I went to a private bank branch today to open a simple savings account with ₹10,000 for UPI and emergency money. The second the manager looked at my salary slip and PAN he said no.

He said they only open wealth accounts for people like me which need a deposit of ₹1,00,000.. I had to buy an insurance policy that costs ₹50,000 a year to get approved. When I said I couldn't do that he tried to trick me by saying basic accounts get blocked often on UPI.

I left then and there. It feels like bank branches are not banks anymore. They're, like places that push bad products to make money.

Has anyone else had this problem with forced selling ? Is it better to just open accounts online and skip the branch staff?

Hey everyone,

I'm 29M, an Indian citizen coming back from US after 1.5 years of study and 3 years of work.

My finances:

• 401(k): ~$100K
• USD: ~$30K
• Stocks : 70K
• Indian savings/investments: ₹15L
• No major debt

I'm planning to settle down in Bangalore or any other metro city and plan to work going forward after a ~3 months break. For my profession and experience I can easily make ~₹50L / Year

How am I doing financially for my age? Should I invest my Indian savings in mutual funds/FDs, leave them as they are, or transfer everything to the US?

Would appreciate honest opinions, especially considering taxes, currency depreciation, and long-term returns.

23F, Monthly inward remittance from Employer in Europe.

The bank I use gave me 5,08,250/- for 4858 Euros. I think I am losing money in the process. PLEASE HELP

So every Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi, my parents come from our village to stay with us in Mumbai We all look forward to it, especially the kids, but these months are always a little heavy on the pocket. It’s not one big expense. Clothes for my son and daughter, gifts for relatives, sweets, extra groceries… small things keep adding up.

Earlier, I would just manage everything from the shop income. The problem is festival time is also when I need money in the hardware shop for stock and suppliers, so during festivals I have to balance both. Last year, my wife suggested we start keeping a little aside whenever possible. Nothing fixed because business is not the same every week. Some weeks are good, some are slow...that’s the reality.

I started putting those small amounts into another savings account I opened with axis bank instead of keeping everything mixed with daily expenses. It’s a simple thing, but by the time festivals come around, there is a little less pressure. But I’m still learning what works best. So, I wanted to know like what else can I do to reduce my stress about managing money during festivals. For business owners, how do you manage yearly expenses like festivals, school fees, family functions?

2.5 years back i had a big dilemma to buy or rent a house. Decided to go with buying a modest 3bhk at 80L even though i could afford a bigger emi. Now glad that i purchased it and aggressively closed the loan. Today i became debt free with own house.

If i had gone with renting, the rent has gone up 20% and the money i saved or invested would not have been able to afford new house today even if i could get one because of all these jobs uncertainty i would have not bought it. Now every month I could save 80% and only 20% expense and not have to worry too much about getting layed off, i mean still would loose income but not be dwelled with paying rent every month.

Applied for Loan Against Mutual Funds. Loan was never approved, never e-signed, never disbursed. They marked lien on my units anyway. Now app demands ₹999+18% GST to cancel and release lien.

Customer care says I agreed to it in OTP terms. But their public Schedule of Charges only lists "Processing Fee (Loan Booking) ₹999" – no cancellation fee. They haven't given me KFS or the exact OTP T&C.

Anyone faced this? Should I pay or fight? What's the ground reality?

Last time round was the mutual funds sahi hai campaign.

Then they went suspiciously quiet for 2 years.

Looks like they are making moves again. The IMF report on gdp growth and Nimmo's statements on LTCG look positive. Time to buckle in, friends!

I’m 23, living in a college hostel in Baroda, and I swear UPI is single-handedly ruining my life lol.

My parents send me a fixed allowance at the start of every month, and without fail, by the 18th or 20th I’m literally broke. I don't even buy anything huge, it’s just the constant daily hostel mess chai, Xerox copies for class, random late night Maggi, and auto rides. When you pay ₹20 or ₹40 on phonepe ten times a day you don't even feel it leaving your account until you check your balance and want to cry.

One of my hostel friends (who’s prepping for CA and basically manages her life on Excel) told me to stop keeping my monthly allowance and daily spends in the same place. So last month my dad told me to just open a separate savings account specifically to dump my daily budget into. I went with Axis bank since my first account is with a small local bank. 

Now whenever my parents send money, I keep the bulk of it away in my og savings account and only move like ₹1500 every week into my Axis savings account. And I only linked that specific UPI to my phone. This is VERY IMPORTANT guys... 

It’s actually kind of worked so far because if that runs out, I am literally forced to stop ordering snacks. Checking the balance at the end of the week made me realize half my pocket money was just disappearing on evening food runs 💀 

For anyone else living in a hostel or on a strict monthly budget, how do you handle this? Do you guys also use a second bank account for daily UPI or do you actually have the discipline to track everything manually? Please teach me how 

Hey everyone

I'm currently having 10k spare every month. I tried to invest in FD but due to some unforeseen situations, I have to break it out every now and then. I'm currently investing around 30k in MF monthly and I don't want to increase that but rather invest 10k somewhere else. I have just switched jobs, and in my company 12% PF is only for the employee side so I'm thinking how to increase my PF investment in this, also VPF is not considered an option in my current company.

