Ten Simple Ways to Boost Your Vision

With computers, tablets and mobile phones, we are constantly staring into screens and forget the damage it does to our eyes. It's time to give your eyes some rest and the TLC they need. Follow these tips to improve your vision and care for your eyes.

Relax your eyes: From the time you wake up until you sleep, your eyes are constantly working. Relax them at intervals. Rub your palm together briskly to ignite warmth in your hands. Cup your palms over your eyes and let them relax. Repeat this ​exercise ​through the day especially if you are constantly working on a computer.

Maintain moisture: It is important for your eyes to be moist. Dry eyes can be itchy, red and painful. So from time to time, give your eyes a break and blink to main moisture in your eyes.

Eye exercise: Even your​ eye muscles require exercise. So do the 20/20/20 exercise as often as you can. Every twenty minutes focus on an object for twenty seconds which is twenty feet away from the eyes. This exercise will help your eyes feel better.

Increase flexibility: Don’t let your eyes stay positioned at one place. Roll your eyeballs about five times at several intervals to increase the flexibility of your eyes and maintain good eyesight.

Decrease screen brightness: If you are working for hours together at the computer, keep the screen brightness​ minimal​. This will help your eyes relax and prevent them from getting strained.

P.S. Don’t decrease the brightness so much that you have trouble reading the text.

Take small breaks: Your eyes need rest too. If you work for long hours at a computer, take short intervals every two hours. If you can’t move around, close your eyes for ten seconds and relax. This will prevent your eyes from getting strained.

UV rays are harmful: Wear a good pair of sunglasses, especially ones that provide UV protection. This actually helps improve your vision.

Feed your eyes: Veggies like carrots, blueberries, apricots are high in beta-carotene that is ​good for eyesight. Include these items in your daily diet to see visible results​.

Avoid wearing lenses too long:  If you already suffer from poor eyesight, don’t worsen it with various contact lenses. Do not wear lenses for more than 19 hours a day and never sleep with your contact lens on. Also, don't forget to clean your lenses regularly.

The cucumber trick: Place slices of cucumber on your eyelids. Cucumbers contain ascorbic acid and caffeic acid which prevent water retention. Cucumbers are considered the best treatment for inflammation and dermatitis of the eyes.​


Courtesy: http://idiva.com/

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How to become a millionaire: Here are the 10 steps

Getting rich and becoming a millionaire is a taboo topic. Saying it can be done by the age of 30 seems like a fantasy.

It shouldn't be taboo and it is possible. At the age of 21, I got out of college, broke and in debt, and by the time I was 30, I was a millionaire.

Here are the 10 steps that will guarantee you will become a millionaire by 30.

1. Follow the money. In today's economic environment you cannot save your way to millionaire status. The first step is to focus on increasing your income in increments and repeating that.

My income was $3,000 a month and nine years later it was $20,000 a month. Start following the money and it will force you to control revenue and see opportunities.

2. Don't show off. Show up! I didn't buy my first luxury watch or car until my businesses and investments were producing multiple secure flows of income. I was still driving a Toyota Camry when I had become a millionaire. Be known for your work ethic, not the trinkets that you buy.

3. Save to invest, don't save to save. The only reason to save money is to invest it. Put your saved money into secured, sacred (untouchable) accounts. Never use these accounts for anything, not even an emergency. This will force you to continue to follow step one (increase income). To this day, at least twice a year, I am broke because I always invest my surpluses into ventures I cannot access.

4. Avoid debt that doesn't pay you. Make it a rule that you never use debt that won't make you money. I borrowed money for a car only because I knew it could increase my income. Rich people use debt to leverage investments and grow cash flows. Poor people use debt to buy things that make rich people richer.

5. Treat money like a jealous lover. Millions wish for financial freedom, but only those that make it a priority have millions. To get rich and stay rich you will have to make it a priority. Money is like a jealous lover. Ignore it and it will ignore you, or worse, it will leave you for someone who makes it a priority.

