How happy are we?

World Happiness Index is something that I feel is the most required for every culture, country to re-assess themselves after knowing where they stand. World happiness report is published by United nations every year from 2012 onwards.

It is measured on a scale of 0 to 10 in 150 countries.

Six key factors decide the index: real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, perceived freedom to make life choices, freedom from corruption, and generosity. The factors are well assessed by a panel of experts and this gives you a clear picture of how people in a nation function.

Here is the top 10 list

1. Switzerland
2. Iceland
3. Denmark
4. Norway
5. Canada 
6. Finland
7. Netherlands
8. Sweden
9. New Zealand
10. Australia

It is natural that you look for India but sadly they are not anywhere near the top. Below are some of the biggies

• United States (15)
• United Kingdom (21)
• Japan (46)
• India (117)

So with all the wealth, rich tradition, unity in diversity and all those that you boast of, people are not happy. Upon the 6 factors that was decided, the biggest drawback that we face is freedom to make life decision. We are the strangest creatures on earth to think about the next house person while deciding something but not that of our own happiness and peace. We are so competitive that we want our new born to compete in race right from day one. Reputation and honor are given utmost importance but not the happiness.

There is no point in living if you are not living happily.

Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won't have to hunt for happiness. – William E. Gladstone

Irudhi Sutru

This tamil-hindi bi-lingual movie released in Jan 2016, is one of the best I have seen. I am not an expert to give technical details about a movie but from an audience point of view, this is a master piece.

Script - This is something not new. We have seen lot of sports drama films. But sport is something that keeps us in the movie. The director knew it very well. If you based your story on sport, I can bet it will be a hit (there are always exceptions)

Screenplay is racy, never lacked pace at anytime. No comedy track or deviations. Songs rightly placed. The whole movie is just 109 minutes which is very less for a tamil movie.

Madhavan and Rithika carried the whole movie. If you missed out the details about the director before the movie, you will definitely search for it after coming out. Perfect student of Mani Rathnam, Sudha has places to go.

Music is apt for the mood of the movie and Santhosh has climbed one more step in his career ladder.

There can be lot of comparison with Chak De India but you cannot hate this movie for the neat presentation, dialogue, acting and music

A must watch!!

5 Reasons why a market turn around is near

1. Valuations attractive

As you can see, nifty fell down from 9100 last march to 6900 which is almost 25%. With one-fourth wealth wiped out already from the investors money, I would not say it to be the best time but this is a good time to enter. Last year many investors did not have an idea on when to enter. The situation is better now.

Also one has to keep in mind that during the economic crisis of 2008, nifty fell more than 50%. So it is good not to invest everything you have.

2. Technicals look good

Both the RSI and the EMA (50 & 250 days) says a clear buy on the nifty. Most individual stocks follow the trend. Buying quality names will not be a bad decision. Enter into FMCG/Pharma at the moment if you are still worrying about the bank recovery.

3. Budget session

Govt is trying to bring in few reforms this Budget session. This might include strict NPA clause for the banks. You can expect banks to do well once this is enforced.

4. Oil price

With decreased oil price you can expect the profitability to go up for the companies as their logistics might come down. Also as the govt generates more money out of the petrol excise duty, public sectors might receive more money in-flow due to this surplus money

5. History

History suggests us that a big downfall is always followed by an uptrend or bull that takes the market to new peak. In another 5 years, expect nifty to break 10K. With systematic investment, you can make huge money when that happens. Invest in the right stocks

Happy Investment!!

How much do you know about your EPS and PF?

The current PF system takes out 14 lacs of your wealth. 

1. 12% of your basic salary is contrubuted (or rather forcefully taken away) towards Provident fund.
2. This PF is divided into 3 parts. Employee's contribution towards PF, Employer's contribution towards PF and Employer's contribution towards EPS
3. For example, if your basic salary is 16000, your contribution will be 1926, 676 and 1250 in the above order.
4. While PF earns you 8.5% interest every year, EPS (Employees' Pension Scheme) does not give you any interest. Yes. NO INTEREST. You have to keep paying this constant amount every month and cannot withdraw before you turn 50. If you work for 30 years, your total contribution will be 4,50,000
Lets say you work in an industry for 30 years and you contribute this amount towards an RD (Recurring deposit). You will be realising an amount of 18 Lacs (1855381. I calculated with 8% interest). Yes. You can make more on your own
Do anybody know then why the hell we have to pay this? 
Also, the pension that you are entitled will not be more than 6.5k per month as well. Imagine how much u ll be getting on a bank FD for 18 lakhs.
Verdict: It is a safe contribution but one with sound financial knowledge can make much more with that amount

LIC - Good option??

Having an LIC policy is good but the policy holder needs to pick the right policy.

An LIC policy covers the following

1. Life cover
2. Tax savings
3. ROI - Return on Investment


It looks lucrative when an agent explains it but if you are prefering it as an investment option, then you are definitely at loss.