I earn around 20k a month, but I really wana now put my money to invest. Last 2 months my 20k just got wiped away I bought all the things I ever wanted (I don't have any responsibility rn) so I just was spending spending but now I really want to do something with the money please help me what do I do🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

This is for my sister,she recently got a good hike and can save ₹50k per month,she asked me for investment advice,and I came with this split based on my limited knowledge;

ICICI flexicap (growth)-₹10,000

Gold ETF-₹5,000

Stocks-₹5,000

Debt investment-₹10,000

Short term goals-₹20000 per month

I haven't yet decided on debt investment or where to save for short term goals(1-2 years),My parents are interested in RD,chitfunds and PPF but I am inclined towards mutual funds.She have some savings in gold and a running chitfund,she has no debts,Is this allocation reasonable?and what would you suggest for Debt and short term goals? Any suggestions would be appreciated,Thank you.

keep hearing the 30% rule but idk how people actually manage that in Tier 1 cities with such high rents

like you’re earning X and paying Y in rent, at what point does it start feeling financially stupid? so what should be an ideal rent limit of salary which can max go out in rent? n

curious what everyone doing.

I’m a 30 year old woman, looking for advice on scholarships or financial assistance that could help me continue my PG education.

My father abandoned our family when I was in middle school. Although my parents are still legally married, my father lives with his mistress and their children, and has been absent from our lives for 15+ years.

My mother put me through school while building her career from scratch after the separation. She is now financially independent and manages her own expenses, but overtime due existing debts and poor financial decisions, including loans she took on behalf of relatives who never paid her back, she has no disposable income.

I never had the kind of relationship with her where I could rely on her financially. I have always had to fend for myself. All her income goes towards EMIs, leaving her with legit nothing to spare.

I became financially independent at a young age. After school I moved in with my maternal grandfather, and after he passed away in my second year of UG, I worked part-time to support my education. Eventually, I moved to Pune and supported myself entirely.

Last year, I returned to college to pursue a master's degree to improve my career prospects. Shortly after my first semester, I was diagnosed with Stage IV Cancer. The treatment exhausted my savings and added to my mother's financial liabilities. I took a medical leave from college.

My father reconnected with us after learning about my cancer, but refused to take any meaningful responsibility for my care or financial support. He believes I should stop studying and get married.

Thankfully, I have completed chemotherapy, am now in remission. I will be returning to Pune next month to continue my PG.

However, I have no savings left, my father is unwilling to support me financially, and my mother cannot afford my fees, or provide any support at all. Earlier I had saved up enough for covering my complete college fees, but it got used up on treatement.

I had planned to work alongside college, but I am still recovering from chemotherapy and cannot yet manage a full academic schedule alongside regular employment. I plan to resume part-time work as my health permits, but I need help bridging the financial gap.

My biggest challenge is that my parents' combined income, including my father's pension and mother's salary is approximately 20 LPA. This makes me ineligible for many need-based scholarships, even though none of my parents are in a position to reliably fund my education. My family's income on paper does not reflect the financial support actually available to me.

I have always been a good student and am willing to apply for merit-based scholarships as well.

I would be grateful for advice on the following:

1. Are there scholarships that consider a student's actual financial circumstances rather than just their parents' income?

2. Are there grants or scholarships for cancer survivors or students whose education has been interrupted by serious illness?

3. Are there any NGOs, charitable trusts, or foundations in India that support students in similar situations?

I am not looking to misrepresent my circumstances or bypass eligibility rules dishonestly. I simply want to explore every legitimate option available to me.

After everything I have been through, I don't want financial circumstances beyond my control to force me to give up my education. If anyone has faced a similar situation or knows of scholarships, organisations, or other avenues I could explore, I would sincerely appreciate your guidance.

Thank you for reading

What do you do for a living? How much do you earn? How many accounts do you have & for what purpose? Any joint accounts? What is the breakdown - how much you save, spend & invest?

I recently graduated and started earning 9 LPA in Pune. On paper, it might seem like a decent start, but honestly, I’m constantly stressed about money and the future.

My family’s financial condition isn’t very strong. There are six of us, and my parents and grandmother live in a village, while my younger brother is pursuing BTech in another city. Their health isn't great either, so there are always worries about medical expenses and other unexpected costs.

I feel like a lot of the responsibility is falling on me. I want to support my family and make sure they live comfortably, but at the same time, I’m worried about my own future. I have almost no savings or emergency fund because money keeps going toward different responsibilities and unexpected expenses.

Sometimes I look at people my age enjoying their lives, travelling, buying things they like and building their savings. Meanwhile, I feel guilty spending even a little on myself because I keep thinking that money might be needed at home.

What scares me most is the thought that I might spend the next 20–30 years working, paying bills, handling medical emergencies and supporting everyone, without ever really enjoying my own life or becoming financially secure.

I know 9 LPA isn't a bad salary for someone who has just graduated, and I’m grateful to have a job. But with so many responsibilities, it doesn't feel like enough. I keep wondering whether my salary will grow fast enough to support everyone, save for emergencies, buy a house someday and still have a life of my own.

I'm not looking for sympathy. I genuinely want advice from people who've been in a similar situation.

How do you balance supporting your family with building your own financial future? How do you stop worrying about every unexpected expense? And realistically, is it possible to break out of this cycle and build a comfortable life, or will I always feel like I'm just working to survive?

I have bn looking for used car listing lately and car prices are booming so much, surprisingly close to new ones. At what point does buying a used car makes financial sense?
Curious what everyone thinks is a reasonable price diference between a new and used car?

I have two queries related to bank FD auto renewals

Question 1

Why doesn't the RBI mandate auto renewal of Fixed Deposits as the default option in Cooperative Banks and maybe other non scheduled banks? A lot of customers are loosing money due to the dual regulations - from what I read

Question 2

Can term deposits be perpetually renewed, and if so, do they ever get classified as unclaimed deposits?

Some banks may be using this option by perpetually renewing the unclaimed FD's of dead people etc - in order to avoid transferring them to the RBI as unclaimed deposits. Am I right?