6. Money doesn't sleep. Money doesn't know about clocks, schedules, or holidays, and you shouldn't either. Money loves people that have a great work ethic. When I was 26 years old, I was in retail and the store I worked at closed at 7 pm. Most times you could find me there at 11 pm making an extra sale. Never try to be the smartest or luckiest person — just make sure you outwork everyone.

7. Poor makes no sense. I have been poor, and it sucks. I have had just enough and that sucks almost as bad. Eliminate any and all ideas that being poor is somehow OK. Bill Gates has said, "If you're born poor, it's not your mistake. But if you die poor, it is your mistake."

8. Get a millionaire mentor. Most of us were brought up middle class or poor and then hold ourselves to the limits and ideas of that group. I have been studying millionaires to duplicate what they did. Get your own personal millionaire mentor and study them. Most rich people are extremely generous with their knowledge and their resources.

9. Get your money to do the heavy lifting. Investing is the Holy Grail in becoming a millionaire and you should make more money off your investments than your work. If you don't have surplus money you won't make investments. The second company I started required a $50,000 investment. That company has paid me back that $50,000 every month for the last 10 years.

My third investment was in real estate, where I started with $350,000, a large part of my net worth at the time. I still own that property today and it continues to provide me with income. Investing is the only reason to do the other steps, and your money must work for you and do your heavy lifting.

10. Shoot for $10 million, not $1 million. The single biggest financial mistake I've made was not thinking big enough. I encourage you to go for more than a million. There is no shortage of money on this planet, only a shortage of people thinking big enough.

Apply these 10 steps and they will make you rich. Steer clear of people that suggest your financial dreams are born of greed. Avoid get-rich-quick schemes, be ethical, never give up, and once you make it, be willing to help others get there too.

Courtesy: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

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Booking Tatkal ticket

Keep all details ready
Netbanking username/Pasword
Netbanking username/transaction password

Document ID no you travelling with : Pan card no.


---------------------------------


fill From
fill To
fll date
quota-- general


Try to find out the GNWL list of big junction station

--don't really on your computer time, really on the watch time at near the welcome username in top right corner

Just before 10(around 9:55 AM) change quota as Tatkal

Once it 10:00 go for reservation

Bank login username and password
Once it login to bank site click on the "Pay" button
Give username and transaction password:

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How EMI’s Principle and Interest breakup is done

http://www.jagoinvestor.com/2011/04/loan-amortization-emi.html

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EMI disease

http://www.jagoinvestor.com/2010/07/the-emi-desease.html

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How to save tax while selling a house

Timing is critical in finance, especially if you want to make a profit. Of course, you need to pick a good time to take advantage of the appreciation in value, but it's equally important to keep an eye on the calendar to avoid paying a hefty amount as tax. It was a lesson learnt well by Mumbai-based Benny Abraham when he sold his house in 2011 within two years of purchasing it. "The property was fetching me nearly 60% in profits on the initial investment , so when I got an offer to sell it, I immediately agreed," says Abraham, a brand consultant. Unfortunately , the 50-year-old had no clue about the tax implication of his hasty decision. Not only did he have to pay a substantial amount as tax on the profit, he also had to shell out the tax exemptions that he was availing of on the home loan.

This is because under the Income Tax Act, if you sell a house within three years of buying it, the tax benefits on the principal repayment and interest paid on the home loan are reversed . These are then included in your income when you file your tax return. Also, if a house is sold within five years of the end of the financial year in which it was purchased, all the deductions claimed under Section 80C with respect to the property are added to the taxable income in the year of sale.

Capital gain and indexation

Real estate is regarded as an asset, so the profit from its sale is assessed under the head 'capital gains' . According to Manish Thakkar, director of Mumbai-based Thakkar Consultants, if a property is sold within three years of buying it, it is treated as a short-term capital gain. This is added to the total income and taxed according to the slab rate. However, if you sell a property after three years from the date of purchase, the profit is treated as a long-term capital gain and is taxed at 20% after indexation . While you can avail of various tax exemptions in case of long-term capital gains, no such benefit is provided for short-term ones.

