Tips to Be Debt Free

Tips to Be Debt Free

Author of this guest post: Ryan Smith, a writer associated with Debt Consolidation Care Community (debtconsolidationcare.com). He has written several articles for various financial websites. He is considered to be an expert in the Debt industry and has made significant contribution through his various articles. The article has been edited for brevity, language and relevance for the Indian audience by Mr. N.

In today's fast paced life everyone is running after money. Being financially strong is the ultimate aim of all of us. However many of us face a financial crisis for at various times. And seek the help of a loan to tide over the crisis. The real problem arises when they are unable to pay their debts in time. And the dream to become debt free starts - whether from the clutches of the moneylender or the "friendly" banker. Primary reason for getting stuck: imbalance in income and expenses. Now the question arises - How can I become debt free again? Some tips: 1. Keep a balanced monthly budget: Often, we don't realize the serious consequences of not clearing their debts within time. And continue to "spend-as-usual" with our typical monthly expenses. As a result we miss deadlines for repayment. Keeping a balanced monthly budget is vital to pay off debts in time. During indebtedness one should avoid making unnecessary expenses. And continue with the newly acquired good habit even after becoming debt-free. 2. Take help from debt negotiation services: Nowadays, debt negotiation services have become very popular, due to their value addition in the best possible debt negotiations. Help can be taken from such service providers to become debt free. These companies negotiate with banks and money lenders of the client and persuade them to reduce rates of interest on a loan, restructure the debt repayment period, etc. Debt negotiation companies are held in high esteem in the United States and many European countries, and are increasingly becoming popular even in Asian nations, including India. 3. Save & invest wisely: A rupee saved is a rupee earned. Saved pennies act as a shield against getting caught in debts. The money thus saved - after meeting your routine budget of monthly expenses ought to be invested wisely. Depending on factors such as age, risk profile, etc., you should invest such savings in an appropriate option such as fixed deposits, mutual funds and shares. Obviously, before choosing the option, one should understand the risk and reward of the chosen mode of investment clearly. Summary: Spending and saving money wisely enables a person to become and remain debt free. Any loans should be for a genuine purpose and an acute financial crisis. Taking loans for unnecessary or trivial expenses is like inviting unwanted tension into one's life.

Additional thoughts of Mr. N:

• Understand the difference between good debt and bad debt. A loan taken that generates "net income" or creates an "Asset" that eventually will either generate income or save expenses is a "Good Loan". Anything else is a "Bad Loan"
• Maintain accounts. If you don't, it makes no sense whether or not you have a budget. After all, you can't monitor the budget without accounts.
• As the saying goes, "When you are stuck in a hole, stop digging" - Make sure that you don't go even deeper into debt.
• Beware of credit cards. They can be knives in the hands of a surgeon or in the hands of a murderer.

Regards,

N

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Budget 2008

Budget 2008

I'm glad that many of you have been happy with my post on the Railway budget.

On the whole, PC's budget is one big POLITICAL budget. There are some proposals here and there which have either a positive or negative impact on the economy, but the Political Impact is very straightforward - It is one big PLUS for the Congress. Chidambaram has, quite clearly, taken care of "his part" of doing what he can to satisfy every plausible vote bank. So much so, that unlike the Railway Budget, I'll not specify any separate "PI" for each budget proposal - it is a simple case of satisfying that particular section of the vote bank.

For example, right at the outset, PC claimed that during the current year 40+ villages are being electrified every day and telephones are being provided in over 50 villages each day of the year. This is both a matter of pride - because so much of rural infrastructure is being developed and a matter of great shame - to note that there is scope to electrify so many villages or introduce telephones to so many villages over 60 years after we got independence.

