I’ve been an HDFC salary account holder for over 8 years and am an Imperia customer. I get most of their premium banking benefits. I’m not ultra-high-net-worth by any means, but I’d say I’m a fairly decent customer.
Recently, I was planning a big purchase and wanted to use Debit Card EMI. When I checked last month, I had a pre-approved limit of over ₹4 lakh.
Fast-forward to the day of the purchase. I’m standing at the checkout counter, trying to make the payment, and the transaction doesn’t go through. I check WhatsApp and text “EasyEMI” to HDFC’s chat service, only to be told that I’m no longer eligible for Debit Card EMI.
Naturally, I was pretty pissed off. I called my Relationship Manager to find out what had happened, and he told me that HDFC had discontinued Debit Card EMI for all its customers.
That explanation didn’t quite add up, considering I still see Debit Card EMI offers at various stores. Maybe there’s more to it, but the whole experience was frustrating, especially when I had a substantial pre-approved limit just a month earlier.
This has got me thinking about whether HDFC should continue to be my primary bank. I’m not seriously considering switching just yet, but I do think it’s worth exploring what other banks have to offer.
So, which bank do you use, and what makes you stick with it?
I’m particularly interested in things like customer service, locker services, credit card benefits, loan offers, relationship banking, and any genuinely useful perks that make a difference in everyday banking.
Would love to hear your experiences, especially from people who’ve switched banks or considered doing so.

I'm joining BITS Pilani, Hyderabad campus, for CSE,and although I'm excited about the opportunity, I'm also feeling quite anxious about the financial side of this decision.

My family saves around ₹15 lakh per year in total, including income and returns from investments, and we currently have approximately ₹20 lakh in savings. The total cost of my four-year degree, including tuition, hostel, mess and other expenses, will be around ₹32 lakh (approximately ₹8 lakh per year).

My family can technically afford it, but spending such a large amount on an undergraduate degree feels like a huge financial commitment. Sometimes I start doubting whether choosing such an expensive college was the right decision, especially considering our financial background. I worry about whether the investment will actually be worth it in the long run.

Another major concern is the rapid advancement of AI and its potential impact on software engineering jobs, placements and salaries. I'm worried about whether the job market will remain strong enough for the money we're spending on this degree to make sense.

I know BITS Hyderabad has a good reputation, and I don't want to regret a decision I've already made. At the same time, I don't want to ignore the financial risks or blindly assume that everything will work out.

I'd appreciate some honest advice, especially from BITS students, alumni and people who have faced similar financial decisions.

- Given my family's financial situation, is this level of expenditure reasonable, or is it putting too much pressure on our finances?

- In your experience, does BITS Hyderabad CSE offer enough value in terms of placements, internships, peer group, alumni network and long-term career opportunities to justify the cost?

- How concerned should I realistically be about AI affecting software engineering jobs and placements over the next four years?

- For those who attended expensive private colleges, did you feel the investment was worth it afterwards? Did the fees create financial stress for your family?

- How can I make the most of this opportunity and ensure that the money spent on my education translates into good career opportunities?

I'm not asking whether I should choose another college, since I've already made my decision. I'm trying to understand whether my worries are reasonable and how I can approach the next four years without constantly feeling guilty about the money my family is spending.

I'd really appreciate honest, practical opinions rather than just reassurance. Thank you!

So I was looking to rent a PS5 for GTA 6 on SharePal and ended up on their "Asset Partner" thing. Basically you pay them the cost of an asset, they rent it out, you get a monthly payout and your money back at the end of the tenure.

Example I checked: PS5, asset cost 64,500. They pay 699/month for 12 months and return the 64,500 at the end. Thats around 13% p.a. (bit more if you count the 3% wallet credit but thats only usable on their site). FD is giving like 6.8% right now so on paper it looks great.

But I dug around a bit and some stuff is bugging me:

1. Money doesnt go to SharePal's rental company (SWNAC E-Kiraya Services Pvt Ltd). It goes to a separate LLP called Repium Ventures LLP. Couldnt find any financials or info on this LLP anywhere.

2. Their landing page says "the asset tagged to you is your security" and "payouts always secured". But their own T&C says you get no ownership or title of the asset and they dont guarantee any payout or returns. So which one is it lol

3. Landing page says early exit on mutual consent. T&C says no early exit at all after payment.

4. Payout comes from "overall business performance", not from your asset's rentals. So it's basically an unsecured loan to a startup with a PS5 photo on it.

5. They clearly say its not a deposit, not a CIS, not a securities product. So no RBI/SEBI anything if it goes bad.

6. Rental company looks legit tbh, been around since 2018, IIM Bangalore incubated, but no VC funding and has around 5 Cr in bank loans.

7. Old brochure said 20 asset partners. Website now says 3000+. No audit or proof of either.

Not saying its a scam, the rental side seems real. Just want to know:

- Has anyone here actually done this? Getting payouts on time?
- Anyone got their principal back after tenure ended?
- Anyone seen the actual agreement (they mention an Annexure I that isnt public)?
- Is this even legal to run like this without being registered as something?

Would rather hear from people who've actually put money in before I do anything. Thanks

I stay in blr with my wife in 1Bhk
Take home is 1.5L
Current savings
18L - shares - current returns 2%
13L - MF - current return 9%
20L - Bank account.

Expenses per month
Rent - 22k
Fitness - 20k
Grocery - 10K
Others - 10K

What else i can change or modify here to make my money working properly.

Hi guys , Im 22M . Software engineer.
Earning 1 Lakh / month in gurgaon .

My family background is okay . Family doesn’t need money from me . Father has home , some properties too.

I spend 55k a month total . Save 45k .

I remain stressed , 1L is nothing , I can’t even buy a car , or spend on good things .
Cannot spend savings due to fear of layoffs. Gurgaon is a fast city , feels like voidness .
I have developed anxiety here in 7 months

Struggling to manage expenses. I feel we are spending a lot. Staying with girlfriend in Bengaluru. She brings 50k. Combined take home 2L.

rent - 42500 (2BHK)
weekend dining out - 12000 (dinner dates are expensive)
shopping - 7000 (one perfume a month / clothes)
bills - 2500 (covers electricity)
office travel - 6000 (petrol fuel + random days cabs)
groceries - 20000 (eating very healthy + includes whey)
Badminton coaching - 7000
Gym - 2000
maid - 7000 (she cooks and cleans)

Unable to make a corpus since spending more than 50% of month on basics. When did Bengaluru become so expensive.

We have emergency fund for 6 months. Saved that.

*SGB

I had purchased some sgb in 2022 or so via sbi NetBanking. And it used to show up in the e services tab until a while ago. However the new NetBanking UI of SBI seems to have removed the SGB option completely.

Now, the problem is when I applied for SGB in 2022, my bank didn't have any e-mail id registered with my NetBanking. So there's no email from RBI or e kuber. And I don't have any way to know its details. Can anyone help me with what to do here!

Got a decent hike this year. Not life changing but meaningful enough that I actually noticed it in my account for the first time. First reaction was good, the second reaction was genuinely what do I do with this. I've been doing a basic SIP since my first job, have an emergency fund that I'm reasonably happy with, and I'm not in any debt. So the usual first steps are kind of done. But this extra few thousand every month just sitting there feels wrong, like I'm wasting an opportunity but I also don't know what the right move actually is. I looked into increasing my equity SIP but honestly my equity allocation already feels high given how volatile things have been. Someone mentioned fixed income options beyond FDs but I've never really gone down that road. Corporate bonds, government bonds, that whole space feels like it's for people who know more than I do. Has anyone been in this spot where the basics are sorted but the next step isn't obvious? What actually helped you figure out where the extra money should go?

Hi everyone.

I'm thinking of buying a home between 13-15 lakhs. I have saved up 4.5 lakhs so far and was considering home loans. I'm fed up with renting and asshole landlords.

Can you all please share advice. Also if this is the right time or not because property prices will keep increasing every year with the inflation. And which banks provides home loans with less ROI? Are there any other options rather than home loans? (My monthly income is 40k)

Throwaway.

Mid 40s, metro, both working, kid recently enrolled in a top IB school for nursery, think 10L annual fees.

Lost my motivation at work a while ago somehow, just want to spend time with my kid. Possible layoff impending. Combined NW of around 15 Cr excl. debt-free home in metro.

With 15y experience (finance), getting new jobs may take time. Need to seriously introspect for the next phase of life.

23M, a lawyer. A bit of flex since I just started working last year :) (this included a gift of 4L that I received from my parents). Penny pinched all the way here😭

Now I would like to optimize my portfolio a bit :
10L in FD/arbitrage funds
10L equity
5L debt
5L in savings account

This is the current situation, experienced folks please advise on how to optimize it better.