One of the advantages associated with long-term capital gains is the inclusion of indexation while determining the profit. Indexation is a method through which the seller is able to inflate the value of his assets. Since inflation reduces the value of an asset over time, it is essential to increase the initial cost of the house to calculate its current value. This is done by multiplying the original cost price with a factor that is issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes. This factor tracks the increase in the general price level, or inflation, and is known as the cost inflation index (CII). It is notified by the central government for every financial year. The Income Tax Act considers 1981-82 as the base year with a cost inflation index of 100. So, the CII for 1982-83 is 109, and so on.

The indexed purchase price can be calculated as—purchase price x (CII for year of sale / CII for year of purchase).

The indexation of purchase price helps to reduce the net capital gain, thereby slashing the tax burden for the seller.

Reduce your tax burden

You can claim tax exemption under Section 54 on the long-term capital gain on the sale of a house. "To avail of this exemption, you must use the entire profit to either buy another house within two years or construct one in three years. If you had already bought a second house within a year before selling the first one, you could still avail of the tax exemption," says Pankaj Ghadiali, tax expert at PC Ghadiali & Co Chartered Accountants .

"Such capital gain exemption is reversed and the amount taxed as capital gain if the new property is sold within three years of the date of purchase/construction. This profit will be considered a short-term gain and taxed at the normal slab rates, not the 20% beneficial rate," says Sonu Iyer, tax partner, Ernst & Young.

You can also utilise Section 54 (F) to avail of exemption on the longterm capital gain made from the sale of any asset other than a house. Again, the sale proceeds should be invested only in a residential property , not a commercial property or a vacant plot of land. However, to avail of this benefit, you should not own more than one house.

The long-term capital gain tax can also be saved under Section 54 (EC) if the capital gain is invested for three years in bonds of the National Highways Authority of India and Rural Electrification Corporation Limited within six months of selling the house. However, you can invest only up to 50 lakh in a financial year.

The sale proceeds will be calculated on the basis of the valuation adopted by the state's Stamp Duty and Registration Authority and will not be the amount mentioned in the deed of conveyance. This is intended to cover the cases where a portion of the sale price is received by the seller as unaccounted for cash.

If you miss the due date

It's possible that you are not able to make the required investment to avail of the exemption on capital gains before the due date for filing your tax return. In such a situation, the amount of capital gain or net consideration , as the case may be, has to be deposited in a separate account in a nationalised bank under the Capital Gains Account Scheme (CGAS) before the last date of filing your return for the relevant year. There are two types of such accounts—type A is a savings deposit and type B is a term deposit. The interest rates for these are the same as those for regular savings and term bank deposits. The proof of the deposit can be attached along with the tax return in order to claim exemption.

Author: Amit Shanbaug
Courtesy: TimesofIndia

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ABCD of Wealth Tax: All you need to know

