Money With Monika, Season 4 News

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has rudely reinforced the need for a medical cover, but buying a policy remains riddled with a confusing marketplace with plenty of tricks and traps. In this special episode of Money With Monika, personal finance expert Monika Halan discusses India's best health insurance plans with Mint's in-house expert Deepti Bhaskaran. The discussion is based on the 8th edition of the Mint SecureNow Mediclaim Ratings. Watch the full episode to understand how to navigate the health insurance maze and pick a plan which is best for you.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced people to ask some tough questions about their money life. How much should one be spending and saving? How much should one spend on EMIs? How much life insurance should one have? In this episode of the special series of Money with Monika, personal finance expert Monika Halan talks about 6 Money Ratios which give a broad direction in which one should move. Watch the full video for more. Monika Halan is consulting editor, Mint, and author of the book, Let's Talk Money. Note: These are rough ratios. Please speak to your financial planner for a bespoke plan.

Bundled insurance plans neither give you a good life cover nor a good return and in India these are built like traps. In this episode of the special series of Money with Monika, personal finance expert Monika Halan explains why one should stop buying bundled life insurance plans in India and how it destroys one’s savings. Watch the full video for more.

The government wants banks, insurance firms, jewellers and others to report 11 transactions to the income tax department. In a move to catch tax evaders, the government wants disclosure of certain transactions, not by the tax payer but by the firms they deal with. Will this nudge the unwilling to pay their taxes? In this special series of Money with Monika, personal finance expert Monika Halan explains how the new notification works. Watch the full episode for Monika Halan's advice. Monika Halan is consulting editor, Mint, and author of the book 'Let's Talk Money'.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) can put restrictions on who can open current accounts with which bank. Is the move part of a larger plan to stop banking frauds? In this special series of Money with Monika, personal finance expert Monika Halan explains how the move will prevent the siphoning off of money. Watch the full episode for Monika Halan's advice. Monika Halan is consulting editor, Mint, and author of the book 'Let's Talk Money'

The Securities and Exchange Board of India has become the first financial regulator to settle the debate regarding the classification of advisors and agents when it comes to financial instruments. Personal finance expert Monika Halan explains Sebi's solution, comparing advisors to doctors, and agents to chemists. Agents are only supposed to sell products which customers seek, while advisors will make recommendations after assessing various factors related to the buyer. Meanwhile, other regulators like the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, and the Reserve Bank of India are still lagging behind. Is it time for the government to intervene? Monika Halan is consulting editor, Mint, and author of the book 'Let's Talk Money'.

The writing down of Yes Bank's AT1 bonds worth over ₹8,400 crore in the aftermath of the scandal earlier this year had caused some alarm. But what seems to have heightened investor anxiety is the Reserve Bank of India's stance to complaints filed against the write-off. The central bank is treating the episode as investment gone bad, signalling to investors that they must pay closer attention to the product documents, and be ready to face the risk if they are opting for higher returns. While this may be justified in the case of high net worth individuals and corporates, is it fair to the retail investor? Personal finance expert Monika Halan suggests some measures which the central bank can adopt to make investment contracts easier to understand for the retail investor, so that they don't lose their hard-earned money due to advisors chasing targets. Monika Halan is consulting editor, Mint, and author of the book 'Let's Talk Money'

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, commercial real estate prices have begun to fall. But it remains to be seen whether the trend will be replicated in the residential market. What has kept home prices high in India is the entrenched system of bribes - from the initial stage of land use change, to approvals for the final project. Personal finance expert Monika Halan explains how elimination of corruption can lead to a drastic fall in prices, and until that happens, what you should consider before investing in real estate.

The Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent economic crisis are forcing everyone to make tough financial choices. Should you switch from a debt fund to a bank deposit? In this edition of Money With Monika, personal finance expert Monika Halan answers these, and other tough questions that you are facing already, or are likely to in the near future

The Covid-19 pandemic has dealt a severe blow to the Indian economy which was already grappling with a deepening slowdown. Now, India's Gross Domestic Product is estimated to contract by around 5% in the current financial year. The economy will have to grow by 11% in order to get back to the FY20 level. While India has done better than many developed countries in the services sector, our manufacturing potential is yet to be adequately utilised. This is one avenue which can help India not just recover from the Covid-induced economic crisis, but also grow stronger in the long run. But how can the country achieve this? Watch Monika Halan explain the various changes that can help India become the world's manufacturing hub. Monika Halan is consulting editor, Mint, and author of the book 'Let's Talk Money'.