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The current environment in the Indian financial market can perhaps be termed cataclysmic. The stock indexes have made losing a habit and the Rupee is headed for the Marina Trench. Investors are in a gloomy mood and are desperate to latch on to options which can keep them buoyant in troubled waters. Every cloud has a silver lining and the unruly waves also throw up a crest after a trough. Tax Free Bonds from Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) is such a feel-good news which is sure to put some enthusiasm back in investors. The bond is poised to make its public appearance on 30th August 2013 and the interest rates on offer for the 10 year, 15 year and 20 year terms are 8.26%, 8.71%, and 8.62% respectively for the term periods. These are healthier by 0.70% to 1.50% when compared to the rates on offer last year. So what are the salient features of the REC bonds? Well, REC plans to raise Rs. 3500 crores from the market which is inclusive of the green-shoe option of Rs.2,500 crore....

Have you ever wanted to create the stunning looks to your portrait images like the Photoshop guys and are stuck ? Welcome Photomakeup!  As a professional photographer or an average user who likes taking and editing pictures, you certainly know that one of the most difficult things is dealing with portraits. Everyone wants to have perfect skin, bright eyes and beautiful make up, but that is not always the case in real life. Adobe Photoshop is the most popular program for processing images, but there’s a new easier way to do it! Let us introduce SoftSkin Photo Makeup – a program by SoftOribts, an award winning software development company.  With this tool, you can easily and efficiently:  improve skin texture; whiten teeth; apply virtual eye and lip make up; and, of course, remove those red eyes. http://makeupphoto.org/

Have you invested in Mutual Funds? What has been your ROI (Return on Investment)? If you are an investor in MFs, have you ever checked the returns on your investments? If not, give us few minutes of your precious time and read this piece. What is the ‘return’ on a mutual fund scheme? In simple terms, ‘return’ is the yield that your investment generates over a period of time. It is the percentage increase or decrease in the value of the investment in that period. The return on a mutual fund for a particular predetermined period is calculated as follows: Current NAV – Previous or Historical NAV ------------------------------------------------------------------- x 100 Previous or Historical NAV Now what is NAV? According to SEBI, the performance of a particular scheme of a mutual fund is denoted by Net Asset Value (NAV). NAV is the market value of the securities held by the scheme. Since market value of securities changes every day, NAV of a scheme also varies ...

"Thalaiva" (Leader) had a worldwide release sans Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry on 9th August 2013. The reason for the film not getting released in its home state was for the reason that a lesser known student outfit had threatened to blow the theatres which would go ahead with the screenings. Good 11 days after its release looks like the student outfit has come to a compromise and they have allowed the film to release in its home state and its neighboring Pondicherry. The important thing is that the makers have been asked to remove the tagline from the title which read as "Time to Lead" indicating that there is something amiss than originally stated. The film begins in the year 1988 in Mumbai's Dharavi slum where its current leader Varadharaja Mudaliar meets a tragic end and in the ensuing violence Anna (Sathyaraj) is elected as the next leader. Wary of the position he holds and the loss he suffers, he sends his son Viswa along with Ratnam (Nasser). Years...

Confused about which bank account to use as an NRI…? You will get an answer in this article. An Indian living abroad doing a service, running a business or pursuing any vocation is a non-resident Indian. It is estimated there are over 25 million NRIs spread across the globe. With this huge Diaspora, banking needs for transfer of funds, savings, investments and repatriation of NRIs have also expanded. Banking Laws allows an NRI to maintain bank accounts in India, invest in securities/shares and deposits with Indian firms/companies, and invest in immovable properties in India. In this article we’ll discuss about NRI banking/savings accounts. Types of NRI banking/savings accounts An NRI can open, hold and maintain, different types of bank accounts with a bank authorized to deal in foreign exchange. Given below are three types of NRI bank accounts most widely used and offered by the leading banks in India: Non-Resident External (NRE) Savings/Fixed Deposit Account Non-Residency...

“The early bird catches the worm” The earlier you start planning your expenses and savings, the easier it would be for you to reach your financial goals. Take the goal of retirement at age 60 for example. Suppose you want a corpus of Rs.1 crore at age 60, you would need to save about Rs.7, 500 per month at an assumed growth rate of 8% if you are 30 years old. Your monthly saving would have to go up to about Rs.18,000 if you are 40 years old to achieve the same goal at age 60 at the same growth rate and to about Rs.Rs.58,000 if you are 50 years old when you would be left with just 10 years to invest. Understanding Real Financial Planning Imagine your neighborhood uncle who is also an agent offering advice which you think is free of cost. That is mostly not the case. The advice may not really suit your situation even if the intentions are genuine. Often these people sell products that may have high charges and without understanding the full client situation. ...

Ship of Theseus (SOT) is a whiff of fresh air; it’s one of the rarest of rare Indian films which stimulates our brain to think which our films rather seldom do. Directed my first time filmmaker Anand Gandhi, ship of theseus is the story of three people with various life styles, thought processes & values. The first story is that of the blind photographer played wonderfully by Egyptian actor Aida El-Kashef who captures images based on her senses. She trusts her instincts, sound and takes brilliant black & white pictures and lives along with her boyfriend. Life changes after she undergoes cornea transplantation and regains her vision, somehow she is not able to work with the same passion and excitement as she was before and she faces trouble adjusting to this new environment and her sense of sight. The second story which is the longest and the best one is about a monk named Maitreya played by Neeraj Kabi who fights for animal rights and files a petition to treat animals ...

When the first time my friend asked me about NRI, PIO and OCI, I was blank! I was clueless what this acronym means and what are its importance. I had several questions in my mind; the meaning, significance and difference between these three terms etc. After some in-depth study and research, I have understood these terms. I am presenting here, the shorter yet an interesting summary of these terms! Take a look below to understand what these terms mean: NRI, PIO & OCI: What do these means? Before understanding anything it is vital to know what each acronym stands for. NRI means Non-Resident Indian, PIO stands for Person of Indian Origin and OCI signifies Overseas Citizen of India. PIO citizens are those whose any of the ancestors was a permanent Indian resident and who is currently holding a valid citizenship of another country. NRI vs PIO & OCI NRI is a person who holds an Indian passport but temporarily emigrated to a foreign for work or business. PIO or OCI is a perso...