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  • 7 Best Credit Cards For Salaried Person

    7 Best Credit Cards For Salaried Person

    A credit card can help you make purchases, give you an opportunity to earn rewards, attractive discounts, and different cashback offers. This modern financial tool has certainly made traveling & shopping hassle-free and enjoyable. Credit cards are generally issued to both salaried individuals and self-employed individuals. Today, I am going to discuss the top 7 credit cards for the salaried person in India.

    Standard Chartered Platinum Rewards Card

    Topping the list is Platinum Rewards Card from Standard Chartered. This is an apt credit card for the salaried individuals as it offers wide range of benefits and a strong point system allowing you to earn both points and privileges whenever you make purchases. Following are the benefits you get to enjoy –

    ● Annual fee for the credit card is Rs. 750 (waived off for the first year).

    ● Annual percentage rate is 37.20%.

    ● You get to earn 5 reward points when you spend Rs. 150 on fuel.

    ● You are offered 2 reward points when you spend Rs. 150 on other purchases.

    ● You are offered 5 reward points when you spend Rs. 150 on hotel bookings and fine dining both in India and abroad.

    ● You get to enjoy attractive benefits on movie tickets, golf, holidays, and more.

    Standard Chartered Super Value Titanium

    If you are salaried individual, this is the best credit card you can have. With the help of this credit card, you get to save 5% on some of the common expenses in your life. This is the only credit card in India with such a high cash back percentage on many different things. Here are the benefits –

    ● Annual fee for the credit card is Rs. 2,999.

    ● Annual Percentage Rate is 40.2% per annum.

    ● There is 5% cashback on all phone bills.

    ● You are offered 5% cashback on fuel spends.

    ● You get 20% cashback on Uber rides.

    ● There is 5% cashback on all utility bills.

    Citibank Rewards Card

    Securing third position on the list is Citibank Rewards card. The points offered become valuable when they are redeemed at selected stores and having partnership with Make My Trip is an added advantage. In addition, there are lots of spend incentives that helps you earn bonus points. Following are the benefits of this card –

    ● Annual fee for the credit card is Rs. 1,000.

    ● Annual Percentage Rate is 39% per annum.

    ● The card can be used globally.

    ● When you spend on department and apparel stores, you get to earn 10 times reward points.

    ● When you spend Rs. 1 Lakh in every quarter, you get to earn 1000 reward points.

    ● If you spend more than Rs. 30,000 in one year, the annual fee is waived off.

    ● You get to earn Rs. 1,200 cashback whenever you book any domestic flight from www.makemytrip.com.

    ● You are offered value added services such as easy payment options and loans.

    ● You get 1 reward point when you spend Rs. 125 on all other purchases.

    ● When you spend Rs. 125 in selected stores, you get to receive 10 reward points.

    ICICI Instant Platinum Card

    Instant Platinum card is ideal for all those with first-time employment as you don’t need to bother about credit history or score. If you are having a saving account with ICICI Bank, the card is issued against fixed deposit. Depending on the value of your fixed deposit, your credit limit gets decided. Have a look at the benefits of this credit card –

    ● You get to enjoy 15% discount at more than 800 leading restaurants throughout India.

    ● You are also offered 2.5% fuel surcharge waiver, subject to a limit or Rs. 4,000 at all HPCL pumps.

    ● You are offered discount of Rs. 100 on movie tickets bi-monthly.

    ● You have emergency global assistance and easy card replacement process.

    SBI Simply Save credit card

    There are lots of credit cards offered by SBI to its customers, but Simply Save is perfect for the salaried individuals as it offers travel, lifestyle, and shopping benefits along with low annual charges. The card is accepted internationally and it also allows you to pay for the utility bills without any extra charges. Following are the benefits of this credit card –

    ● The joining fee is Rs. 499.

    ● You will get 10X reward points for every Rs. 100 spent on movies, groceries, and dining.

    ● You will also get 2000 points when you spend Rs. 2000 within 2 months.

    ● Annual Percentage Rate is 40.2% per annum.

    ● There is interest free credit period of 20-50 days.

    ● 10X reward points for Rs.100 spent.

    ● For each transaction between Rs. 500 and Rs. 3,000, there is 2.5% fuel surcharge waiver.

