How to Choose the Best Investment Scheme among PPF, FD, RD and Post Office Saving?

Investment schemes are potent ways of increasing your wealth with high investment returns for the future. There are various types of investment options available. Public Provident Fund, Fixed Deposit, Recurring Deposit and Post Office Savings scheme offer guaranteed returns at a relatively high rate of interest. These are the best saving options when it comes to low-risk but high yield investments.

Choosing any one investment scheme can become a difficult task, especially for first-time investors. All of the options mentioned above come with their unique perks. You should choose a scheme which will be advantageous as per your unique requirements. So, let’s take a look at how to select the best investment schemes among PPF, FD, RD, and Post Office Saving.

These funds are ideal to create a strong financial backup for future requirements. Individuals use these investment or saving schemes for a multitude of reasons, from funding their child’s future educational prospects to a world tour or even a new house post-retirement.

Considering Different Aspects of Each Investment Option

To choose an investment plan first, you have to consider the essential features of each scheme. Let’s take a look at some key features of these schemes for a better understanding.

1. Maturity Period

Maturity period is the time duration for which you invest. Your capital amount along with the total interest will be returned to you when the policy matures.

For a Public Provident Fund, the maturity period is of 15 years. Maturity period of FDs ranges from 7 days to 10 years. RD offers a minimum tenure period of 6 months to a maximum of 10 years. Various schemes in post offices offer different maturity periods. These generally range from 1 year to 15 years depending on the policy.

2. Interest Rates 

Interest rates are a key factor while choosing the best saving schemes. All of the plans mentioned above offer an attractive rate of interest.




The rate of interest of the PPF is reviewed every quarter. The current interest rate is 8.0% p.a. Fixed deposit interest rate varies between financial institutions. Currently, it ranges from 3.50% to 8.10% p.a.

3. Tax Deduction

Certain investment options offer tax exemptions under Section 80C of Income Tax Act. PPF and FD qualify for tax exemptions under this act. Certain post office schemes also offer tax exemptions. These include 5-Year Post Office Time Deposit, Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme, Senior Citizen Savings Scheme, National Savings Certificates, Post Office Savings Account, etc.

4. Security

Schemes like PPF, FD, various policies in the Post Office are considered secure investment options, putting them among the best saving options. All these policies guarantee returns because they are supported by the Government.

5. Premature Withdrawal

Premature withdrawal is possible in some policies like FD, RD, and a few schemes offered by the Post Office. PPF also offers withdrawals, but only after the 5th year of investment.

Premature withdrawals may be subjected to a fee in case of FD, RD, and Post Office schemes.

6. Investable Amount

Fixed deposit and recurring deposit schemes do not have a limitation on maximum investment amount. PPF has a maximum of Rs. 1.5 Lakh per annum, while various Post Office schemes offer different maximum investment limit.

Choosing the Right Savings Scheme

Considering the factors mentioned above, the best saving options for you will depend on your requirements and future financial plans. Their are numbers of long term as well as best short term investments that you can choose according to your financial need. For example, if you can invest a certain sum every month and want the flexibility to access your money, an RD will be suitable for you. FD is ideal for someone who can invest a certain sum for a fixed period.

PPF is a long term investment scheme, ideal for higher gains. You can also choose from various schemes offered by the Post Office. They have long-term and short-term savings options as well as policies for seniors, farmers, and girl child of the family.

Carefully consider the options and factors mentioned above, and you will find the suitable investment scheme for yourself.

Why a Mattress Full of Cash Is Worse Than Basic Investments

If you are thinking about keeping your hard-earned cash at home where you can keep an eye on it, you are in good company. While many people actively invest extra cash in the stock market or in other types of investments, you may be worried about your losing money through bad investments, market downturns and more. 

It may seem safer to keep your money at home, but this is not actually the case. These are a few reasons why you may want to consider safe investments, such as CDs or a high-yield savings account.

The Impact of Inflation

While some investments are risky and have the possibility of financial loss, CDs and high-yield savings accounts do not. When cash sits at home, the impact of inflation causes that money to lose earning power. 

On the other hand, CDs and high-yield savings accounts may keep pace with inflation so that your money continues to have the same earning power. In some cases, these investments may outpace inflation slightly.

