https://capitalverdict.com/guides/ Plain-language guides to big money decisions in India, worked through with the same maths as the CapitalVerdict calculators. en-in https://capitalverdict.com/guides/step-up-sip/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/step-up-sip/ Raising a ₹10,000 SIP by 10% every year nearly doubles what you keep after 15 years. Most of the gain comes from putting in more, and the rest from giving it longer to grow. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/swp-in-retirement/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/swp-in-retirement/ An SWP pays you a monthly income from a mutual fund. With the income rising 6% a year, ₹50 lakh at 10% a year can pay about ₹26,400 a month for 25 years. Worked through, with the tax. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/car-loan-or-cash/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/car-loan-or-cash/ A car loan is worth taking only if your savings earn more than the loan really costs. With a processing fee, that is more than the quoted rate. And a flat rate hides the real one. Worked examples. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/fd-real-return-after-tax-and-inflation/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/fd-real-return-after-tax-and-inflation/ A 7% fixed deposit sounds safe and steady. After tax at the higher slabs and 6% inflation, it can lose buying power every year. Here is the arithmetic for each slab. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/how-mutual-fund-gains-are-taxed/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/how-mutual-fund-gains-are-taxed/ Equity fund gains are taxed when you sell, at 20% if held a year or less and 12.5% above ₹1.25 lakh a year if held longer. Worked examples, including a SIP. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/is-12-lakh-income-tax-free/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/is-12-lakh-income-tax-free/ Under the new regime, taxable income up to ₹12 lakh pays no tax, and a salary up to ₹12.75 lakh with it. Just above, marginal relief stops the tax jumping. Here is the arithmetic. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/is-a-5-star-ac-worth-it/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/is-a-5-star-ac-worth-it/ An efficient AC saves electricity every summer, but costs more up front. Whether it pays back depends mostly on how much you run it. Worked through with the star label's own numbers. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/lower-emi-or-shorter-loan/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/lower-emi-or-shorter-loan/ When you prepay a home loan, the bank asks whether to cut your EMI or the number of EMIs. Keeping the EMI saves far more interest. Here is by how much, and when lowering the EMI still makes sense. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/old-or-new-tax-regime-2026-27/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/old-or-new-tax-regime-2026-27/ The new regime is the default and often wins. The old one wins only above a certain level of deductions. Here is how to find yours, with worked examples. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/plot-vs-mutual-fund/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/plot-vs-mutual-fund/ A plot's price may double, but stamp duty, holding costs, selling costs and tax take a large share. Compared with an FD and an equity fund, a ₹20 lakh plot needs to grow over 11% a year to keep up. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/prepay-home-loan-or-invest/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/prepay-home-loan-or-invest/ Prepaying earns exactly your loan rate, risk-free. Investing has to beat that after tax. Worked through for a ₹40 lakh loan with ₹5 lakh to spare, including the effect of a tax deduction. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/sip-vs-ppf-15-years/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/sip-vs-ppf-15-years/ PPF is tax-free and certain; an equity SIP can grow more but is taxed and can fall. Compared after tax, the SIP needs a fund return above about 7.8% a year to come out ahead. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/break-even-the-number-to-ask-for/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/break-even-the-number-to-ask-for/ Whenever you pay more now to save later, ask how many months it takes to get the extra back, counting what that money could have earned. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/is-rooftop-solar-worth-it/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/is-rooftop-solar-worth-it/ Rooftop solar pays back through the units it saves you from buying. How fast depends on your bill, your tariff slab and what happens to units you export. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/lucknow-cng-107-october-2026/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/lucknow-cng-107-october-2026/ Green Gas Limited's price page lists CNG in Lucknow at ₹107.00 a kg from 3 October 2026. Here is what it does to the CNG car's payback. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/rent-or-buy-the-maths-people-skip/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/rent-or-buy-the-maths-people-skip/ Comparing EMI with rent misses half the picture. A fair comparison follows both households and invests whatever the cheaper one saves. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/todays-rupees/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/todays-rupees/ Future amounts look large because prices rise in the meantime. Converting them to today's rupees makes long-term comparisons honest. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/when-does-a-cng-car-pay-back/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/when-does-a-cng-car-pay-back/ A CNG car costs more to buy and less to run. Here is how to work out when the saving covers the extra price, and when it never does. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://capitalverdict.com/guides/where-your-emi-goes/ https://capitalverdict.com/guides/where-your-emi-goes/ In the early years of a home loan most of each EMI is interest. Here is the arithmetic, and what a yearly prepayment does to it. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT