What Kinds of Investment Options Available in India

However the last few decades witnessed a complete change in the nature of functioning of the financial market. An array of new products was introduced by both financial institutes and banks that simply lured the many investors to invest in them because of the numerous advantages that each product offered. Be it life insurance policies, Exchange Traded Funds infrastructure bonds, fixed deposits, mutual funds etc each product or scheme is unique and meets the needs of either your long term or short term goals.Below is a list of the different investment options offered in India.Bank Fixed Deposits, [Term Deposit]Bank fixed deposits are one of the most popular investment options in India. This type of investment is one of the oldest and safest in the country. Usually in the case of a bank Fixed Deposit Scheme a certain amount of money is deposited in a particular bank for a specific duration on which the depositor receives a fixed rate of interest. Fixed deposits are ideal for long term investments. Mostly young people deposit in such schemes till the age of retirement so that they are eligible for a regular income when they need it most. The best thing about this investment option is that it is extremely safe, liquid and also yields high returns.Recurring Bank Deposit Saving SchemeRecurring Bank Deposit Schemes are also another good investment option in India. In order to invest in a Recurring Bank Deposit Saving Scheme you will have to invest a specific sum of money in a bank on a monthly basis. On this investment you will be receiving a fixed rate of interest from the bank every month. These types of investments have a fixed tenure and at the end of the tenure you receive the principle amount plus the interest earned.ETFs (Exchange Traded Fund)Among the latest investment options in the country Exchange Traded Fund or ETFs are known for their high returns yielding nature. Since the product is relatively new people are still a little apprehensive about investing in these types of funds however investing in Exchange Traded Funds are extremely beneficial in the long run.ELSS (Equity Linked Savings Scheme) Over the years Equity Linked Savings Schemes have gained immense popularity in the Indian financial market. Equity Linked Savings Scheme is a mutual fund investment option that invests in stocks and equity related stocks. Most Equity Linked Savings Schemes have a lock in period of three years which only benefits investors from yielding benefits and also getting tax exemptions.Life Insurance PlansInvesting in life insurance policies is one of the major investment options in India. LIC in India has almost synonymous with life insurance for its many life insurance policies. There are different types of life insurance plans like whole-life insurance, joint-life-insurance, pension-life-insurance etc that you can select from. It is believed that life insurance policies are best suited for people with families. The returns yielded from a life insurance policy depending on the type of plan can be used for numerous reasons like child’s education, business expansion or children’s’ marriage. Some of the companies offering life insurance plans include; Life Insurance Corporation of India, Kotak Life Insurance Reliance Life Insurance Company, Tata AIG Life Insurance etc.Post Office SavingsOne of the most important investment options in India is investing in the numerous products introduced by the post office. The many different post offices in India offer a gamut of investment products that meet the needs and requirements of one and all. Even the lower income groups can invest in the many post office schemes. Some of the popular post office savings options include;
Post Office Recurring Deposits
National Savings Scheme [NSS]
Public Provident Funds [PPF ]
Post Office Monthly Income Scheme [Post office MIS ]
National Savings Certificates [NSC ]
Post Office Time Deposits
Kisan Vikas Patra – [KVP ]
Investing in Gold Investing gold is nothing new to India. People in this part of the sub continent have been investing in gold since decades now. Gold is one of the safest investments options and can really prove beneficial in times of economic crisis. Gold can be considered to be a long term investment. Investing in gold can be used for several purposes like your child’s marriage etc. The price of gold from the last few years has been rising continuously even during recession the price seemed to have increased at a rate of 19.30 percent.Mutual FundsMutual Funds are another popular investment option that have gained immense foothold in the Indian financial market over the last few years. ‘You can invest on both short and long term mutual funds. The one thing that is really good about investing in mutual funds is that you can invest small sums at a time. Mutual funds do not necessarily require lump sum investments. Most of the financial companies and banks today offer a diversified portfolio of mutual fund investment products. Investing in mutual funds is also less risky as compared to investing in stocks. This kind of investment option also has the tendency of fetching extremely high returns. However the amount that the investor will get as returns is unpredictable and depends totally on the situation of the market.StocksInvesting in stocks is one of the most beneficial Investment options in India. According to market trends it is seen that investing in equity shares fetch as much as 26.5 percent higher returns in a period of 5 years when compared to fixed deposits of the same tenure. Even when the investment is made for the longer period it still reaps higher returns. Investing in stocks is also a better option as compared to investing in real estate or gold.The Indian financial market is flooded with a host of investment options that not only fetch returns but also save you from paying huge amounts as taxes.

Business Loans In Canada: Financing Solutions Via Alternative Finance & Traditional Funding

Business loans and finance for a business just may have gotten good again? The pursuit of credit and funding of cash flow solutions for your business often seems like an eternal challenge, even in the best of times, let alone any industry or economic crisis. Let’s dig in.

Since the 2008 financial crisis there’s been a lot of change in finance options from lenders for corporate loans. Canadian business owners and financial managers have excess from everything from peer-to-peer company loans, varied alternative finance solutions, as well of course as the traditional financing offered by Canadian chartered banks.

Those online business loans referenced above are popular and arose out of the merchant cash advance programs in the United States. Loans are based on a percentage of your annual sales, typically in the 15-20% range. The loans are certainly expensive but are viewed as easy to obtain by many small businesses, including retailers who sell on a cash or credit card basis.