    HSBC Premier Master Card

    If you have Premier Master Card from HSBC, you get to enjoy lots of privileges. As a cardholder, you get to enjoy shopping, travelling, and dining benefits. Following are various other benefits –

    ● You get 50% cashback at PVR cinemas.

    ● You get to make 2 points for every Rs. 100 spent.

    ● When you spend Rs. 75,000 in a month, you can avail a voucher worth Rs. 1,000 from www.bookmyshow.com.

    ● You get 5% cashback at www.bigbasket.com.

    ● You get an opportunity to avail cashback of 1.5% on international spends.

    ● You get free access to premier airport lounges twice in a year.

    Axis Bank Insta Credit Card

    Do you have a poor credit history, no worries as you can still apply for Axis Bank’s Insta credit card. In order to have this credit card, you need to have a fixed deposit with the bank. This is an appropriate card for all those individuals who face lots of issues to get a credit card sanctioned. Here are the benefits of this credit card –

    ● For every online transaction, you get to earn 100 reward points.

    ● If you can spend Rs. 5,000 within 45 days of receiving the card, the joining fee of Rs. 500 will be waived off.

    ● You get to make 6 points for every Rs. 200 spent in India.

    ● There is 2.5% fuel surcharge waiver on all fuel transactions between Rs. 400 – Rs. 4,000.

    ● You get 12 reward points on international spends.

  • Why Financial Planning is Important for teenagers?

    Why Financial Planning is Important for teenagers?

    Getting an early financial plan in place can serve as the ticket to financial independence in days to come. After all, nobody wants to live off bits and pieces of other’s mercy.

    This was the first lesson my parents taught me when I suddenly barged upon them doing the monthly budget one winter afternoon.

    My life was not very different from the other teens of my class. I was going to a government aided school, traveling on public transport and teaching neighborhood children for pocket money. It might be a big shock for you all when I say that my father was the DGM Finance of a top-notch Private Bank and my mother had her own boutique of imported bags. And here I was struggling to make ends meet. No, I was not their STEPSON; they loved me a lot and maybe that was the reason why they instilled the urge of financial planning in me from a very tender age.

    My fellow cousins who were extremely pampered by their parents got a big fat monthly sustenance allowance which they termed Pocket money. It surprised me; they were living off their parents who were looking after all their expenses. Yet they got the allowance and I was working overtime after school to somehow manage a movie with friends. So I decided to confront my father and ask him about the root cause of this inequality. After all my parents were equally rich!

    The two hour long explanation which he gave that day did seem like a never ending lecture from your least favorite teacher, but now that I am a married man having two children of my own, I understand every bit of what my old man tried to say back then. I don’t remember all the minute pointers but still I will try to be as much specific as possible.

    Golden Rules

    Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy security during rainy seasons which is nothing short of sheer joy. After all won’t we give anything to be able to pay those towering medical bills or home loans? Thus the basic foundation of financial planning does not lie in limiting oneself from enjoying the little pleasures of life; it rather stresses on pooling funds for those days of dire necessity. Teaching teenagers the benefits of financial planning will keep them abreast of every unlikely situation that could crop up and debts which could build up like an impenetrable barrier distancing them from their aims.

    From my Experience Diaries

    • How it helped me in staying focused

    Unlike my father who was contented with a 9-7 job and a fixed salary I wanted to have my own restaurant business. And it was made extremely clear by him that he will in no way help me in accumulating my business capital. But the strict budget I had to adhere to for meeting my weekend movie plans made me understand the real value of money. So very soon I started saving on the movie going part and enrolled into cooking classes with my excess surplus. I became more careful with savings and my eyes served as radar in the lookout for supermarket deals, flash sale and cash back goodies. Well you can say I did miss out on many things which my contemporaries enjoyed but now as I sit back in my plum restaurant and look at the profit figures of a day’s business I feel satisfied with the path I choose back then.

    • How it kept me bubbling with energy

    Every night i used to have the same dream of my dream restaurant and it kept me going throughout the day. Whenever I saw my cousins babbling about their latest restaurant escapades I would smirk to myself thinking I shall reach the apex very soon. My father taught me the benefits of having a bank fixed deposit. Rates very pretty good back then and mutual fund was something we had never heard of. So I opened a bank account with my father as the primary holder and started depositing bits and pieces of whatever I could accumulate. I doubled up giving tuition and tried to walk my way to school which in turn helped a lot in fastening up the fat burning process. It took me 5 years before I could sum up a good bank balance and deposit the same in fixed deposit scheme which compounded to a pretty hefty figure when I took the land lease of setting up my dream project.