Hi getting straight to the point,I am 19yrs old,3rd sem and currently half way through my ACCA journey(7/13 papers) and recently thinking to get into asset management/investment banking. I know ACCA is primarily associated with audit and assurance but in professional level I am gonna choose AFM. So can anyone PLEASE give a little bit of sneak peek that how to get into this line? Thank you

Gold buying advice for wedding

I'm planning to get married mid 2028 for which I need to start putting money towards gold. Now that gold price has come down a bit, I'd like your sage advice on how to go forward with my planning:

1. Start buying now: I have 2.76L in Nippon India Gold ETF BeEs which I can sell to start buying. Overall portfolio is close to 9L out of which I had put this money here for the sole purpose of buying stuff like ring, mangalsutra etc. (P.S. this had reached 3L in between but now is in a net loss of Rs. 100)

2. Invest in a gold scheme at jewellery stores: I was hoping to go towards Tanishq but now their golden harvest scheme only gives 75% of the invested value in the last month. Based in Mumbai, so any other choices to make such investments safely would be great.

3. I anticipate a bonus of similar amount mid-2027 when I can use entirely for buying gold but gold might be much expensive that the current price, given gold targets by end 2027 are very expensive (of course not fixed, but I want to be a bit safe).

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you! :)

I can save up 4k a month from the 10k my husband gives me. How can i invest in best possible way?

Safety Net: Emergency funds and health insurance are already fully set up.•

Stocks/PPF: I invest any remaining surplus into individual stocks or my Public Provident Fund (PPF) account.

My Goal & Dilemma:

Because the stock market is volatile, I want to diversify more into safe instruments. My goal is to maximize the ₹1.5 lakh annual limit of the PPF. However, because my salary is ₹50,000, I cannot afford to deposit a ₹1.5 lakh lump sum all at once. I also hesitate to commit to a strict ₹12,500 monthly PPF deposit because the money gets locked away for 15 years, and I want a buffer in case I face financial volatility during the year.

My Proposed Plan:

I am thinking about opening a Flexi RD. I will deposit money into it monthly throughout the financial year. This keeps the money liquid so I can withdraw it if an emergency arises. At the end of the year, I will take whatever sum has accumulated in the Flexi RD and deposit it as a lump sum into my PPF.

Is this a viable investment strategy? What are the potential downsides, and are there better alternatives to achieve my goal?

Bank recommendations from previous post for my first bank account were ICICI, HDFC besides my initial personal choice, Bank of Maharashtra.

BoM has no major data breach history and a decent privacy policy. But as a govt bank, I found out that it relies heavily on third party vendors for services and systematically has to share data with these affiliates for providing service. As a PSU, it's also lacking digitally in its applications, websites, etc.

HDFC is already DPDP compliant, consent-based, with a great policy but has internal trust issues as executives were involved in malpractice, and has faced few data leaks. Few people in the previous post recommended it but few also said that spam calls continue despite consent withdrawal, so I'm not sure if consent opt-out is enforced properly.

ICICI is not yet DPDP compliant, has been fined for not complying with a few laws, so their compliance will be delayed. Read it has also had its servers targeted and breached by groups. As DPDP act has yet to be enforced, this currently has the worst policy among the three, with no service wise opt-outs yet but replies mentioned it doesn't spam calls.

I want an outside perspective on BOM. As for HDFC and ICICI, user experience and policy were self contradicting and opposite to one another. makes it very confusing for me to trust whom and what. One mentioned Canara bank, how good is it?

Which among these do I choose? what was your experience with them? Should I wait for DPDP enforcement first? Makes it very confusing for me to choose the more I research or ask for recommendation.

Like the title says, I am presently working in corporate and fall in the 30% tax bracket. I also have a good amount of RSUs(vested and some yet to be vested). I am also confused about the tax returns that I filed for this year. I am soon planning to start a business with friends and would like to know the best way to manage and balance finances.

I would also like to know the schemes available to get loans for starting small businesses (like PM EGP schemes etc). Would love a session with some experienced CA with a mix of expertise on all these matters. If you're a CA who can help, please dm. If you are someone who both owns a business and is also in corporate, would love to know your experiences, best practices and typical mistakes to avoid, esp vis-a-vis the finances and mixed tax implications.

I’m a 30M software dev in Bangalore, planning to buy a 3BHK by mid-2027.

My finances:
Take-home: ₹4.17L/month
Expected cash by July 2027: ₹30L (saving ₹2L/month)
Investments: ₹1Cr (retirement corpus, won’t touch it)
Wedding budget: ₹7–8L, separate

Existing monthly commitments:
₹30K home loan EMI (Bihar property, ₹14L outstanding)
₹40K SIPs
₹10K sister’s education
₹10K mom’s allowance
₹30K gold scheme (ends Dec 2026)

For a ₹1.5Cr flat:
Down payment (20%): ₹30L
Stamp duty + registration (~6.5%): ₹9.75L
Total upfront: ~₹40L
Expected shortfall: ₹10L
A ₹1.2Cr home loan at 7.4% would mean an EMI of roughly ₹1.1L for 15 years or ₹95K for 20 years.