Depending on your firm’s circumstances and your ability to truly understand the different choices available to firms searching for SME COMMERCIAL FINANCE options. Those small to medium sized companies ( the definition of ‘ small business ‘ certainly varies as to what is small – often defined as businesses with less than 500 employees! )

How then do we create our road map for external financing techniques and solutions? A simpler way to look at it is to categorize these different financing options under:

Debt / Loans

Asset Based Financing

Alternative Hybrid type solutions

Many top experts maintain that the alternative financing solutions currently available to your firm, in fact are on par with Canadian chartered bank financing when it comes to a full spectrum of funding. The alternative lender is typically a private commercial finance company with a niche in one of the various asset finance areas

If there is one significant trend that’s ‘ sticking ‘it’s Asset Based Finance. The ability of firms to obtain funding via assets such as accounts receivable, inventory and fixed assets with no major emphasis on balance sheet structure and profits and cash flow ( those three elements drive bank financing approval in no small measure ) is the key to success in ABL ( Asset Based Lending ).

Factoring, aka ‘ Receivable Finance ‘ is the other huge driver in trade finance in Canada. In some cases, it’s the only way for firms to be able to sell and finance clients in other geographies/countries.

The rise of ‘ online finance ‘ also can’t be diminished. Whether it’s accessing ‘ crowdfunding’ or sourcing working capital term loans, the technological pace continues at what seems a feverish pace. One only has to read a business daily such as the Globe & Mail or Financial Post to understand the challenge of small business accessing business capital.

Business owners/financial mgrs often find their company at a ‘ turning point ‘ in their history – that time when financing is needed or opportunities and risks can’t be taken. While putting or getting new equity in the business is often impossible, the reality is that the majority of businesses with SME commercial finance needs aren’t, shall we say, ‘ suited’ to this type of funding and capital raising. Business loan interest rates vary with non-traditional financing but offer more flexibility and ease of access to capital.

We’re also the first to remind clients that they should not forget govt solutions in business capital. Two of the best programs are the GovernmentSmall Business Loan Canada (maximum availability = $ 1,000,000.00) as well as the SR&ED program which allows business owners to recapture R&D capital costs. Sred credits can also be financed once they are filed.

Those latter two finance alternatives are often very well suited to business start up loans. We should not forget that asset finance, often called ‘ ABL ‘ by those Bay Street guys, can even be used as a loan to buy a business.

If you’re looking to get the right balance of liquidity and risk coupled with the flexibility to grow your business seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor with a track record of business finance success who can assist you with your funding needs.

Can Nutritional Supplements Help You Look Younger?

Why do we need nutritional supplements? Many of us, in today’s hurried lifestyle, do not eat a well balanced diet. Because of this we need nutritional supplements to boost our daily diet. We have seen numerous commercials for overweight bodies. When was the last time you saw a commercial about getting nutritional supplements, not just broad spectrum vitamins? We have become a nation of over fed and under nourished citizens.Eating the right foods is great…BUT. The nutritional value of our food has diminished considerably in the last 50 or so years and this makes it necessary to take nutritional supplements. Our diet contains too much refined food and not enough pre-processed food. Unless you grow your own fruits and vegetables you will need to get your nutrients from another source, like nutritional supplements.Nutritional supplements fill the holes that processed foods leave in our diet. Not having enough vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants,
Speeds the aging process
Contributes to poor cardiovascular health
Helps cause poor eyesight
Produces a weakened immune system.
Many factors cause degeneration of your body’s cells. Some factors are
Radiation exposure
Cigarette smoke
Overexposure to the sun’s rays.
Some nutritional supplements work at cell level, some do not. Make sure your nutritional supplements work at cell level. The nutritional supplements must contain enough vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to supplement our daily diet. Combining a good diet with nutritional supplements and regular exercise will provide us with the basics to fuel our bodies. Adding nutritional supplements and exercise to our busy lives will give us more energy. The use of nutritional supplements can also slow the aging process.For the past 5 years or so we have heard much about antioxidants and free radicals, and for a good reason. If the free radicals in our systems are not neutralized they will run rampant in our bodies. The free radicals will damage our bodies at the cellular level. Here is where nutritional supplements can help. This damage over time will escalate and eventually lead to the acceleration of the aging process. The aging process usually manifests itself as heart disease, cancer, or osteoporosis. Diets alone do not supply enough antioxidants to combat this process. That is why your nutritional supplement must contain these antioxidants.Health and nutrition experts say that the basis for good cardiovascular health is a nutrient rich diet, exercise, watching your cholesterol level, and monitoring your blood pressure. The cholesterol and blood pressure levels should be periodically checked by your health provider. Nutritional supplements added to your diet can help improve these factors. Your nutritional supplements should contain a garlic extract (unless you are a garlic lover like me and eat it every day!). Garlic has been shown to be of great benefit in decreasing cardiovascular disease.Nearly all eye damage and loss of vision can be linked to poor nutrition! Poor nutrition can be directly linked to blood shot eyes, blurred vision, and nearly EVERY eye irritation we suffer. Nutritional supplements can help here too. To help reduce vision problems the nutritional supplements needs to contain Vitamins A, B, C, and E, in large enough quantities. Natural food sources for these are in dark green leafy vegetables (Kale and mustard greens, etc) orange fruits and vegetables (like carrots and oranges).I have only listed just a few factors here to show how important nutritional supplements are. Nutritional supplements are normally a combination of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Taking one of the nutrients (like Vitamin C for example) and or one antioxidant and ignoring the rest isn’t good. The vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants all work together to promote a healthy body.Get a list of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from your health care provider. Armed with this information read the labels of the nutritional supplements that you are considering (check several). Your health is too important to not check these. Get high quality nutritional supplements and you are on your way to a healthier life!Find a game plan and if it works, stick with it. I did!