plan-with-restore-benefit/

|In: General|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

There has been a profound impact of globalization on our lives and it has resulted in an inflow of jobs, due to which many in India has secured employment in different sectors. However, that has come with a price since it has resulted in the rise of air & water pollution levels. In many developed cities in India, pollution levels have reached alarming levels which makes direct water consumption unhealthy since it has a negative impact on the critical water resources like dams, rivers, etc. Hence, it is not advisable to consume water directly from taps since it may contain pollutants and other impurities that can cause health hazards. This is where water purifiers – RO water purifiers and UV water purifiers can play a big role in water purification. Water Purifiers were once considered a luxury item, but now they have become a necessity for homes, as well as offices.

Water Purifiers are mainly used for water purification which is a process of removing biological contamination, gases, undesirable chemicals, and suspected solids from water. The end result of effective water purification is pure, healthy, and safe drinking water which is free from impurities. RO water purifier is considered the best water purifier for home and it follows a process called ‘Reverse Osmosis’. RO results in high level of purification, whereas UV [Ultra-Violet] purifier kills bacteria via UV rays that kill the harmful viruses & bacteria. Many people debate that boiling water is enough to remove harmful substances in water, but they do not remove 100% of the impurities in water. Consumers should not fall prey to such arguments and opt for water purifiers for home.

In an RO Water purifier, contaminants/pollutants are removed using the Reverse Osmosis technique where high pressure is used to force the water through the semi-permeable membrane. Since the semi-permeable membrane is microscopic in nature so the water impurities remain in the membrane thereby resulting in purified drinking water. Unlike UV Water purifier, there is not much alteration in the taste, but it does produce great tasting water.

Though RO Water purifier removes the contaminants & chlorine from the water, it still retains few minerals that give the water a good taste. RO Price is reasonable in price which makes it an effective buy for consumers. RO water purifiers for home do not require electricity hence; it is suited for cities & towns that may have power fluctuations. Since water is a very important resource of our lives, it is always important to buy RO water purifier from reputed brands like LivPure. The primary advantage of purchasing RO Water purifiers from LivPure is the range of products in the water purification space and a strong commitment to keep existing customers happy by providing excellent customer service.

Some of the popular RO Water purifiers from LivPure are

  • LivPure Pep Pro-Plus 7 Litre RO UV Water Purifier
  • LivPure Pep-Star 7 Litre RO+UV+UF Water Purifier
  • LivPure Pep-Pro 7 Litre RO UF Water Purifier
  • LivPure Lite RO UF Water Purifier

All these purifiers are handsomely priced hence it covers an entire spectrum of consumers. The other advantage is that consumers can buy best water purifier online from LivPure from their website, as well as e-commerce portals. Customers who are interested to buy water purifiers can visit the offline stores so that they can have a look at the features and then buy the water purifier online. There are attractive EMI options as well so that the money sensitive customers can buy the water purifier from LivPure at a great price.

As far as water consumption is concerned, you should never take any risk since you have LivPure RO Water purifiers at your disposal.

|In: Funding|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Fino Paytech, the payments technology company and promoter of Fino Payments Bank, has invested in CityCash [Tap Smart Data Information Services Private Limited], a Mumbai-based fintech start-up, for an undisclosed stake. The investment is in line with Fino’s strategy of providing banking and payments solutions to emerging India.

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The two companies have joined hands to design an ecosystem for payments wherein Fino will be the issuance and settlement institution of the prepaid payment instrument and CityCash will offer its NFC-based cashless payments technology and micro-payment merchant acquisition.

India’s public transport system of 150000 buses carries over 70 million commuters every day, clocking an annual turnover of about INR 50000 crores, of which 95% transactions happen in cash. There is a massive opportunity to digitize this sector using low cost NFC based TAP and PAY solution on the lines of highly successful Oyster card of London and Octopus card of Hong Kong. Customers can similarly use Fino and CityCash co-branded card for all retail micro-payments apart from other transport payments such as for auto and cabs.

The partnership with Fino shall bring the most extensive network of BC agents across the country to enable physical card issuance and on-going service of the customers. Some large state and city bus corporations have shown tremendous interest in the Fino and CityCash payment solution and implementation is at advanced stages.

As a part of its digital strategy to engage with customers, Fino has already launched a suite of products such as RuPay debit cards, mobile banking app BPay, UPI, Net banking and FasTag for toll payments.

These products along with NFC based tap and pay solutions would allow Fino to reach out and facilitate digital payments for a wider segment in line with Digital India initiative of the Government.

|In: General|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

India is considered to be a tea-loving nation and this is applicable irrespective of where you are located in India. It is a known fact that we love our early chai [tea]. India is not only a tea-loving nation but it is also the second largest producers of tea. There are many different varieties of tea – Green tea, Darjeeling tea, Black tea, Oolong tea, etc. hence there are many options to choose from :). One category of tea that is very famous is the Darjeeling tea and the climatic conditions in Darjeeling are conducive for the growth of tea.