You might be surprised with the terminology of Wealth Tax. Most of us are fully conversant with income-tax and understand that if we make money, then we are required to part with a portion of the money by way of income-tax. But payment of Wealth Tax might be a discovery for you and you may not be interested to understand about Wealth Tax law because when we talk of Wealth Tax, it implies payment of tax on our wealth.
However, the meaning of Wealth Tax, the exemption limit of Wealth Tax and the items on which Wealth Tax is payable needs to be understood. Wealth Tax is a separate tax other than income-tax and service tax and the same is payable by individuals, Hindu Undivided Families and the Corporate Sector. Other than these categories Wealth Tax is not payable by other categories of tax payers in India.
In Income-tax we are aware that the basic income-tax exemption limit for individuals is Rs 2 lakh. This means that if you have an income of upto Rs 2 lakh, you are not liable to pay income-tax. Similarly, in the Wealth Tax law, the basic exemption limit is
Rs 30 lakh. This means that there is no liability to pay Wealth Tax if you have got a taxable wealth of up to Rs 30 lakh.
With growing savings and accumulation of wealth in your name or in the name of your client you might be worried that your wealth will exceed Rs 30 lakh and you might be called upon to make payment of Wealth Tax. But a large number of assets owned by you might fall outside the purview of Wealth Tax. Thus, Wealth Tax is not payable on the entire wealth you are having in your name but Wealth Tax is payable only on selected assets belonging to you.
The list of assets in respect of which Wealth Tax is payable are enumerated in section 2(ea) of the Wealth Tax Act, 1957. For ready reference, hereunder is the list of the specified assets which alone are liable to Wealth Tax as mentioned in the said Wealth Tax Act:
(a)       Any guest house, residential house, commercial property, and/or farm house situated within 25 kilometres from the local limits of any municipality or a cantonment board, but excluding,
(1)            A house meant exclusively for residential purpose and which is allotted by a company to an employee or an officer or a director who is in whole-time employment, (A) having gross annual salary of less than Rs 10,00,000; (B) having gross annual salary of less than Rs 5,00,000 [upto assessment year 2012-13],
(2)            Any residential house forming part of stock-in-trade,
(3)            Any house for commercial purpose (i.e., commercial property) which forms part of stock-in-trade,
(4)            Any house which is occupied by the assessee for the purpose of any business or profession carried by him,
(5)            Any residential property that has been let-out for a minimum period of 300 days in the previous year, and
(6)            Any property in the nature of commercial establishments or complexes;
(b)       Motor cars, other than those used in assessee’s hiring business or used as stock-in-trade;
(c)       Jewellery, bullion and furniture, utensils or any other article made wholly or partly of gold, silver, platinum or any other precious metal or any alloy containing one or more of such precious metals, other than those used as stock-in-trade by the assessee;
(d)       Yachts, boats and aircrafts, other than those used by the assessee for commercial purposes;
(e)     Urban land, being land situated in any area within the jurisdiction of a municipality or a cantonment board which has a population of not less than 10,000; or within 8 kilometres from the local limits of such municipality or a cantonment board, as the Central Government may notify.
However, urban land shall not include:
(1)          Land on which construction of a building is not permissible under any law or the land on which building is constructed with the approval of the appropriate authority,
(2)          Any unused land held by the assessee for industrial purpose for a period of two years from the date of its acquisition by him, and
(3)          Any land held by the assessee as stock-in-trade for a period of ten years from the date of its acquisition by him;
(f)           Cash in hand, in excess of Rs 50,000 of individuals and Hindu Undivided Families and in the case of other persons any amount not recorded in the books of account.
Thus, from the above mentioned list you can conclude that not all your assets come within the tax liability under the Wealth Tax Act. It is only selected assets which come within the purview of Wealth Tax Law. To make it simple, generally speaking your residential properties, motor cars, jewellery are some of the most important items on which Wealth Tax is payable. However, when it comes to real estate, please remember that one house property in any case is fully exempt from Wealth Tax.
If you are having more than one house property, but these properties are in the form of commercial properties, then again there is no liability to Wealth Tax irrespective of the number of properties you own. If you make investment in residential properties and you have more than one residential property in your name, then if you have given these residential properties on rent for a minimum period of 300 days in a year, then also there is no liability to Wealth Tax in respect of such properties.
We have discussed certain important assets which are liable to Wealth Tax but all other movable assets like bank balances, Fixed Deposits, shares of companies, debentures of companies, bonds of companies, loans to friends, relatives, loans to any party, Mutual Funds etc., are not at all liable to Wealth Tax. Thus, for most of the individual tax payers this exemption will prove handy as they will not be required to pay Wealth Tax because of innumerable Wealth Tax exemptions. Also remember, there is no Wealth Tax liability on the insurance policies owned by you.
For all those persons who are liable to make payment of Wealth Tax, they have to compulsorily file yearly Wealth Tax Return. However, it may be noted that the Wealth Tax Return is to be filed only when the net taxable wealth is in excess of Rs 30 lakh.  For example, if a person is having jewellery worth Rs 10 lakh, shares worth Rs 50 lakh, bank Fixed Deposit of Rs 30 lakh and a very big house, even then he is not liable to pay Wealth Tax because the entire quantum of shares and FDR as also one house are completely exempt from Wealth Tax. Thus, his taxable net Wealth Tax happens to be only Rs 10 lakh for which there is no liability to Wealth Tax.
Hence, it may be remembered that all those persons who have got wealth exceeding the exemption limit have to file Wealth Tax Return every year after the close of the financial year. The last date of filing Wealth Tax Return is exactly like the Income-tax Return. There is a separate Wealth tax Return form required to be filled up for filing Wealth Tax Return. The tax payer is required to make payment of Self Assessment Wealth Tax before filing the Wealth Tax Return. However, no Advance Tax is liable to be paid with reference to your liability to Wealth Tax. The payment of Wealth Tax is at the rate of 1 per cent of the taxable wealth. Once you understand your obligations to pay and file the Wealth Tax Return, then you have no hassle or problem in dealing with matters relating to Wealth Tax.