A conventional policy roughly gives you 7% return at the max, which is less that bank FD/RD/PPF/NSC. Its the least you get.

So going for it as a pure investment option ruins your money as your money does not grow (calculate with 7% inflation)

Yes it is a tax saving option but even your PPF is a good tax saver with higher interest rate.

A term insurance is a good option if you need more life cover at a cheaper rate. And again, dont count a term insurance as an invest option. It is just like your medical and bike insurance. You will not get that amount back when you are well and good. You need to renew it every year

Finally, its upto you to decide on what you need. If you think insurance to be a complete package, go for it. But do your math right and confirm that it is a good one.

Questions/Clarifications are welcome!!

Wolf of Wall Street

Personally I expected a lot in this movie as this comes after the success of The Departed, the Oscar winner from the same actor-director combination and Shutter Island. Martin Scorsese has given many good movies in the past. Definitely this is not his best. Many would and had disagreed with me. Its my opinion.

DiCaprio has done a very good job. His portrayal of Jordan Belfort, a highly ambitious stock broker, is stupendous. You can watch the movie only for him. He carries the complete movie along with able support of Donnie his partner. Donnie as a not so intelligent, fun loving guy is a good compliment to Belfort. More than business, they talk only about sex, drugs and fun. 

Belfort is shown as a great Orator, who convinces/wins any client on any given day. His conversation with a client when he joins the Investor penny stock in Long Island and when he starts Stratton Oakmont are well written and acted of. The dialogues between DiCaprio and the FBI agent in his luxurious boat is the best scene of the movie. It is well directed and acted by both actors.

The life of a millionaire is well shown off in the late 80’s. But it’s an overdose I would say. At one point, you would feel, there are only drugs and sex in the whole movie. Yes he is an addict but atleast the length of the movie could have been reduced. It gives a feeling that almost all the brokers in the Wall Street are that way, which doesn’t convince me. 

Verdict: Good movie, not for everyone

Tirupathi Package tour – It’s a good experience

This was the sixth straight year I travelled to Tirupathi and second time from Bangalore. My first four travels were from Chennai where I did my engineering. During that time, I used to travel as I wish. Board a local bus, try for a 50 rs ticket in Tirupathi bus stand. If not, go for a dharma darshan. I was lucky enough to return the same evening all the time!!

When I got a job and moved to Bangalore, I thought I can try for a package tour. Luckly I traveled through Greenline travels and the experience was great!! So I decided to take the same route this time as well. I went to the Greenline office in Jai Bharathi Nagar (Near Banaswadi, Mukunda Theatre) and got the ticket for a Friday night (Total charge 1100). I was asked to be at Indra Nagar petrol buck at 10 pm. Bus arrived half an hour late and I settled in bus after ticket checking. Every passenger was provided with a half liter water bottle and a good day biscuit small. Each one of us were provided with a small blanket as well (I was surprised as this was not provided last time).

Bus reached Tirupathi around 3 in the morning and we were directly taken to an accommodation owned by Greenline travels. We were given 15 mins time to refresh and get ready. Rooms were provided. Once done, breakfast was served. Taste and quantity was good. No complaints. 

Then we were asked to board the Devasthanam bus (compact and good to take the bends in the hill way). No separate charge and this is included in the package. Reached Thirumala around 5 in the morning, kept our mobile in a shop (This will be our expense). We waited for the people who went for tonture (This is again our expense. Actually it has to be free but those guys will charge you 50). 

Finally we were taken to the 300 rs queue (This amount will be given by the guide as this is part of package). It took close to 5 hrs and we came out at 1pm, then got the laddus (for extra laddus you can give the money to the guide. You can collect when you come out).

Then downhill journey followed by lunch. Then set off to Bangalore and drop points as you wish on the way. No much tiredness except the waiting time in queue for Dharshan. The experience was good and I would recommend it for everyone who plans for a Tirupathi tour, especially if it is a family trip. Even the non AC bus was very good for a travel, with push back and it was a brand new one.

Verdict: Value for Money

Renting a house in Bangalore? – Real Life experience

Most of us, live away from our home due to various reasons like job, studies, etc,. Often we end up looking for houses on rent basis. Rentals have become a big business especially in big cities like Chennai and Bangalore. There are lots of frauds as well. I personally experienced one such bad moment in Bangalore. This will be a lesson for everyone on how to approach.

When you find a house for rent, before fixing it, it is required to inquire in the area about the house and its owner. Its important to know his credibility in returning back the advance amount. This should the first thing we fail to do. People tend to go by the broker’s words and fix the house. Same mistake as we did. Only after paying the full advance and settling in the house we came to know that the owner does not return back the money.

Next important matter to be noticed is the details in the agreement paper. Every minor detail is to be taken care of. If that is not proper, do not hesitate to inform them to re work. If they are not ready, then cancel the deal and walk off. One such example is the painting charge. It has to be mentioned how much amount will be deducted as painting charge. Normally, this has to be one month rent. This is our second mistake. It was mentioned as “Painting charges will be deducted” in our agreement and we ended up paying huge amount which is mentioned later in the blog.