    • How I developed my understanding on the full monetary cycle

    I started keeping a diary of my monthly expenses. Well I didn’t have much to record given the fact that I thought twice before spending every penny but yet it helped me in staying in line.
    We didn’t have much investment opportunity variations back then. But with the market filled with plenty options I would advise each and every one of you to go for it. Be it your tuition savings or money accumulated from running errands, start saving. You are young and you have time by your side. Make the most of this opportunity. Trust me, you won’t regret.

  • 12 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Ignore the Best Full-Service Brokerage Firm

    12 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Ignore the Best Full-Service Brokerage Firm

    In my initial days of trading, somebody had advised me to hire the services of a full-service brokerage firm but I did not, considering its high brokerage fee. Trust me; I regret that decision even today. It was completely my foolishness to think about saving a few pennies by not hiring a full-service brokerage firm. This regret was even more intense when I hired its service a few years down the line and found the worth.

    Nonetheless, if you do not wish to regret the same, then just don’t ignore hiring the best full- service brokerage firm. It might cost you a little higher as compared to a discount brokerage but the services they provide are worth the cost.

    Offer multiple financial instruments: Unlike discount brokerage, full-service brokerage firm offers a wide range of investment products, including stocks, mutual funds, IPO, real estate, insurance, wealth management, portfolio management service and many others. So, no need to run from pillar to post for investing in different financial instruments. Just hire the service of a full-service brokerage firm and you’re sorted.

    Offer online trading facility: Almost all the best full-service brokerage firms are now offering an online trading facility due to which investors can trade at any time and from anywhere without an intervention of a broker. Moreover, their online trading platforms are available on all devices such as desktop/laptop, mobile and tab, which further offer convenience to the investors.

    Provide guidance and advice: Full-service brokerage firms do not limit their services to offering various financial instruments but provide personalized advice and guidance to the investors. They carefully evaluate the financial background of each client and offer investment option in accordance with their goals and requirements.

    Direct access to the research: Here come the most vital perks which you can enjoy by hiring a full-service brokerage and that is the direct access to the research reports, including fundamental, technical and quant.

    Make investment decision on behalf of the investors: There are many investors who like to be completely dependent on the brokerage, even during the time of decision making. Full-service brokerages come to their help and make decisions on their behalf, keeping the requirements in mind.

    Help you achieve investment objectives: A representative of the company corresponds with the investors, probes their problems and then offers suitable solutions for helping them to achieve their wealth-building goals.

    Access to track your investment performance: With a full-service brokerage firm, you can track your investment performance and take the next step accordingly.

    It saves money: On contrary to many people’s belief, a full-service brokerage firm saves your pocket as you do not need to pay any extra bucks for the research reports and analysis. Also, since most of the full-service brokerages offer online trading, they offer paperless transaction which further saves your hard-earned money.

    Experience: Full-service brokerage firms are experienced and expert in a wide range of financial solutions and products since they handle various unique portfolios, each with different investment requirement and objective.

    Client service counts: Full-service brokerage firms are usually equipped with a skilled and experienced client service team so that the investors get investment advice and solutions around the clock, whenever required.

    Research and advisory: Since research is the key pillar of any full-service brokerage firm, you are sure to find an in-house team for research and advisory who is dedicated to provide with the latest research report of the stock market and offer valuable advice based on the investment objectives.

    Suitable financial products: You can rest assured to receive suitable financial products and solutions if hired a full-service brokerage house because the latter always keeps your financial status and requirement in mind while offering the solution. If they feel that you require investing in a multi-cap growth fund, then they will offer nothing less than the best multi-cap growth fund.

    So, now you must be fully convinced that why you should not ignore hiring a top full-service brokerage firm.

    Narnolia Securities Limited is a premium full-service brokerage house that offers a wide range of financial service like trading, portfolio management, mutual funds, NPS and many others. Having a clear objective of creating wealth for the investors and uplifting the overall financial well-being of the country, Narnolia has crafted a reputable name as a wealth management firm.