Courtesy: magicbricks.com

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How to save taxes on capital gains

All of us think about the best means to save taxes. When it comes to real estate, paying the taxes involve a considerable sum of money, which if saved, adds a lot of value to our accounts.
For understanding the best possible measures to save taxes, it is important to first understand capital gains. In simple terms, capital gains are the profits earned on selling a capital asset. Explaining the concept on Magicbricks’ user forum, Open House, an expert comments, “Under the provisions contained in the Income-tax Act 1961, capital gains tax is payable whenever profit is derived on selling a capital asset. If the item sold is not considered a capital asset, the gains raised out of the sale are not subject to income-tax. For instance, agricultural land in India, under certain facts and circumstances, is not treated as a capital asset as per the definition contained in section 2(14) of the Income-tax Act 1961.”
Types of cpital gain taxes
There are two types of capital gains in real estate – Short Term Capital Gains (STCG) and Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG). The date of registration of the flat is considered as the date to calculate the capital gains. When a property is withheld by a person for more than three Years (after the date of registration), it results in LTCG on sale of that property. However, if a property is withheld for less than two years, from the same date, it results in STCG which are added to the income of a person and tax is calculated according to the slab rates of Income Tax.
How to save these taxes?
“In case of Long Term Capital Gains, you are liable to pay 20 per cent of Capital Gains as tax. For example, if you bought a property for Rs 10 lakh and sold it for Rs 20 lakh after 3 years, you are subject to a gain of Rs 10 lakh, and thus liable to pay Rs 2 lakh as tax. In order to save this amount, you must re-invest your capital gains in either a residential property or Capital Gains Bonds,” says Subhash Lakhotia, Tax & Investment Consultant, R N Lakhotia & Associates
“Reinvesting the gains in a commercial property, agricultural land, plot or payment of loans does not help save taxes. However, tax could be saved if one invests in a plot and constructs a residential building within three years of selling the property,” adds Lakhotia.
Calculating the taxable gains
Capital gains are the final sum of profits earned on selling the asset. Expenditures such as stamp duty and registration charges, interests on home loans for which no tax deduction has been sought and renovation costs are deducted from the capital gains amount. Thereafter, whatever is the net amount of gain is considered the final taxable gain.
So now when you know that there are no means to save STCG taxes, it is always better to keep a long-term horizon of investment.
Courtesy: Magicbricks.com

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Rent agreement: Why only for 11 months?