Here's my take on the economic impact some of PC's Budget 2008 proposals:

{BP - Budget Proposal; EI - Economic/Financial Impact}

• BP - 16 new Central Universities, 3 IITs, 3 IISc, Allocation to Education increased to 34400 crores (implying an increase of 20%), increased age limit for science scholarships, etc.
  • EI - Major thrust on education. Focus on skill development. Addresses a very important concern - of talent crunch - faced by industries of all kinds, especially those belonging to the Knowledge Economy.
• BP - All knowledge institutions (esp of higher learning) to be integrated through a digital broadband network.

  • EI - Availabiltiy of technology will increase awareness and usage of technology exponentially. Will also result in speedier sharing and dissemination of knowledge, with all kinds of resultant benefits to the society at large.
• BP - 15% increase in allocation to health
  • EI - Potentially inflationary, if you are in a mood to criticise - However, essential for a country of our size - Can't afford to allow people to suffer and die on account of diseases which can very well be cured. Improves quality of life of the population at large
• BP - Health Insurance of Rs. 30000/= for all persons below the poverty line (BPL)
  • EI - Same as the above point.
• BP - National Programme for the Elderly (400 crores allocation), 2 National Institutes of Ageing
  EI - Most timely, considering a combination of factors such as (1) Ever increasing urbanisation, leading to migration of youth to different corners of the country in search of livelihood, increasing life expectancy, absence of adequate social security network, etc.
• BP - Announcement of increased allocation to North East (over 16000 crores, including a dedicated NE development fund of 500 crores) 
  • EI - Much needed focus on Development of NE and further integration with the rest of India.
• BP - More candidates from minorities to be recruited for Paramilitary forces
  • EI - Greater opportunities for the minorities for further upliftment both economically and politically. Will also further the cause of National Integration, with obvious peace dividends in terms of better law and order, lesser number of bandhs, etc. Can be accused of "communal budgeting" (as the BJP have promptly done, keeping in mind both this proposal and a few other proposals).
• BP - Life and health cover on subsidised basis to All-women Self-Help Groups through LIC
  • EI - Yet another example of gender budgeting and women empowerment. Also, when a man is "provided for", only he is provided for. When a woman is "provided for", her entire family (and future generations) are often taken care of.
• BP - Salary of Anganwadi Workers increased from Rs. 1000 to 2000 per month
  • EI - Benefits 18 lakh people (and their families) with higher disposable income.
• BP - Allocation for National Drinking Water Mission increased to 70000 crores, Increased thrust on Irrigation, Opening of several new rural branches by PSU banks, Target of at least 250 new accounts per annum for each rural / semi-urban branch of every bank, etc.
  • EI - Very major push on rural infrastructure development. Can result in explosive investment led growth.
• BP - Agri-loan waiver (for small and marginal farmers holding upto 2 hectares) amounting to 50000 crores - benefitting 3 crore farmers, One time settlement (of 25% waiver on payment of the balance 75% of agri loans) for all other farmers, benefitting around 1 crore farmers
  • EI - Most significant "give-away" of not only this budget, but perhaps the biggest give-away of all time since independence, according to most experts. Nevertheless, this is likely to be of great benefit to very large sections of our society who have been suffering immensely in the past couple of years (I'm sure that you'll be well aware of farmer suicide reports from different states all over India.) This proposal can (and mostly will be) inflationary. Nevertheless, despite being a person who is a staunch capitalist and who is dead against subsidies, according to me this proposal is essential and even economically acceptable. (To know why, just calculate the "per-capita" impact spread over 3-4 years (over which the benefit will accrue) and compare it with the per-capita Income Tax Exemption Benefit that PC has given away for the middle classes (and the richer folks) in this budget. My only grouse is that it has been declared as a "give-away". A smarter move might have been to securitise the debts and buy the securities (at the government end) and restructure the loans for individual farmers by extending the due date by a few years (so that credit discipline is not violated)
• BP - Introduction of currency futures, credit derivatives, introduction of "Commodities Transaction Tax" on the lines of STT for shares, clarification on reverse mortgages, etc.
  • EI - Step in the right direction in terms of expanding the financial services industry and in terms of introducing global products for Indians. Perhaps overdue. Question: Why has PC not given specific clarification on tax treatment of REITs? (Real Estate Investment Trusts) They ought to have been treated on par with Equity Mutual Funds.
• BP - Announcement of 5-Year tax holiday for establishment of hospitals (everywhere except in identified urban areas) and for establishment of 2-3-4 star hotels in certain heritage locations
  • EI - Great for health care and tourism. Even better for overall de-congestion of major cities, development of new cities and towns, etc.
• BP - Creation of National fund for Power Transmission & Distribution, Irrigation & Water Resource Finance Coroporation, etc.
  • EI - Increased focus on specific identified sectors
• BP - PAN made compulsory for more financial transactions
  • EI - Transparency, and resultant expansion of the "White economy"
• BP - Smart Cards introduced on pilot basis in Haryana & Chandigarh for distribution of foodgrains and PDS.
  • EI - Excellent initial move towards targeted subsidies in future.
• BP - Increased Allocation for Defence by 10% (with an assurance of further allocation if required)
  • EI - Necessary Evil
• BP - Not too many changes in Customs Duty
  • EI - No tinkering. Could have attempted to move towards ASEAN levels, but was probably being cautious considering the impact of the US recession and global slow down.
• BP - General CENVAT rate brought down from 16% to 14%
  • EI - Good to keep down prices to that extent and general move towards a uniform GST in future. (Perhaps the only proposal which can reduce
• BP - Reduction in Excise for Pharma, 2-wheelers, cars (esp. small cars), Buses, Chassis, certain types of jewellery, paper, paper board, etc.
  • EI - relatively minor tinkering with impact for specific companies. Likely to be of benefit for middle class "NANO" fans!
• BP - Specific duty instead of Ad Valorem duty for Petrol and Diesel
  • EI - Good to Oil Marketing companies (only if crude continues to boil!)
• BP - Increase in Exemption Limit for individuals, Minor tinkering of slab rates
  • EI - Increase in disposable income for middle classes ranging from Rs. 4000 to Rs. 44000 depending on income levels.
• BP - Increase in Short Term Capital Gains Tax (from 10% to 15%)
  • EI - Minor tinkering, with no significant impact on too many persons - can cause a short term negative impact on stock market sentiments

