Investors and advisors alike have been very unkind to this Thirteen Lakh Crore category of Mutual Funds, because of one of its sub categories: Credit Risk Funds, managed by Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund.

Many individuals have become extremely careful about their personal finance in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic and mounting concerns about possible job and pay cuts. Many of them have suddenly turned enthusiastic investors.

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The PFRDA, in a circular dated April 9, 2020, has declared coronavirus infection as a critical illness that is life-threatening in nature. Accordingly, partial withdrawal from NPS has been allowed for covering expenses related to the treatment of COVID-19.

Credit risk funds have always been vulnerable to its investments of up to 65% (and more) in the lower-rated instruments. To earn higher returns than the rest of the debt categories, the fund manager buys high-yielding, low credit quality bonds.

For complete protection from rising medical costs, one needs both indemnity as well as defined-benefit type of health plans.

Each scheme has a specific investment objective that tells investors what the scheme aims to achieve - it can be capital appreciation, regular income, liquidity etc.

To talk about investments in parlance with football; an investment without a goal is like a game of football with one - it'll basically have no meaning.

Whatever level of an investor you fall under, knowing what 'not' to do, could help you figure your route to investing in equities.

Trampoline competitors go through stringent training to attempt complex maneuvers which, if not done with a strategy in place, could lead to accidents and falls.

The two primary forms of growth of a mutual fund scheme is either the growth of the Net Asset Value (NAV) or if the fund regularly declares dividends.

A multi-cap mutual fund scheme or a diversified equity mutual fund scheme typically invests in stocks across market capitalizations, sectors and styles of investment.

If you're wondering what could be common between a game of relay and a cyclical mutual fund, there are quite a few to state.

Equities are true blue wealth creators in the long term - this is probably the most preached mantra, but seldom practiced!

An alternate option, in this case are Equity Linked Saving Schemes (ELSS) or tax-planning mutual funds as they are popularly known.

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan gave data according to which as many as 13,665 complaints were received in 2019 (till October 31), while 17,379 complaints were received in 2018.

Nine Indian fishermen who were allegedly harassed and not paid by their employer in Yemen for nearly a year have escaped that country by stealing their employer's boat and sailing for Kochi, a peril-filled voyage of than 3,000 km of open sea, according to the families of two of the fishermen.

Kuwait has announced an amnesty till April 30 for those who do not have valid residency permits in the country. The initiative allows such people to leave the country without paying any fines.

Millions of foreigners work in the United Arab Emirates and across the other wealthy Gulf nations, providing the backbone of the workforce in hospitals and banks, as well as on construction sites and in factories.

"It is informed that the Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India, Dubai, have started a database to register Indians wishing to travel back to India under COVID-19 situation. The details can be entered through the website of the Embassy by following the link 'Register in Database of Indians to Travel Back to India under COVID-19 situation'," India in Dubai tweeted.

Within minutes, the site faced technical issues, prompting the missions to delete the tweet about it and repost it hours later. In a tweet posted in the wee hours of Thursday, the Indian Consulate asked applicants "to bear with it if it takes time for the page to load due to high traffic.

The Indian nationals cleared by the UAE health authorities and found to be asymptomatic will only be allowed to fly back home in one of India's biggest ever repatriation exercises, the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi has said ahead of the first set of flights on Thursday.

The Council also confirmed that the clause of ‘Force Majeure’ will not apply in case of COVID-19 death claims. This step was taken to reassure customers who had reached out to individual life insurance companies seeking clarity on this clause.

"To support customers during this time where their car/bike will not be in use, Acko General Insurance has decided to not charge insurance for one month and has announced an industry-first initiative that gives a one-month insurance extension to car and bike owners," Acko General said.

Where unit-linked policies mature and fund value is to be paid in lumpsum, Life Insurers may offer staggered settlement option to policyholders. This onetime option is regardless of whether such option exists or not in the specific product.