  • Top Energy Efficient Upgrades for Your Investment Property

    Top Energy Efficient Upgrades for Your Investment Property

    Owning a home is a keystone of wealth. But you can’t expect a profit if you don’t invest in your property. You have to take extra care to upgrade the energy efficiency of your property which will create a path for you to make more money out of it.

    But there are people who still believe that this is tenant’s responsibility and even some landlords make them pay for it which is a big NO-NO if you want to do this business for a long time.

    Remember, people are your most important investment. When you are investing in your property that means you care about your property as well as the tenants. Keeping that in mind today’s article is about some important energy efficient upgrades for your investment property which you can also think of some landlord success tips –

    Measure & Manage Your Energy Consumption

    Before you step forward to invest take some time to measure your energy consumption of your property. The most effective way to monitor energy efficiency of your property investment is to install an electricity monitoring system. It will not only track the changes but the tenants can also monitor their own cost and minimize it if necessary.

    Use Energy Efficient Lights

    Replacing old fluorescent lights with LED lights is a long term investment and can save up to 75% energy cost. Energy saving yet brighter lighting can make your tenants more comfortable and they won’t need to bother to change lights very often. You can make your tenants feel important by taking care of such things and they will value your property too.

    Replace Old Air Filters

    Changing your air conditioning system’s air filter is easily forgotten. But this quick fix is an important issue to keep your system running and may prevent costly future repairs. Regularly (in every 90 days) replacing your air filter helps to reduce indoor air pollution. Sometimes at the time of inspection, it might appear clean but looks can be deceiving. There might be dust and small particles inside the filter and leaving a filter for too long with dust can decrease efficiency and harm the system.

    Seal Doors and Windows

    The older your rental properties are the more the doors and the windows might have gaps or shaky lock systems or broken glasses. I would suggest to check all the doors and windows thoroughly in daylight and reseal the gaps properly. Change the locks and the glasses if needed for safety reasons and keep a set of extra keys.

    Seal Ducts to Control Temperature

    Check out the ducts if they are connected properly or if there are any leakage or not. This ducts leak so much of their heated and cooled air into the attic, basement or crawlspace in a typical house. But if you wrap the ducts with insulation can slash hour HVAC costs by almost 30%. It’s not as simple as applying duct tape to the joints as duct tape does not last long on ducts. It might cost you a bit but it’s safer and long lasting if you hire a pro for this job.

    Change the setting on the Water Heater

    If you notice you will see that the default temperature of most water heaters is 140 degrees. But wait! You won’t be needing this much heat for your shower water to be hot. The Department of Energy recommends to keep the setting to 120 degrees (I recommend to keep it 100 degrees) as turning down the temperature of your water heater can save 3 to 6 percent energy cost. But if you lower the temperature too much then tenants might think that the water heater is broken and panic for it.

    Upgrade Old Household Appliances

    Appliances like a refrigerator, washing machine, microwave etc. account for 30% of your household energy consumption. The energy use in an average Australian household produces 12 tons of greenhouse gases per year. So updating your household appliances can save up to 10% energy bills. Big improvements have been made to refrigerators. They now use 40%-50% less energy. If your fridge was made in 90’s then you can save $120-$250 by switching to a new one. Modern dishwashers can save up to 10-12 litters per load compared to the old one. These wash better using less electricity. If your air conditioner is older than 20 years then replacing it with a new one can save you $20-$90 dollars on your annual energy bill.

    Calculate Your Return on Investment

    If you are investing on your property then you better calculate the return on your investment. According to your investment, you can figure out the amount you want to increase in existing rent amount or the value of your property. You can get back a percentage of your invested money within 3-4 years by saving 15%-20% energy bills or reduced tax.

    Benefits of Energy Efficient Upgrades

    • Energy efficiency upgrade will improve your indoor comfort
    • Certainly, you can save money on energy bills
    • Duct sealing or replacing air filters can reduce moisture issues
    • This might increase your building or apartment resale value
    • You can increase your rental amount

    With all these benefits anyone who cares about their rental property will obviously want to upgrade to the energy efficient home but it might not be possible to complete all these upgrades at a time for everyone as it may cost you a fortune. Don’t get worried if you are short in money. List out the most important upgrades that are needed to be done immediately and start working on them accordingly. It’s advisable not to rush and compromise your upgrades but to take some time and do the best you can.

