Finance BasicsHow the New Labour Code Changes Your Take-Home Pay
The 21 November 2025 Labour Code trims monthly take-home by about 3.2%, but the money shifts into your PF and even cuts your tax. The numbers, by salary band.
7 min read
Personal finance,
decoded in plain English.
Research-led explanations of budgeting, saving, debt, investing and more, for beginners who were never taught how money actually works.
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Financial Literacy Basics
Most people were never taught how money actually works, not in school, not at home. This section covers the foundational concepts: what inflation means for your savings, how credit scores are calculated, what net worth actually measures, and the financial terms that show up in real life but rarely get explained clearly. Start here if you are new to personal finance.
23 articles
Pillar 1
Budgeting
Budgeting is not about restriction. It is about knowing where your money goes before it disappears. This section covers every major budgeting method in plain English: zero-based budgeting, the 50/30/20 rule, the envelope method, and more. Research shows that the best budget is the one that matches how you actually live, not a textbook ideal.
20 articles
Pillar 2
Saving Money
Saving money sounds simple until life gets in the way. This section covers the strategies, systems, and mindset shifts that research shows actually work, from building an emergency fund from scratch to understanding the difference between a sinking fund and a savings account. No unrealistic advice. Just what the research says.
14 articles
Pillar 3
Debt and Credit
Debt and credit are two of the most misunderstood areas of personal finance. This section explains how credit scores are calculated, how credit card interest actually compounds, how debt payoff methods work, and what happens when debt goes unpaid. Understanding how these systems work is the first step to navigating them.
19 articles
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Budgeting, saving, debt and credit, banking, tax, side hustles, and the psychology of money. Every topic we cover, in one place.
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Finance BasicsPersonal Finance for Beginners: India + US Guide 2026
A beginner's guide to managing money in India and the US, built as an order of operations: what to do first, then next, with worked rupee and dollar examples.
22 min read
Side HustlesSide Hustles Explained: Types, Legality and Tax (India + US)
What a side hustle is, the main types, how to choose one, whether it's legal while you're employed in India, and how side income gets taxed in India and the US.
12 min read
ToolsPersonal Finance Tools Explained: India and US App Guide
The main types of personal finance tool in India and the US, how each gets your data, who regulates it, what 'free' really costs, and where to read next.
11 min read
DebtDebt and Credit Explained: India and the US in One Guide
How debt and credit work in India and the US, in one guide: CIBIL and FICO, EMIs and revolving cards, and the RBI and Fed rules current as of July 2026.
15 min read
BankingWhat Is a Recurring Deposit? RD Rules, Rate, and Tax
A recurring deposit takes a fixed sum every month at a locked rate. The 6.7% post office rate, the gazetted default rules, what early closure costs, and RD tax.
17 min read
BudgetingKakeibo: The Japanese Budgeting Method Explained
Kakeibo is a Japanese pen-and-paper budgeting method built on four questions and four categories. The steps, a ledger layout, and a worked example in ₹ and $.
13 min read
TaxWhat Is AIS in Income Tax? Password, TIS, and Feedback
The AIS (Annual Information Statement) is the tax department's record of your financial year. The PDF password, what it shows, the TIS, and giving feedback.
17 min read
TaxWhat Is Form 26AS? Download, Password, and Parts Explained
Form 26AS is your PAN's tax-credit statement. What it shows now, how to download it, the DOB password, and how it differs from the AIS. India, FY 2025-26.
16 min read
DebtWhat Is a Payday Loan? How They Work and What They Cost
What a payday loan is, how it works, and what it really costs: the 391% APR, the rollover debt cycle, payday vs personal loans, and how India's instant-loan-app reality compares.
14 min read
We learned too late that no matter how well things are going, you never know what is coming.
The Money Decoded was started by someone who learned about personal finance the hard way, through a real business failure and a near-loss of their family home in 2011.
We research personal finance topics thoroughly and explain them in plain English so others do not have to learn these lessons the hard way too. Nothing on this site is financial advice.
Read the full storyOur research draws from Investopedia, NerdWallet, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the IRS, and the SEC.