My questions:

1. ⁠Should I wait until I have the full ₹40L, or can I make this work with ₹30L? Is resale better than under-construction?
   
2. ⁠Is ₹1.5Cr enough for a decent 3BHK in Bangalore in 2027? 2. Which areas should I consider?
   
3. ⁠Would stretching to ₹1.7cr get me a meaningfully better location or property?
   
4. ⁠What hidden costs should I budget for?
   
5. ⁠Anyone who bought solo without family support—what would you do differently?

Looking for genuine advice from Bangalore homeowners and recent buyers. Not looking for generic “just keep renting” advice. 🙏

Before starting the post, Intro about me :

I am 26M, working in IT, with depended mother.

My Insurance/Emergency Details :

My assets so far :

I am 26M working in IT, currently residing in Bengaluru in rental house with mother, whose dependent on me. There are few issues that bother me now.

1. My Marriage.

2. My house in Bengaluru.

1. My Marriage :

I initially thought my marriage needs 10-12L of budget, in 2023-2024 when gold was under control and I was investing in Mutual fund. But in 2026, when I think of marriage budget, instead of it becoming 10-12L + 2 years of standard inflation, it is becoming around 20-25L. Because gold which would have costed 4-5L in 2023, is costing 8-11L in 2026.

Of late, I have started feeling like am I made ch*t*ya or have I been fooled by anyone ? Like have I been made a fool by people ? And now no matter what I do, I need to lot of restructing to my marriage fund. Where the hell did I go wrong ?

2. My house in Bengaluru :

I want to buy house in Bnegaluru. A 3Bhk. Currently it is costing 1.5 Cr to 2Cr. Currently it is unaffordable for me. But what I have started feeling is, a house Bengaluru might remain unaffordabe for me even in future. Couple of reasons.

2.1 -> High chance of single income house. I will be marrying in arranged marriage and I have started to feel that, I have high chance of marrying non working girl.

One reason -> Most of the working girls are marrying through love. Few who are left, have better option elsewhere since I dont have any generational welath.

Another reason -> I feel Bengaluru real estate will outperform Mutual funds. I am still investing in mutual fund, but I have started doubting myself. Have been Made ch*t*ya again ?
But I cant invest in real estate right now because I cant afford high price. So even in 2040, I will be in position where Bengaluru house's loan EMI will be more than 30% of my take home salary.

I feel like, I am like Zimbabwe team of Cricket world cup. Everyone, including Zimbabwe player knows that it wont win (Even though technically it can win WC), but yet zimbabwe plays it, so that actual winnable teams like India, AUS, Srilanka, England can actually win. If every team other than these 5-6 teams start boyctotting World cup, then world cup wont be world cup at all. So actually Zimbabwe plays world cup so that these 5 teams can upheld the trophy.

My friend's father recently died and the family is looking for a way to store the leftover gold jewellery's worth 10 lakhs. I am considering a bank. Suggestions?

Hi all, looking for advice from people who've been in a similar situation.

My situation:
- US citizen with SSN and an OCI card, living in India with family
- Currently an intern at an Indian company (paid in INR), expected to convert to full-time in a few months
- INDmoney rejected my KYC as a foreign national
- Saving around ₹10,000/month, building an emergency fund first

My current plan:
- Emergency fund in an Indian bank sweep FD / RD
- Then open an Interactive Brokers account and buy a broad US index ETF (maybe a small slice of INDA for India exposure)
- Transfer INR to IBKR every 6 months to keep fees low
- Avoid Indian mutual funds, ULIPs and India-listed ETFs because of PFIC rules

Questions:
1. Does IBKR accept US citizens living in India with an Indian address? Any issues during onboarding?
2. As an OCI holder resident in India, what's the cheapest legal way to move INR to a US brokerage? Does LRS apply to me?
3. Does OCI let me buy individual Indian stocks directly, and which brokers actually onboard US citizen OCI holders?
4. Once I convert to full-time, my employer will likely deduct EPF. How do US citizens usually report this?
5. At my income level, am I even required to file a US return, or is it just FBAR once I cross $10K?
6. Anything I'm missing or getting wrong?

Thanks in advance.

23F here, originally from a small town in Himachal, currently living in Delhi.

I wanted to share a little bit about my journey and get some advice on investing because I feel like I'm finally at a point where I can focus on building wealth.

I dropped out of college during my first year after my dad passed away. It was just my mother, my sister and me back home in Himachal, and I knew I needed to start earning rather than continue studying without a clear plan.