Every little detail about the house and its furniture/stuff has to be captured. If the light is not working, door hinge broken, bell non-functioning has to be captured. Else it will be charged in your advance amount as if you broke that. Mistake number three.

It is important to renew your agreement after the current one expires. Else you cannot claim the amount. No guarantee. We never renewed it and we were lucky enough to get at least what we got.

DO NOT VACATE THE HOUSE if the owner is not present at the time of vacating. Insist him to be there to get the keys after proper checking of the house. We couldn’t get that fraud and finally left the house after locking it. He collected the keys after 2 weeks. 

Total advance amount paid was 75000. 

Last month rent was deducted from advance (10000).

Another month rent was deducted for the reason that some of our things were present 10000 (Those were just garbage. That’s why it is required to have him during vacating).

Painting charge 33000 (Mistake 2 mentioned above). I never heard this in my life.

Then breakage charges 1000 (alarm and lock replace which was already damaged when we rented).

Motor repair charge 1000 (There was no problem in the motor which he himself confirmed some months back. Just that the bore well dried up.)

Finally he gave back 20000, which we felt enough if that comes back properly (As the cheque he gave was post dated and it was in such a bad condition)

There are good owners as well. If you take care of point 1, then others will be good. The next house we rented was proper and there was nothing deducted from our advance amount (as we said no need of painting, no painting charges)

Be careful in renting house or you may regret later. It is your hard earned money after all!!

Modernized Sub Register Office, Tamil Nadu - A Boon

This is my recent experience, a week back. I had some registration work in my local sub register office (Aravakuruchi, Karur).I had expectation on how a register office would look, courtesy, Tamil Cinema. An office with few old staffs, lot of files, lot of crowd and of course bribes 

I reached the office around 10.30 AM, early in govt office terms. Very little crowd. Directly went to Document Writer office. Arrangements were made few days before while I was in Bangalore to avoid any delay. So my document was ready. Document charges were higher which includes document purchase charge, writing charge, DD to be paid in register office plus thing-that-should-not-be-named. This is the explanation given by the writer. DD will be 1% of the total property value. If the value is less 1000, it should be cash payment, else DD. This is the first thing that I dint expect. I mean the DD part I never heard of.

Our doc was the first to be taken to the registrar’s notice. Token no 1. She immediately asked for Encumbrance Certificate (EC) which is widely known as Villangam. This will give an idea about the past owners of the property, whether the guy you are dealing with is a proper owner and stuff. It can be obtained for any number of years. But govt mandated to submit it for last one year. If the numbers of years increase, the rate will increase. This is again a good move to avoid fraudulence. 

Only after we submitted that, the officer progressed with our documents. Next both the buyer and seller were asked to sit in front of the camera, photo and finger prints taken digitally. This is the advancement I am really surprised of. It will be a good solid proof for the transaction as it is available in the govt repository. Then buyer, seller and the witnesses were asked to sign and group photo taken. A separate 130 was paid as fee, which I don’t know for what. Then a receipt was given and I was asked to collect the document after a week. I was told the document will be completely scanned and uploaded in their data base. As there will be large number of documents pending, it will take time.

I am happy about the developments in government offices in terms of technology use. Hope this extends to other offices as well (I am not sure if this has already ). This will serve as a good documentation and proof in terms of conflicts.

Rummy – Movie - An Experience

I watched the movie on the weekend it got released. Two reasons:

             I like Vijay Sethupathi’s acting and his script selection will be good (my assumption)

          It was said that Inigo is the hero and Sethupathi was impressed with the script and immediately signed for it.

I was disappointed to an extent. Movie is set in the late 80’s. Usual love story in village back drop, caste and prestige chases the pair. What happens is the climax.

Regarding the performance, everyone has done a good job. Vijay has largely underplayed, which is required for the character. He is your second hero in typical Tamil cinema. I did not understand what impressed him. His role is nothing new. Maybe he was surprised with the climax which was new but not that unpredictable. 

Seeing an 80’s movie you would expect that to be in lines with Subramaniyapuram. That is a template for everyone on how to make such movies. This is no where related to the feel and look of that movie. But I am sure the director did not let the audience down. He used whatever he got and went on with the script. For example, all male characters will come only in stitched pant shirts. Very less girls in class. Ambassador car. Maybe the story did not require such complications.

Vijay’s last few scenes more or less resemble Kaadhal movie. There was no separate comedy track which is a welcome, limited songs were few positives. Certain scenes were abruptly cut and moved to next one. This is a good move and the audiences have to understand what would have happened. This way the director avoided lot of predictable scenes. For example his meeting with Syed in Madurai bus stand and when you think he is a traitor, rolling him out of the car were notable ones.

Verdict: Overall its an average movie with no gripping scenes in it. It will not be boring either.