Step-by-step beginner guide to investing in Indian stocks in 2026 — demat account setup, broker comparison, how trades work, realistic returns, taxes, and 7 mistakes to avoid.
T+1 equity settlement India: full rollout January 2023, first major market globally. Working day calculation, what is settled when, T+0 pilot coming, FAQs.
Consolidated Account Statement (CAS) free monthly email showing all your MF + demat holdings in one document. How to read, use for ITR, detect fraud.
e-Insurance Account (eIA) holds all your insurance policies digitally – one dashboard for life, health, motor, home. IRDAI mandated default electronic from Oct 2024.
Demat account becomes dormant after 12 months no transactions; frozen after 24 months. Holdings safe but trading blocked. Reactivation steps, prevention strategy, IEPF risk.
UPI Lite on-device wallet for small PIN-less payments: Rs 5,000 max balance, Rs 1,000 per tx. Faster than UPI, offline-capable. When to use vs regular UPI.
Digital Rupee (e-Rs) is RBI-issued CBDC, digital cash with sovereign backing. Different from UPI (bank-deposit) and crypto (no issuer). Use cases, taxes, FAQs.
Loan against MF (9-11%), PPF (8.1%), and gold (9-15%): rates, LTV, speed, process compared. Cheaper than personal loans (15-20%). Worked example for Rs 5L need.
Insurance premium above Rs 5 lakh aggregate makes maturity taxable (Budget 2023 for non-ULIP policies). ULIPs: Rs 2.5L threshold. Death benefit always tax-free.
EPF interest on contributions above Rs 2.5L per FY is taxable (Budget 2021 rule). EPFO splits into Account-1 tax-free and Account-2 taxable. Strategy + worked examples.
Mutual fund STP and SWP tax treatment: each installment is a redemption event. Strategic SWP from equity funds for tax-free income up to Rs 1.25L LTCG exemption.
MUDRA loan up to Rs 20 lakh under new Tarun Plus category (Budget 2024). 4 categories explained, eligibility, rates, documents, application channels, CGTMSE.