Pillar 6
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
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
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
What a recession is, why two quarters of negative GDP isn't the official US definition, who declares one and how late, and India's own recession history.
15 min read
The 2026 index puts US financial literacy at 47%. India's last national survey said 27% and is seven years old. What the numbers mean, and where to begin.
17 min read
India reports GDP growth year-on-year over a fiscal year. The US annualises one quarter. The two headline numbers are built differently and do not compare.
15 min read
What is the FIRE movement? A plain-English explanation of Financial Independence Retire Early, the math, the variants, and the trade-offs of the FIRE framework.
8 min read
What does financial freedom mean? A plain-English definition, the levels people commonly talk about, and what the term actually requires in practical terms.
7 min read
What is diversification? A plain-English explanation of how spreading investments reduces risk, the different ways to diversify, and why the concept gets discussed so often.
8 min read
What is compound interest? A plain-English explanation of how interest builds on itself, why time matters more than rate, and how it works on both savings and debt.
8 min read
What a W-2 form is, why Box 1 is smaller than your salary, every Box 12 code explained, the 2026 deadline, and how to get a copy. A plain-English US guide.
13 min read
Indian lenders now report credit data on four dates a month, not two, since 1 July 2026. What a credit report is, who can correct it, and what a delay is worth.
15 min read
The 1099-NEC threshold rose from $600 to $2,000 for payments made after 31 December 2025. What each variant reports, and the Indian form that matches it.
13 min read
What are taxes actually used for? A plain-English breakdown of where federal, state, and local tax dollars go, and why understanding this matters for personal finance.
8 min read
How to read a pay stub: a plain-English walkthrough of every line item, from gross pay to deductions to net take-home, plus the year-to-date totals that matter at tax time.
8 min read
India quotes CTC. The US quotes gross. Neither is what lands in your account, and the US employer's 7.65% is the part nobody puts in the offer letter.
15 min read
Indian floating-rate bank loans must reset at least once every three months under an RBI rule. What sets your rate, and which benchmark it is tied to.
16 min read
APR is the rate plus fees, but the rules exclude a specific list. What India's Key Facts Statement requires, and why credit cards sit outside it.
16 min read
How does inflation affect your money? A plain-English breakdown of what inflation does to savings, wages, debt, investments, and long-term goals.
9 min read
What is net worth? A plain-English explanation of the most foundational personal finance number, plus how to calculate yours in five minutes.
8 min read
What is inflation? A plain-English explanation of how prices rise, how it is measured, and what it actually means for everyday savings, wages, and debt.
9 min read
What CIBIL, UPI, EMI and TDS mean, and their US equivalents FICO, ACH and withholding. Plain definitions with real numbers, plus the pairs people mix up.
17 min read
What is financial literacy? A plain-English explanation of the skill that helps people make informed money decisions. No jargon, no advice, just clear research.
8 min read
Personal finance basics explained in plain English: income, saving, debt, credit, and investing, the small set of concepts every adult tends to encounter.
8 min read