    David Nicoll is a freelance writer and an independent blogger who writes for finance, insurance, investment and rental properties related niches like St George Underwriting Agency.

  • 7 Biggest Myths Business Owners Believe About Using Copyrighted Material

    7 Biggest Myths Business Owners Believe About Using Copyrighted Material

    Understanding copyright law can be a daunting task. It can be confusing for business owners but the costs of copyright infringement can be quite high. You can be asked to pay a huge fine for using someone’s intellectual property without asking them. There is a heavy penalty for copyright infringement.

    You might have great idea and you might want to protect your work and safeguard it. Here are the 7 biggest myths business owners believe about using copyrighted material that can help you plan:

    1. I can use small amount of copyrighted material without a problem.

    There is no safe percentage or portion of work that can be copied without permission. Using even a few seconds of songs or few lines of text without prior permission can be termed as copyright infringement. And for this the person involved in copyright infringement can be heavily penalized.

    2. I can copyright my idea.

    Copyright protects original works of authorship in a tangible medium of expression. Books, music, software etc. are capable of protection by a copyright. Ideas are not copyright-able since they are not original works of authorship and are intangible. Descriptions can, however, be copyrighted.

    3. Since I’m not making money off the material, it’s fair use.

    Fair use is a defense to a claim of copyright infringement. This is a myth that can at times be true but only on case-by-case basis. Parody of a song is an example of fair use. There are certain factors that determine whether or not the use is fair use. The effect of use of copyright on its market is an important factor.

    4. I can copyright my business name/logo/slogan.

    Trademark and copyright are used interchangeably by many entrepreneurs but they may be wrong in doing so. Trademark is a word, phase or logo that identifies the source of a product or service. It is designed to prevent the customers from being confused as to the source of the service or product.

    5. I tried to find the author/photographer, but couldn’t, so I can go ahead and use the work.

    There are no possible solutions to this problem and it can be a frustrating problem. It has confused and created tension for many people. There is no guidance or law for this but to use the material, you should be sure to perform a risk/benefit analysis.

    6. Someone else posted an infringing image on my website, so I’m not liable.

    You might be liable for that. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) offers a safe harbor for owners whose websites contain infringed material posted by a third party. They can post DMCA notice on their website and take down procedure on the website’s T&C.

    7. The woman in the photo ain’t a celebrity. Therefore, I can use her picture

    Wrong. All individuals have a right to publicity and they have the right to protect their name, voice, image whether or not they are famous or not. The law provides statutory damages for violating an individual’s rights for commercial use.

    This article has been contributed by Simmi Setia, Content Writer at LegalRaasta.com

  • How Does Beacon Resources Stay Ahead of Job-Search Engines?

    How Does Beacon Resources Stay Ahead of Job-Search Engines?

    In today’s job market, any company that posts a job opening online is almost guaranteed to get an avalanche of resumes in response. Then the work begins to sort through an individual’s job experience, skills and references to determine which candidates to interview. If you’ve made a typo, highlighted the wrong skills or made one of a hundred different missteps in applying for the job, you may not make the first cut.

    Recruiting is Our Business

    Beacon Resources is one of the top finance recruitment agencies Orange County employers use to avoid what has become a labor-intensive process to fill a job opening. We use several different tools to meet the needs of job candidates, including the ones noted here.

    Recruiting Experts

    Our recruiters are expert in matching applicants with firms. They have deep knowledge of the local job market and are highly skilled in recruiting methods. Many of our recruiters have worked in the accounting and finance industry, and they know first-hand what it takes to succeed there.

    Relationships

    We have built and nurtured professional, long-term relationships with a great number of financial and accounting firms throughout Orange County and surrounding areas. We value these relationships, and we work hard to fulfill the expectations of both our business clients and job candidates.

    Personal Service

    Our recruiters provide one-on-one service. We’ll meet with you to learn more about your skills and career goals. We also want to know more about your personality and what makes you tick. Our goal is finding both you and our business clients a perfect fit.

    The Right Candidates for the Right Jobs

    At Beacon Resources, we excel at placing the right candidates in the right work environment, and we take great pride in doing it. Do you need help transitioning to a new position or finding a first job? Submit your resume today through this online form. Our finance recruiters will get the ball rolling.