Generally, every year in March the health insurance industry witnesses a higher growth in the sale of health insurance policies. This is because people normally rush to buy policies before the end of the financial year to save tax.

Spurred by the insurance regulator to come up with Covid-specific products, several such plans have flooded the market in the past month or so from players such as Star Health & Allied Insurance, Bharti AXA Health Insurance, etc.

The policy does not stay in force unless renewed. This means any claim filed during the grace period is not considered by the insurer for the settlement. It is advisable to renew the policy before the renewal date is missed or the grace period starts

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has issued norms for general and health insurers for quick settlement of claims filed by policyholders for coronavirus (COVID-19) disease/infection.

An individual looking to buy health insurance cover has to make two decisions. The first is whether the entire family needs insurance and the second is about the type of health policy to buy.

Medical insurance should be typically taken for at least one year to cater to any health issue which could commence during the lockdown but extend beyond. However, insurers can also tailor health policies to suit the budgets of small enterprises.

You may now get the option from your insurer to pay your health insurance premiums on a monthly, quarterly or half-yearly basis in addition to the current option of paying premiums on an annual basis amid coronavirus outbreak.

The latest circular by the regulator will help enable the policy purchase and KYC fulfillment process in a distance mode where customers can do it from the comfort of their houses just with the click of a button.

Due to the prevailing COVID 19 outbreak, the need for prolonged hospitalisation of almost 2 weeks pushes the claims costs. These factors are likely to influence the pricing of health insurance in the coming years.

Notably, Bharti AXA General Insurance’s proposal for a usage-based motor insurance product was shortlisted by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India for its regulatory sandbox project.

Times may seem bleak, but this too shall pass, and when it does, we will need to get ready for life to return to normalcy. Part of this normalcy will be finances, and for life to move on, it's crucial to make sure savings have not been eaten away through avoidable medical expenses.

The temporary suspension of immigration will affect those who are legally seeking entry into the United States for employment but it will not impact the ones who are already living in the country, the order said.

Trump has sought a review of the non-immigrant programs, which includes the popular H-1Bs.

President Donald Trump's executive order to temporarily halt issuance of green cards aims to "turn off the faucet" of new immigrant labour and is the beginning of a broader strategy to reduce the flow of foreigners into the US.

Trump’s move, a clear attempt to bolster his base ahead of the US election, shakes the very foundation of the image of America in the minds of many. This is a country where the immigrant story has had its fullest most Technicolor rendition, where politicians routinely boast about their immigrant roots.

H-1B visa recipients can remain in the country legally for 60 days without being paid.

The US government has given a grace period of 60 days to H-1B visa holders and Green Card applicants.

The Home Ministry also said it has kept in abeyance multiple-entry life-long visas given to Overseas Citizens of India card holders till international travel remains suspended.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) argued that the American technology workers, who had challenged the 2015 ruling on giving work permits to H-4 visa-holders, have not been irreparably harmed by such work authorisation.

All existing visas issued to nationals of any country who have not yet entered India, will remain suspended till prohibition on international air travel of passengers from/to India is lifted. Exceptions include Visa issued to diplomats, official passport holders, those in UN/international organisations, and those on Employment and Project visas.

They have also asked for the suspension of the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme which lets foreign students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) work in the United States for up to three years after graduating. In 2019, over 223,000 people had their OPTs approved or extended.

IT service companies and consultancies, which normally place people at third-party locations, reported higher visa denial rates than US technology firms, as has been the case over the past few quarters. Cognizant (60 per cent), Infosys (59 per cent) and Deloitte (40 per cent) had the highest number of denials in the top 25 list.

Millions of Indian workers are staring at an uncertain future as Covid shuttered businesses and crashed oil.

An NRI is spared tax on income outside India. A resident is required to pay tax on global earnings.

"CBDT may need to clarify reporting requirement for unlisted equity shares in foreign companies for NR/NOR,” said Sonu Iyer, tax partner and people advisory services leader at EY India.