The Risk of Fire or Theft

Unless you store your cash at home in a fireproof safe, there is always a risk of significant financial loss through a fire or another type of damaging event. Theft is also a serious concern, and some thieves may be strong enough or savvy enough to remove the entire safe from your home. 




While you may lose some cash through a bad stock market investment, you likely will not have a total loss situation as you would in the case of a fire, theft or other event at home.

When You Pass Away

Another reason to consider investing your cash outside the home is related to your death. Death is inevitable, so you need to plan ahead for how your assets will be divvied when you pass away. Preparing a will and working with wills and estates lawyers can help you to create a strategic plan for doing so. 

Funds are more easily and securely disbursed according to your wishes when they are in accounts at reputable financial institutions. On the other hand, cash stored in a safe at home may be inaccessible unless you tell your family what the combination is beforehand. Even then, there is a possibility that some loved ones may pull out cash that is not rightfully theirs.

As you can see, there are several reasons why it makes sense to keep your assets in safe investments rather than at home. Spend time learning about CDs, savings accounts and other safe investments so that you can make a smart decision about how to manage your cash going forward.

How to Invest in Cryptocurrency & What to Know Before You Do

Investing in cryptocurrency is a hot new trend that has already made some investors a considerable amount of money. If you want to invest in cryptocurrencies successfully, though, you’ll need to go about it in the right way. Here are four things you need to know about investing in cryptocurrencies.

Understand That Cryptocurrencies Carry Risks

Although many people have made money by investing in cryptocurrencies, these assets aren’t without their own unique risks. As with any other form of investment, you should only put money you don’t absolutely need into your cryptocurrency portfolio. 

You also need to carefully evaluate the price movements and overall qualities of different cryptocurrencies before you invest, as jumping in prematurely can increase your chances of losing money.

Some Cryptocurrencies Can’t Be Bought Easily

Though major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether can be traded directly for traditional money, not all cryptocurrencies work in the same way. If you want to invest in altcoins that are less prominent, you may have to resort to exchanging Bitcoin for them. 




Luckily, you can do this buy Bitcoin with Visa or another credit card, then use an online exchange to trade the Bitcoin for the currency you want. Be sure to research the coins you plan to invest in extensively and figure out what cryptocurrency exchanges support them so that you can buy without any difficulties.

Know the Laws of Your Country

Though many people still think of the cryptocurrency market as being an unregulated open market, the truth is a little different. At the moment, there are only 96 countries where Bitcoin usage isn’t restricted in some way. Make sure that you know and follow the laws of your country when it comes to cryptocurrency investing.

Build a Diversified Portfolio

One mistake that many new cryptocurrency investors make is to invest in only one currency, usually Bitcoin. While it can be appealing to keep things simple in the beginning, relying on a singly cryptocurrency makes your portfolio more risky. 

Try to find at least two or three good cryptocurrencies that you believe will make good investments in order to create a more strongly diversified portfolio.

By keeping these things in mind, you’ll be better prepared to get started with cryptocurrency investing. Before you actually put money into the markets, make sure that you track the prices of your chosen currencies for a few weeks to see whether or not you can accurately predict their price fluctuations. If you can, it’s a good sign that you’re ready to invest.

It's Often Best to Seek Personal Financial Advice Before Making Investments

When you earn your money from work, it never seems like it can go far enough. For the average person, maintaining a livable income is more than just making ends meet. If all the situation is right now is hand to mouth, there is little to no room for gain in the long run. What will it take to make it ahead? One thing is for sure, it is not a matter of more work.

Smarter Work with Money

In our younger years, we are more preoccupied with spending our basic earnings and enjoying ourselves. This is perfectly fine, as there may be no other point in life to do so. As the age sets in and we begin to understand where we fit into the world and how money works, we start to look toward savings and investments with our money so it will last.

Investing is something that always appears as a good idea. In fact, with the proper direction, investments can lead to significant gains. At the same time, we want to be careful what we invest in. Whether you are at the beginning level of investments or experienced and older, it is wise to seek professional advice.





You might think life is all about earning money. Aside from the obvious, it is not. In fact, the old saying to “work smarter not harder” is something we would all do well to follow. There are thousands upon thousands of potentially beneficial investments, but what is right for you right now with the funds you have?