Darjeeling tea is considered as one of the best varieties of tea and it is mainly grown in the northern region of West Bengal. It is also known as the unique & purest form of tea worldwide. There are different varieties of Darjeeling tea – Black tea, Green tea, White tea, and Oolong tea. In some places, Darjeeling tea is also marketed as Black tea, but it is not completely oxidized. Darjeeling tea is rather light. It has a unique flavor and a musky taste. As far as the composition of the Darjeeling tea is concerned, it contains beneficial compounds with a number of health benefits. Darjeeling tea is rich with nutrients like Vitamin B2, Vitamin B5, Folate, Iron, Copper, Magnesium, Potassium, etc. Let’s have a look at some of the health benefits of Darjeeling tea

  1. Like all the other varieties of tea, Darjeeling tea also contains anti-oxidants. Theaflavins and Thearubigins are complex compounds that you can find in abundance in the Darjeeling tea. It eliminates toxins and acts as an anti-aging element. It also neutralizes the harmful chemicals during the digestion process.
  2. Consumption of Darjeeling tea also helps in keeping your teeth and gums strong. It kills the harmful bacteria that can cause gum diseases and cavities. Magnesium, a water-soluble mineral helps in the formation of teeth & bones. The fluoride in Darjeeling tea reverses tooth decay in weak tooth enamels.
  3. The polyphenolic compound present in Darjeeling tea prevents tumor development. Anti-mutagenic property of the tea reduces the frequency of cellular mutation.
  4. This variety of tea is recommended to a person who is suffering from gastric ulcer. The manner in which it helps to reduce the ulcer is by killing the bacteria that could worsen the gastric ulcer.
  5. If you are a fitness freak or someone who is planning to lose weight, Darjeeling tea is the best substitute to carbonated drinks since the tea is very low in calorie count. The caffeine content in Darjeeling tea provides you with more energy. It decreases fat absorption, increases metabolism, and burns stored fats.

Last but not the least, drinking one cup of Darjeeling tea strengthens the immune system as it contains Theanine which boosts immunity. It also helps you to beat stress and started hydrated throughout the day.

Now that you have looked into the benefits of Darjeeling tea, the next step is to choose the best possible brand of the tea. Goodricke is a trusted tea brand since they are in the business for many years and have a world-class tea growing facility. They also have their own manufacturing facilities where quality & hygiene is given utmost importance. The good news for consumers is that they can now buy Darjeeling tea online from the Goodricke website. They have customer-friendly policies and tea ordered from their website will be shipped to you in tamper-proof packaging.

Next time, if you are unable to find your favorite Goodricke Darjeeling tea, make sure you explore the online route and buy Darjeeling tea online from the Goodricke website… It is easy, safe, and convenient 🙂

|In: e-commerce|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

The quick and easy access to websites, along with better technology, has helped the industry of ecommerce thrive significantly over the last few years. This is all thanks to the extensive database of products, competitive prices, and testimonials – basically every information to make a purchasing decision – that’s readily available to buyers anywhere they are.

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The industry has thrived so much that global retail ecommerce sales have risen 23.2% in 2017, amounting to $2.290 trillion. But having online shops can also be favourable to businesses, as it gives them a chance to be recognized by the global community created by the internet. If you’re looking to take advantage of ecommerce for your business, here are the pages and elements you should have.

Homepage

The first page that your customers will see represents the traditional physical storefront. Therefore, it should welcome them in and give an idea about what kind of products they can find here. Search bar and product category navigation will help them find their intended items to purchase, while the login or registration link encourages them to take the first step in purchasing.

Product Page

Once they found a product they like and clicked on its link, it should take them to the product page, where the details of the item can be read. The product page should answer their question of how the item will benefit them should they decide to buy it, so make sure to present it as something highly valuable.

Aside from the product name and description, the page must also include photos of the products, cost, reviews from other buyers, and of course the Add to Cart button.

Shopping Cart

All the products that made your customer click the Add to Cart button will be listed down on the Shopping Cart page. Here, give them the option to edit the quantity or remove items from their cart.

Other relevant information to include is the price for each item, the total cost of each product [if buying more than one unit], and the total amount of all the products in the cart. An order summary that lists down shipping and delivery fees and taxes must also be present.

Checkout

To push through the purchase, the buyer’s details must be provided, including contact information, delivery address, and billing address. In this page, they should also choose a delivery option that they find appropriate depending on the delivery date and fees. Assure users that you’re using Security Cues [SSL].

Payment Confirmation

The last step is confirming the purchase, so make sure that your SSL certificates are still highly visible. Include contact information as well in case of any issues or questions. Most importantly, make the order number visible for your customer to see should they need to reach out to your customer support team.

Get the help you need in putting up an online store for your business through design, support, and IT outsourcing, and make sure to optimize it for the best shopping experience. Learn more about what makes a successful ecommerce website in this infographic.