Ever wondered why rental agreements are made for 11 months? And why it is essential to have a rent agreement? Well, it is important to have a document that safeguards the interest of both the parties. A rent agreement, thus, is the best way to take a cautious approach.
First let’s understand what a rent agreement is. “A rental agreement is a legal contract that binds the owner of the property and tenant, which safeguards the interest of both the parties. The landlord must either be the owner of the property or a person having power of attorney from the owner,” says an expert on Open House. Explaining the importance of this agreement, he adds, “It is important as it protects the rights of a landlord as well as the tenant. As per a clause a tenant cannot sublease the property. Also, it prevents the unnecessary rent hikes and forcible eviction without prior notice of minimum one month.”
One reason stated for 11 month agreement is to skip the registration process. “As per the Registration Act, 1908, clause (d) of sub-section (1), registration of the property on lease for one year or more than a year is mandatory,” informs Sony Antony, managing partner of Maxxco.
So, what is the standard duration for this? Well, as per Magicbricks legal expert, the standard rent agreement is made only for eleven months. However, answering a query of a landlord whose tenant requires a 36 month rent agreement due to the HRA policy in his company, Augustine Joseph, another expert on the forum suggests, “ one can definitely execute the rental agreement for 36 month with some additional clauses, which include the following:

• Average increase of 5-7 per cent on an yearly basis
• Either party can terminate the rent agreement by giving a notice in three month advance without mentioning any reason for termination and conditions as standard.”

Answering the same query, another expert says, “It is not compulsory to make a rent agreement only for 11 months. Renewable/extendable agreements for three to five years can also be made and registered. However, the stamp duty and registration charges for longer duration may differ.”
Thus, in order to avoid any vexatious issues such as refusal to vacate the house when asked or disobeying the signed rules and regulation, rent agreement is a very crucial document. All you need to do is to visit the property registrar office, pay the stamp duty on the tenure of the lease and register the lease. Following these simple steps can help you getting into unwanted troubles.
So, get your property registered and enjoy the monthly rental income out of it!

Courtesy: magicbricks.com

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Ahmedabad 2nd best affordable city to buy home

Ahmedabad is the second most affordable city to buy home among the top eight cities in India beating Mumbai and Delhi, says a survey. On the scale of affordability to rent, the city is ranked 5th showing higher rental value of the city. Ranking first, Hyderabad is the most affordable city both in terms of buying and renting a home. The other cities in the survey include Pune, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai.
According to the survey, individuals who earn more than 12 lakhs per annum should opt for buying a property over renting in Ahmedabad. However, due to higher rental rates, it is the fifth place on the scale of affordability to rent. A middle income individual needs to save for at least five years to afford the down payment for the house. The city also offer good value for buyer’s money who can get around 20.18 sq.ft for every 1 lakh spent.
The average price of a 1,000 sq.ft. property in Ahmedabad can cost a buyer Rs.49.55 Lakh. On the other side, the average price of Rs.17,286 makes it less favorable to look for rent option. The NHB Residex (residential index) increased by 86 points since 2007 and recorded a 6 basis points increase over the last year. This is in sync with the increasing demand for residential properties in the city.
At income levels of as low as Rs 13 Lakh to as high as Rs 25 Lakh, a person can afford buying a house in Hyderabad. But those who earn less than Rs 8 Lakhs per annum are advised to rent.
Mumbai remains the most costly real estate market in India. It is ranked as the least affordable city both in terms of renting and buying a home. “One can afford to rent but cannot afford to buy a home in Mumbai”, reveals survey.
The survey was conducted by Hyderabad based financial advisor company ArthaYantra. The survey is based on the data collected from over 100 real estate agents across the eight cities and data from public sources such as National Housing Board (NHB) and real estate reports.
Affordability to buy home

1. Hyderabad
2. Ahmedabad
3. Pune
4. Bengaluru
5. Kolkata
6. Chennai
7. Delhi NCR
8. Mumbai
Affordability to rent home

1.Hyderabad
2. Pune
3. Bengaluru
4. Chennai
5. Ahmedabad
6. Delhi NCR
7. Kolkata
8. Mumbai
Source: The Times of India, Ahmedabad

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