Look to sources such as https://www.hensoncrisp.com/ for additional information regarding how to make your money work smarter for you. Investments are a risk and you can lose, but with the right guidance, you are more likely to succeed and even be among the wealthy. This is especially important when you are using retirement funds for investment in order to create a secure future.

Retirement and Investment

Retirement funds are something you should be building up your entire life. Let us be realistic and understand that economics do not work for present generations the way they did in the past. Most of us looking toward retirement today are actually dealing with debt and dire economic circumstances which we can barely understand.

The retirement funds you have built up so far are going to be the source for investments in years to come. The idea is to invest only what you can afford into the most likely prospects. This is, again, where financial advice comes in handy. In fact, with the proper help, your savings can double or triple in one third of the time or less it took your parents to achieve.

This generation determines the sustainability of the next, much as the one before us did. It is all a matter of making the smartest investments to get ahead in the game. Creating wealth is actually not a game, but if it were, the earnings would be a win and missed advantages would be a loss.

Advice to Help You Make Investments

Allowing your money to just sit in a savings account would not be a wise financial decision on your part. This is because banks do not pay much interest at all. You need to seriously think about investing your money so you can generate a sizeable profit. 

You should make your money work for you. However, investing your money is not something that you should go into lightly. This is because certain investments require you to take a great deal of risk. 

As you might imagine, these are the investments that have the highest potential for the biggest profits. Here is some advice that will guide you on your journey into the world of investing.

1. Pay very close attention to all of the investments that you make.

There are some people who make some very foolish mistakes that end up costing them a lot of money in the long run. One of the worst things you can do is invest money and then forget about it. 

There are people who make investments and simply move on to other things. They do not take the time to check on the status of their investments on a daily basis. This could be a huge problem if the investment begins to take a serious drop. 

You need to always be well informed where your investments are concerned. This will allow you to get your money out of a bad investment before your losses become very large.

2. Be careful not to invest a dangerous amount of money.

How much of your money do you need to pay your regular expenses? How much of your money do you want to set aside in case of emergencies? 

These are important questions that you need to ask yourself when you are trying to determine the amount of money that you are going to invest. Would you be able to survive financially is your investment collapsed and you lost all of your capital? 

This is the question you need to ask yourself prior to making any investment. If the answer is no, you have invested too much money.

3. An investment advisor will be able to give you valuable guidance.

People with no investing experience should never try to randomly choose investments to make on their own. The various financial markets can be very difficult for an inexperienced person to understand. 

Therefore, it would be wise to have a person who deals with the national and global financial markets on a daily basis to give you advice about where to invest your money. You need to be very selective when you are hiring a financial advisor. 

Make sure the person has a solid track record of making a profit for his clients. Chris Pivik is considered to be an expert in the world of investing. Chris Pivik businessman is respected by the people who invest with him.

4. Never put all of your money into a single investment.

The stupidest thing that you can do would be to risk everything you have on one investment. You might believe very strongly that the investment is a sure thing. 

However, you need to understand that there are no certainties in the world of investing. Invest in a few different things just to be on the safe side.

Understanding Investments, Expenses & Macroeconomic Variables

Whether you’re a first-time investor, or a seasoned professional, it’s important to understand the correlation between market factors. Various macroeconomic elements play a big part in determining which way financial assets move. 

Foremost among them are inflation rates, unemployment rates, and interest rates. Of course, there are myriad factors that need to be considered when making investments in financial assets. 

Geopolitical uncertainty – political tension, the threat of war, civil unrest, Brexit and other factors abound.

Understanding Investments

The relationship between financial markets and interest rates is an interesting one. Wall Street companies are heavily dependent on the prevailing interest rate for several reasons. 

At a basic level, higher interest rates – or rising interest rates – are synonymous with higher costs of borrowed capital. In other words, listed companies will be paying more for borrowed money when interest rates rise. This eats into their profitability by increasing costs. One way for listed companies to counter rising interest rates is to pass these costs on to consumers in the form of higher prices. 

This in turn leads to inflationary pressures. If real wages are not increasing at the same pace as rising prices, people are left with decreased purchasing power of their money.

From Macro to Micro: Interest Rates Matter

Therefore, broadly speaking the following relationship exists between equities markets and interest rates: rising interest rates tend to have a negative impact on the price of equities. The converse also holds true. 

