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Plain-English explanations for the questions Indian students, employees and families run into most.
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Money
Loans, interest, GST, savings and everyday finance.
What is GST?
GST (Goods and Services Tax) is a single tax charged on the sale of most goods and services in India. It replaced a long list of separate central and state taxes with one system.
What is EMI?
EMI (Equated Monthly Instalment) is the scheduled amount you pay toward a loan each month, made up of principal and interest. Fixed-rate loans generally keep the EMI fixed, while floating-rate loans may change the EMI or tenure.
What is a Credit Score?
A credit score is a number calculated from your credit history, including repayment behaviour, outstanding debt and credit enquiries. In India, CIBIL commonly uses a 300–900 range, but each credit information company (CIC) calculates its own score and lender decisions also consider income, affordability and other information.
What is Inflation?
Inflation is the general rise in prices of goods and services over time, which means each rupee buys a little less than it used to.
What is Compound Interest?
Compound interest is interest calculated not just on your original amount, but also on the interest that has already been added to it — so your money grows faster over time compared to simple interest.
What is a Credit Card?
A credit card lets you borrow money from a bank up to a set limit to make purchases now, which you then repay by a due date — either in full, avoiding interest, or partially, which triggers interest charges.
What is a Savings Account?
A savings account is a basic bank account designed for individuals to safely deposit money, earn a modest interest on the balance, and access funds relatively easily through withdrawals, transfers and cards.
Documents
PAN, UAN and the paperwork Indian life runs on.
Education
Marks, grades and how Indian scoring systems work.
Jobs
Salary, provident fund and workplace basics.