How to invest in Insurance sector with tax planning.

Investment in insurance tools is a major part of everyone’s investment planning exercise. Although, it is important for people to be covered by certain risks, it is equally important that they buy insurance in which they accomplish their long term financial goals and helps them in tax planning. In recent years, the insurance sector has been at the forefront since the government opened it for private companies. Private insurers launched many new products and a healthy competition. This is good for investors because they have more options and a range of investments, but on the other hand it’s just as bad as it creates more uncertainty and the possibility of losing money occasionally.

All insurance products have their own pros and cons, so before making an investment decision investors should carefully understand all the aspects of the policy. Diversification and the development of a multi-product portfolio is one way to fix this challenging situation. Investors need to have knowledge of the various insurance products offered in the market and the positive or negative implications of these products. A stable insurance basket should contain Life Insurance cover, Medical Insurance cover, and Retirement/ Pension plans.

Life insurance:

The policy is available in 3 broad categories viz. endowment plans, life insurance plans, i.e. term plans and ULIPs. Endowment policies provide insurance and have some maturity returns. In this plan, maximum of the funds are invested in corporate bonds, Government securities, and various instruments from the money market. They deliver a healthy and stable return from 5% to 8%.

Term insurance is basically an insurance scheme. The premium covers the risk factor (mortality charges), revenue, and operating expenses in this package. This is why the premium paid for insurance policies is low as compared to the endowment plans. The premium charged in term insurance has no savings element and therefore no maturity benefits are paid to the individual.

Funds in the ULIPs scheme are mostly invested in the stock market and corporate bonds. The main distinction between ULIPs and standard insurance policies is the allocation of funds in stocks. These schemes pledge better maturity benefits, as stock markets have historically produced better returns over the long term. Nevertheless, investments in stocks are likely to lose money to a certain degree. Investors should opt for life insurance policies as soon as possible as age is one of the key determinants of the risk premium decision. As the income of an individual rises, they should increase their cover. It is normally said that the cover must be approximately 4 to 5 times of the annual income. An individual must fusion all three plans to limit the cash outflow and also to get the balance returns and reduce the risk.

Medical Insurance cover:

Medical compensation plans cover the massive medical expenses that occur in the care of an illness. As daily medical treatment is expensive, every person must have a medical insurance policy. Until accepting a policy, most health insurance plans do not cover chronic illnesses. It is therefore necessary to comprehend your medical policy in depth and invest early to offset the policy’s full grievances.

Future Provisions with Pension and retirement plans:

Insurance pension schemes offer life insurance to the investors when they are in the earning stage and monthly retirement benefits once they retire. ULPP is a type of pension plan where the funds are invested in market instruments. Investors can invest in ULPPs early, say at the age of 20, because they can afford to lose equity funds. Later, they can transfer their funds slowly into capital security schemes.

Tax planning:

While the majority think of tax planning as a process which reduces their tax liabilities, investing in the right instruments at the right time is also important in order to reach your financial goals as per your maturity period i.e. short, medium, and long. Basically, four different forms of tax planning exist.

Tax planning under Short Range:

It is a term used for tax preparation, which is used and conducted at the end of the financial year. Investors use this strategy to find ways to shrink their tax payments officially at the end of the financial year. Suppose if you decide at the end of the financial year that your taxes are high relative to the previous year, you might want to diminish it. Assessments can be done to get benefits under Section 88. Short-term tax planning does not require long-term obligations, though substantial tax savings can also be promoted.

Tax planning under Long Range:

The long range tax strategy is one that the taxpayer implements over the year. This policy does not provide immediate tax relief benefits as short-term plans do, but maybe beneficial in the long term. Typically you will begin investing at the start of the new financial year and continue to invest for a period of more than one year.

Tax planning under Permissive Measures:

Permissive tax planning means managing investments under different terms of India’s taxation legislation. There are various legal provisions in India that include exemptions, deductions, and benefits. Like Section 80C provides various types of exemption on tax savings investments.

Tax planning under Purposive Measures:

Purposive tax planning states planning of your investments for specific purposes thus ensuring that you can make the most of your investments. This includes the correct selection of investment instruments, the creation of an appropriate plan to substitute (if necessary), and Revenue and business assets diversification depending on your residential status.

In a nutshell, spending on Income tax is a moral and financial obligation which we all bear as citizens of India. The taxes we pay are used for our country’s growth. In a way, the taxes we pay are used for our benefit. According to the different income slabs, we each pay a different percentage of taxes, but all Indian people are entitled for the benefits equally.