When interest rates start falling, the cost of borrowed capital decreases, meaning that companies enjoy increased profitability at constant prices. This boosts stock prices on the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ, The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 etc. When we move from Wall Street to Main Street, it’s important to understand how interest rates affect personal loans. 

On a personal level, rising interest rates are synonymous with higher interest repayment amounts on personal loans. Therefore it is so important for consumers to act decisively when interest rates are low, to avoid the higher rates and higher payments.

The average US household is strapped for cash. In fact, a report released in 2015 indicates that 63% of Americans cannot afford to cover a $500 - $1,000 emergency. This means that an everyday emergency such as a blowout of your tire, a trip to the ER, or a burst water pipe could put you out of pocket. 

This is precisely why it is important to have an emergency stash of cash available. A study commissioned by a leading financial and credit provider found that just 37% of US households have enough money to cover emergencies, with funds of $500 – $1000. 

The remaining 67% of US households would have to borrow against their mortgages, from friends and family, take from savings, or dip into retirement accounts for emergencies. Of that 67%, some 23% of US households would put the expenses on their credit cards.

Poor Savings Necessitate Capital Cushions for Eventualities

In 2014, the out-of-pocket costs for ER visits was $1,233, while the average cost of car repairs in the US was anywhere between $1,747 and $3,324 per visit. Much the same is true for emergency pet care during an animal’s life span. 

These expenses are all but guaranteed at some point or another. Savings are needed to cover these exorbitant costs, but if they don’t exist, alternative forms of financing are required to make up the shortfall.

Many inventive solutions are available to individuals and households in the form of short-term financing. These loans can be repaid within a year, and they are effectively bridging finance to get you from point A to point B when an emergency arises. 

Low-cost loan options such as credit lenders that provide emergency financing are increasingly popular in the US market, with tailor-made repayment schedules at affordable terms.

American households are notoriously poor savers, and this does not bode well for a downturn in economic conditions. According to Pew Charitable Trusts, the average ‘expense shock’ for families is $2,000 per year. Of course, this number depends wholly on the family’s income, and as you move up the income ladder that number rises accordingly. 

Families earning between $50,000 per year and $85,000 per year typically encounter a financial shock that is valued at 13 days’ of income. A $10,000 emergency fund is reserved for people who earn substantially more than $85,000 per annum.

Sensational Summer: 4 Investments You Won't Regret This Season

One of the most highly anticipated times of the year is summer. During the summer months, many people try to spend as much time outdoors as possible.

To ensure that you can enjoy your summer as much as possible, there are four different investments that you should consider making that you will never regret.

Vacation

The first investment that you will not regret this summer is investing in a vacation. Over the past decade, the amount of extra vacation time people do not take advantage of has increased dramatically.

While people may do this to avoid the cost of vacation or due to a demanding job schedule, it can be a huge mistake. It would be a very good idea to instead invest in a vacation.

Taking a vacation at Jumby Bay island has a wide range of health benefits. It can help you relax and can help make your life way less stressful when you get back. Everyone needs a break sometimes.

Summer is the perfect time of year to party and play. To enjoy this season as much as possible, some investments are well worth making.

All you have to decide is what you want to invest in to be the life of the party. Once you find something that you love, you definitely won’t regret it.

Outdoor Living Set

One investment to consider in your home is an outdoor living set. One of the best parts of summer is being able to spend time outside and throw parties.

To fully enjoy this time of year, you should consider purchasing a full outdoor living set, including a patio set, a new grill, outdoor speakers, and even some fun outdoor games. This can make your home the perfect place for parties and fun during the warmer months.

New Pool

During the summer months, one of the most enjoyable things to do is to lounge in and outside of a pool. Getting a new pool, such as those by places like Legacy Pools, can allow you to do this.

There are a wide range of above and below-ground pools that you can choose from, which will help to ensure that you find one within your budget and could make a great long-term investment.

Improved Air Conditioning

Another investment that you should consider making for your home is the installation of a new air conditioner. Having a quality air conditioner in your home will help you feel much more comfortable and may even help you sleep better.

If you have an older air conditioner it may no longer have the ability to cool your entire home especially after the long winter months. By replacing it with a new air conditioner, with modern amenities, you will have far more control over the temperature in all areas of your home.

Furthermore, it will run more efficiently which can help reduce your energy bills during the summer months.