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Save
Keep the money you will need soon somewhere boring.
Not every rupee should be invested. An emergency fund, a house deposit due in two years, school fees in March — that money belongs in deposits and small-savings schemes where the return is modest and the date is certain. Knowing which bucket a rupee belongs to is most of the skill.
Fixed Deposits
Known return, known date. Useful for money with a deadline, laddered so you're never forced to break one.
Check maturity and effective yieldHow we approach it
We ladder maturities so you are never forced to break one deposit to meet one need, and we compare on effective yield after tax rather than on the headline rate.
Who it is for
Money with a deadline — an emergency fund, a house deposit due in two years, fees payable in March.
The mistake we see most
Using deposits for long-horizon money. After tax and inflation, a deposit frequently delivers a small real loss — fine for two years, corrosive over twenty.
Recurring Deposits
Build a lump sum from a monthly habit, when the goal is close enough that market risk isn't worth it.
Work out RD maturityHow we approach it
A standing instruction on salary day, with the tenure matched to the date the money is needed. Simple, certain and unexciting, which is the point.
Who it is for
People building a lump sum from monthly cash flow for a goal close enough that market risk is not worth taking.
The mistake we see most
Comparing an RD's interest to an FD's and concluding the rate is poor. Your first instalment earns for the full term and your last for one month — the average is roughly half.
PPF
Sovereign-backed, tax-free at every stage, fifteen-year lock-in. The floor of many retirement plans.
Model a PPF accountHow we approach it
Contribute before the 5th of April so the full year's interest is earned, use the annual ceiling where cash flow allows, and extend in five-year blocks — the largest interest credits arrive when the balance is largest.
Who it is for
Long-horizon savers who want a sovereign-backed floor under a retirement plan and can accept a fifteen-year lock-in.
The mistake we see most
Depositing in late March. Interest is calculated on the lowest balance between the 5th and month end, so timing costs more than most people realise.
Government Savings
NSC, SCSS, Sukanya Samriddhi and the rest — matched to who they were designed for rather than sold to everyone.
How we approach it
These schemes are excellent for the people they were written for and mediocre for everyone else. We check eligibility, lock-in and tax treatment against your actual situation before recommending any of them.
Who it is for
Savers who match the specific scheme's design — Sukanya Samriddhi for a daughter under ten, SCSS after sixty, NSC for a five-year horizon.
The mistake we see most
Buying a scheme for its rate while ignoring its lock-in. Liquidity you cannot access is not an asset when you need it.
Where this fits
Save is one of four. The plan is all of them.
We will tell you where you actually are across all four pillars, what to fix first, and what can safely wait — before recommending anything at all.