Both NRIs and those who make payouts on sale of property need to understand the TDS provisions that are applicable or risk punishment, warns Sanjay Kumar Singh.

Invest in liquid funds if you have a horizon of three months, ultra-short-term for six months, and low-duration funds for one year.

Ponzi schemes have characteristics that the informed investor can spot easily.

'By entering at an early age, they stand a better chance of developing into skilled investors.'

If you are bullish on the consumption theme, consider specialised mutual funds that focus on this theme. Remember that such sectoral mutual funds should not make up more than 5% to 10% of your equity portfolio.

Keep a close eye on credit quality, financials of NBFCs before investing. These instruments should not constitute more than 15 to 20 per cent of your debt portfolio.

If you are planning for a long-term goal like your child's education in a foreign university, invest about 20% of your portfolio in foreign assets that can provide a hedge against the rupee's depreciation.

Restrict investment to Rs 50,000 for tax benefits, experts tell Sanjay Kumar Singh, but caution that taxation at maturity and compulsory annuities are dampers.

'Some cases do not get a single hearing for 6 to 8 months, while some have been pending for as long as 8 years.'

If you leave too much money lying in your trading account or hand over your securities to brokers, there is always the risk that they could use it to trade in the markets.

If your case is picked up for random scrutiny, any of the tricks that you or your financial advisor may have used to avoid tax will be easily detected.

Also build a contingency fund equal to 9 to 12 months of expenses.

Instead of getting confused by what agents tell you, check waiting period, claim-settlement ratio, price comparison etc to make the right choice.

Move 10 per cent of your portfolio to the yellow metal.

After the Delhi high court's ruling, blanket exclusion of genetic disorders from coverage is likely to become a thing of the past.

Apart from sustaining your portfolio when the domestic market is faring well, global diversification also safeguards it against currency risk.

With home loan rates headed north, experts advise how borrowers should cope with their rising liabilities.

While seniors seeking a regular income should switch to debt funds from balanced funds, younger investors should invest in balanced funds after understanding their risks.

Raising equity exposure to 50 per cent in the National Pension Scheme will benefit young investors, provided they can stomach higher volatility.

With the general election due in 2019 and interest rates moving upwards, the market expects uncertainty to rise, so the bulk of your money should be in shorter-duration funds, experts tell Sanjay Kumar Singh.