Through the Looking Glass

CSIS event, Washington, DC, USA Panelist at Smart Cities as Innovation Hubs Wednesday, April 15, 2015 5:00 pm - Thursday, April 16, 2015 2:30 am Center for Strategic and International Studies 1616 Rhode Island Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036 We are pleased to invite you to a special U.S.-India business collaboration conference taking place at CSIS on April 15, co-organized by the Ananta Aspen Centre and the Wadhwani Foundation. This full-day conference will convene senior policymakers, business leaders, and other stakeholders from both countries with the aim of generating practical policy recommendations that enhance economic cooperation. The session will include expert-led discussions covering some of the Modi government's most important economic initiatives including the Smart Cities concept, the Make in India campaign, and Skills Development. The conference will feature a keynote address by India's Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley. You can watch the video here: Yo...

The Economic Times - part 3 The case of dealing with a historical exposure is like determining the right proportion of currencies that you should have in your portfolio.  By Akhilesh Tilotia & Ramganesh Iyer In the last two articles of this three part series, we brought to you a perspective on the movement of the rupee vis-à-vis the dollar and how the relationship between the two currencies is undergoing a change and a few factors NRIs need to consider to manage their foreign currency earnings better.We conclude the three-part series with tips on how to take care of the foreign currency exposure that you have. We saw the last time that the Indian currency is ‘jumpy’ and that the direction of the ‘jump’ is getting increasingly harder to predict. There are more opinions than experts on the value of the Indian rupee going forward. We also saw some factors to consider while planning your investments. How do you then take care of the foreign currency exposure that you have?...

The Economic Times - part 1 NRIs have been hit hard by the appreciating rupee. Here is the first part of a three part series on what the appreciating rupee means for them. Investing tips for beginners By Akhilesh Tilotia & Ramganesh Iyer There are many reasons that lead a person out of his country. For the last many decades, one of the strongest was the possibility of leading a much better life economically, outside the shores of India. This was driven by a weak Indian economic growth and job situation, compared to the rest of the world. There was another big reason for this strategy of working outside to be attractive. The exchange rate of the rupee was very weak compared to its purchasing power; so a lot of NRIs would profitably earn in US dollars or dirhams and send money back to India. Either their families would live in India, or they would return a few years later, and have a sizable chunk of accumulated wealth to spend in India. For instance, take the case of Rahu...

The Economic Times For many NRIs, investing in India is more reliable because of tax benefits & better growth opportunities. In our previous article, we looked at some of the issues faced by the professional NRIs when planning their finances. This time let us look at the opportunities available to the NRIs when they move from saving to investing their money. Investment choices available locally We begin going up the risk-reward line and identify invest opportunities for the NRIs in their home country. We focus primarily on US. Checking/saving accounts: Due to inertia (checking account is opened as a salary account) or lack of financial advice, money typically lies in checking accounts here earning as low 0.25%. Savings accounts cost a fee or come with a minimum deposit requirement and can earn slightly greater 5% in the USA currently. These accounts are good for short-term liquidity and emergency needs. 401(k) contributions: Similar to our EPF contributions, 401(k) con...