Wednesday 6 January 2016

Working to a Plan


The most important point in financial planning is that one must start early. Consider this example: Rahul and Samir have been friends for a long time. They are of the same age. Rahul started investing Rs 10,000 every month at the age of 25 while Samir started at 35. At 55 years of age, when both plan to retire, Rahul's corpus would grow to Rs 2.27 crore assuming returns of 10 per cent a year while Samir would have just Rs 76.50 lakh. A small amount invested over a longer period will have a big impact on one's portfolio. It cannot be compensated even by doubling the investment
However, not all youngsters are in the mood to save when they start their career. Their pay cheque may not be fat, but they do not have many responsibilities at this stage. That is why the urge to spend is high considering that they are tasting financial independence for the first time.
Right age
Contrary to popular belief, financial planning is for all age groups. While the young have to plan for their entire life, the middle-aged have to ensure they don't fall short of money after retirement.
Irrespective of the age, there are some problems we can face anytime. The relevance of a financial plan is fully understood when you start to put your entire future in perspective, emotional as well as financial. The plan should primarily answer three questions. Where you are today, where do you want to be tomorrow and what you must do to get there. A financial plan helps you deal with the effect of inflation and build a retirement corpus. It may also prevent straining of finances during unforeseen events such as medical emergencies.
There is no minimum amount you need to start saving. You can start with as low as Rs 500 every month, which if invested over the next 25 years could fetch Rs 12.75 lakh at maturity assuming a modest return of 12 per cent.
Four-point check list
Simple way to start would be to have a four-point checklist. The first step should be to keep track of income and expenses through a simple budgeting exercise. The cash flow exercise helps in reduction of debt, saving efficiently for goals and taking investment decisions. It is absolutely essential unless you are among those who have received a seven-figure inheritance. A surplus will indicate that you have extra money to invest while a shortfall will show your liabilities. In short, it will illustrate your financial behavior and what your future may look like if you stay on your current path.
The second step is to identify and prioritize goals. Identify the goals, how far they are in the future and their cost in today's terms
Now, make your money work for you, by developing an investment plan. Once you have identified your goals and mapped them to the time horizon, you can develop an investment plan by choosing products that match your risk-taking ability.

Last are investment avenues. Mutual funds, bonds and public provident fund are most effective ways to implement a financial plan. However, the investment should be based on one's risk profile and be spread across different assets in order to minimize risk and enhance risk-adjusted returns.




About Author: The author of this article has done research on topics related to business solutions.

Monday 4 January 2016

Messaging App - The New Face of Retail Banking


Messaging App - The New Face of Retail Banking
Similar to what we saw in the 90s, with telecom companies getting into the credit card business, today we’re seeing messaging apps get into the retail banking business. In the past few months, SnapChat and Facebook Messenger have announced payments, the primary service of retail banks. Tencent’s WeChat extended its payment services into merchants and Xiaomi introduced an interest-bearing payments account. Slowly but surely, these apps are becoming the new face of retail banking, catering mainly to millennial, a segment highly receptive to changes to how they bank. In fact, a recent study by Goldman Sachs revealed that 33% of millennial don’t think they will need a traditional bank in 5 years.  
Retention rates of messaging apps out-performed the average of all apps. Messaging app retention is 1.9 times better than the average for one-month retention and 5.6 times better than the average for 12-month retention. Here we define retention as users who launched the app “n” months after install. It’s worth noting that the absolute retention rates were slightly lower last year compared to previous years, mainly because of the Apple iPhone base upgrading (in droves) to iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. But, since we are comparing apples to apples, the point is still valid. Messaging apps rule on retention.
Messaging Apps Rule in Frequency of Use
Ask any parent of a teenager and they’ll tell you that their kid is addicted to messaging apps. Messaging apps’ daily use is 4.7 times higher than the average app. The average daily use of an app across all categories is 1.9 times. Messaging apps are used, on average, almost 9 times every day. By definition, communications apps are chatty. Add to that the convenience of the smartphone device and the fact that it is glued to your body, and you get the multiplying effect making messaging apps rule on session frequency as well.
Messaging As the Platform
Messaging apps have made the leap to become the platform for many services, starting with payments and most likely ending with commerce. Messaging is already the platform of mobile and customer loyalty is its most valuable currency.




About Author: The author of this blog has done research in the field of business solutions, customer service, outsourcing, bpo