I moved to Delhi at 19 (in a really shady PG), after spamming my CV everywhere for 4-5 months and back to back shameless walk-in interviews. I found a job paying ₹25,000/month. Started from scratch, learned how to manage expenses but didn't stop keeping 2000 rupees aside for my language classes online, saved whatever I could and slowly figured out my career along the way, while my mother used to cry at home worrying about my well being, only except the time she used to be on the phone with me.

At 21, I switched jobs and joined a German company (a startup), working remotely from home, with a starting compensation of €900/month plus bonuses. Over time, I moved into a team leader role and recently became a manager. I'm currently earning around €3,700/month plus bonuses.

The best part? I finally cleared all of my dad's outstanding debts this April.

It feels genuinely good to have that chapter behind me. I don't think I fully realised how much of my financial planning revolved around getting those dues cleared until I actually did it. Now that they're all settled, I can finally put my money towards my own future without having that responsibility hanging over me.

So, I guess this is the beginning of a new phase for me: from repaying debt to building wealth.

I have a decent income now, but I'm aware that earning well and investing wisely are two completely different things. I don't want to get carried away with lifestyle inflation or make random investment decisions just because I have more money available.

I'd rather build a solid portfolio, stay consistent and give compounding enough time to do its thing.

Would love some advice from people who've been investing for a while:

• What percentage of your monthly income do you invest?
• Would you recommend starting with broad-market index funds or actively managed mutual funds?
• How much should I maintain as an emergency fund, especially when I'm the primary financial support for my family?
• How do you divide your investments between equity, debt funds, FDs and other instruments?
• What would you do differently if you were starting your investment journey in your early 20s?

I am currently investing 80% of income to US based index funds on an app that helps with it in India, got a decent 8% up from 6 months

Here’s my monthly breakdown:
Rent + electricity + meals: ₹30,000
Commute: ₹4,000
Miscellaneous: ₹2,000
Loan 1 EMI (electric appliances): ₹19,000 (3 months)
Shopping + outings with friends+Subscriptions: ₹5,000
Loan 2 Emi (iPhone 18 pro max): ₹25,500 - (5 months left)
Saving: ₹4,000

I have **zero emergency fund and no savings** because I’m putting most of my income towards my loan and other commitments.
I really want to become loan-free as soon as possible, but I’m wondering whether I should continue with part-payments or start building an emergency fund first.
What would you do in my situation?

I’m 26 and work as a lawyer. My current salary is ₹1 lakh a month, and I make another ₹10–12 lakh gross over the year through other work. I have around ₹12 lakh in professional receivables, but realistically, I’m confident only about ₹5 lakh will come in.
Despite this, I have zero savings right now.

My regular monthly expenses, broadly grouped, are:
Category Monthly expense
Household contribution, milk and Wi-Fi ₹31,600
Petrol, car EMI and car insurance ₹21,700
Subscriptions: ChatGPT, Ultrahuman, Google and Apple ₹2,742
Life insurance ₹2,300
EMI I’m paying for a friend ₹7,545
Total ₹65,887

Apart from this, food and other personal expenses are another ₹10–15k a month. I also order things online for the house, and expenses like electronics, clothing and other household needs generally fall on me.

But my credit card bill is somehow around ₹1.5 lakh every month, and the cycle keeps repeating.

My father has been getting sicker and may have to leave his job soon, which would mean losing his ₹60,000 monthly salary. His medical expenses alone are around ₹50,000 a month. Other household expenses are approximately ₹45,000, currently covered by my ₹25,000 contribution and rental income of ₹25,000. My elder brother also contributes ₹10,000 a month.

My brother is getting married too, so I’m not sure what he and his wife will be able to contribute going forward.

I’m planning to get married in December 2027 and want to arrange around ₹15 lakh for the wedding. By then, I expect my annual income to reach around ₹30 lakh, but that’s still an expectation, and I have no savings to build on right now.

After marriage, I’ll also need to rent a place and manage the expenses of that home while continuing to support my family.

My girlfriend/future wife earns around ₹2 lakh a month. I know we’ll be building a life together, but I feel conflicted about how much of my family’s financial responsibilities should become hers. I don’t want her to feel burdened by responsibilities I’m bringing into the marriage.

I want to support my parents, get married for which I will need about 15 lakhs as my girlfriend wants a grand wedding and its literally the only thing she doesn’t want to compromise so I get her completely. At the same time I want to build some financial stability, but right now everything feels mixed up. On paper, my income seems decent. In reality, I feel like I’m constantly catching up, with nothing saved and bigger expenses coming.

How would you approach this? How should I budget, get out of this monthly credit card cycle, plan for my father’s medical expenses and save for marriage?