On the whole, I'd give a 9 on 10 in terms of a politician's election budget, but my score will come down to a 6-7 on 10 from an economic perspective:

Overall Drawback of the budget - Certainly Inflationary - highly unlikely to meet revenue deficit and fiscal deficit targets, especially considering the HUGE give away on account of Farm-loan waivers to the tune of 60000 crores. This figure was way beyond even the most wild imagination of any of the TV channel predictions from so-called experts as well as from the politicos!

Overall Benefits of the budget -

• Increases the disposable income for every segment of society
• Major rural infrastructure push

Do give me your feedback regularly to keep me motivated to post equally regularly!

Regards,

N

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Railway Budget 2008

Railway Budget 2008

It is quite fashionable to criticise any budget exercise (especially when it comes from our own Lalu Yadav).

I was watching the railway budget on TV (without completely understanding due to both the din and the "Hindi" factor).

We must remember that any budget making exercise involves finding a common ground between politics and economics, and is not necessarily meant only to push the Sensex upwards. We must further remember that the mere fact of presenting a "populist" budget does not necessarily make it a bad budget.

Here are a few of my observations based on my limited understanding (and my memory, as I'm writing this after a few hours after the speech):

{BP - Budget Proposal; PI - Political Impact; EI - Economic/Financial Impact}

• BP - Reduction in passenger fares
• PI - More votes from the voters who will be happy that they can travel at lower prices and that there will be lesser inflation to that extent
• EI - Reduction in AC Fares is an excellent competitive move to wean away traffic (at least partially) from low cost airlines. The financial impact due to reduction in fares, can to a large extent, be taken care of by improving productivity
• BP - Reduction in freight fares for several items like petrol, diesel, fly ash, etc.
• PI - This is Lalu's contribution to reduce commodity prices all round, and hence in keeping inflation under check - Sure to be popular with the "Aam Admi" as there will be no runaway price increases due to increase in freight fares.
• EI - Will keep inflation under control. Will help in retaining market share vis-a-vis competition from road transport, for instance.
BP - Competitive (Read "Lower") freight fares on the "return leg" of commodity movements
• PI - Neutral
• EI - Makes a lot of commercial sense - Instead of coming back with empty wagons, can generate valuable additional revenue
• BP - Declaration of 70 days bonus
PI - Obviously pleases all railway employees, and hence the vote bank. Also a nice friendly gesture towards Left parties, keeping in mind the forthcoming general elections
EI - Recognition of the genuine contribution of the employees in the remarkable turnaround over the past couple of years, which would have been impossible without the active contribution of the employees. Will also help in "Buying in" their support for a lot of private-public partnerships being introduced, introduction of technology, etc.
BP - Announcement of several (53) new trains, including 10 Garib Raths. 
• PI - Appeases a lot of MLAs, MPs, their parties and the general public - Keeps everyone happy.
• EI - Whenever a new train is launched through a slightly different route between two cities, it generates a whole lot of unforeseen positive economic forces. The economic activity involved in launching a new train, by itself, generates a lot of temporary/permanent secondary and tertiary employment. Further, at every stop on the way to the final destination of the new train, there is scope for conversion of a village into a small town, a small town into a larger town, a Tier 3 city into a Tier 2 city, etc. This is precisely how urbanisation (and development) takes place. But for the British building the railway network, we would not have had as many cities and towns today as we have as of now!
BP - Announcement of 20000 new wagons, conversion of all wagons gradually into stainless steel, etc. Green toilets, modular toilets, etc.
• PI - Highly populist as it involves a lot of CAPEX, and can be counted as "investment" in the destination state. (Ask how happy Karnataka is about the InfoTech industry investing there or about how happy TN is about the various automobile companies investing in TN!)
• EI - Much needed modernisation of the infrastructure. Is also likely to provide better trains (and hence improved customer satisfaction) and increased productivity
BP - Smart Cards for Bombay Suburban Train Passengers
• PI - Good political response to keep "Mumbaikers" happy after the recent tug-of-war with Raj Thackarey. Can claim to be a good Samaritan and a statesman who does not believe in "retaliating cheaply" just because "some Marathi politician" has wrongly attacked Biharis.
• EI - Introduction of modern technologies is bound to improve productivity phenomenally (freeing up lakhs of passengers from purchasing season / daily tickets, freeing up counter clerks, saving time for lakhs of passengers daily, reducing ticket-less travel, etc.)
BP - Anti-collision devices, Building of elevators, escalators, Multi-level parking facilities, upgradation of stations, etc.
• PI - "Care and concern" for safety of passengers and hence good for the vote bank!
• EI - Modernisation, attracting more global investors into India, Reduction in accidents, convenience for passengers, additional advertisement revenues, etc.
BP - Outsourcing maintenance of trains, starting with major trains like Rajdhanis
• PI - Tag of reformist, with potential for promotion as Prime Minister in the future!
• EI - Backdoor entry of the Private Sector at an increasing pace.

Last, but not the least, why should we be bothered about the Railway Budget or about the General Budget? Some reasons:

• Got to have general awareness
• Be conscious of both prospective benefits and prospective legal duties (for instance, benefits to senior women citizens in case of today's railway budget and responsibilities like last date of filing income tax returns, Annual Information Returns, etc. in case of the general budget)
• Make the blog topical and interesting so that you people continue to read the so-called "educative" posts regularly.

Do give me your feedback regularly to keep me motivated to post equally regularly!

Regards,

N

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