Author: Mani Karthik
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Best Small Towns in India Where NRIs Can Retire Peacefully
I still remember the conversation I had with my uncle in 2019. He had just retired from his software job in California. Forty years in the US. Two kids settled there. And now he wanted to come back. But here’s what surprised me. He didn’t want Bangalore or Pune. He wanted peace. Good weather. Access…
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Should You Move Back to India with $220K and 16Crores? A Texas Couple’s Dilemma 🤔
Hey there! Mani here. We got a question in our FB group. “We are a married couple in Texas right now. I am 33, wife 30, we have saved up around 220K USD . Have around 16Cr in real estate in India via parents(inheritance). Is it a wise decision to move back or stay here…
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Thematic Mutual Funds for NRIs: How to Invest in India 🚀
Two years after we moved back to India from San Francisco, I made one of my smartest investment decisions. I was at a coffee shop in Koramangala. My former SuperMoney colleague texted me about how well his US tech stocks were doing. I felt that familiar FOMO creeping in. Then I remembered something. I was…
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Hybrid Mutual Funds in India: NRI Investment Guide
Hey there! Mani here. Back in 2019, my wife asked me a question that completely changed how we invest our money. “Why can’t we have something that gives us growth like equity but safety like debt?” I was working remotely for a US client then. We had just started feeling comfortable with our move back…
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NRI Gift Deed: A Comprehensive Guide
When I moved back to India in 2017, my mom had a surprise for me. “Beta, I want to gift you the Thiruvananthapuram property that your dad bought before he passed away.” I was touched. But also completely clueless about gift deeds. Fast forward to 2024. I’ve helped dozens of NRI families in our BacktoIndia…
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Can OCIs Take Health Insurance in India? The Truth
When we moved back from the US in 2017, my wife asked the million dollar question. “What about health insurance for our family?” My older son had his US citizenship. My younger son (born in Dallas) was getting his OCI card processed. My wife was an OCI holder. And honestly? I was completely confused about…
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Term Insurance for NRIs: Process, Claims, Documents and More
When I was working at SuperMoney in the US, I had this nagging worry. What if something happened to me? How would my family back in India manage financially? My mom was already alone after dad passed away during my college years. The thought of leaving my wife and two sons (one born in the…
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Dividend Stocks in India: Guide for NRI Investors
Hey there! Mani here. Back in 2018, a year after I moved back to India, my wife asked me a question that changed our investment strategy completely. “Can we get regular income from our Indian investments like we used to get from our US dividend stocks?” I was stumped. We had built a nice dividend…
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How to Renew Indian Passport from the UK
My phone rings at 2 AM. My friend Arjun from London is crying. His passport expired six months ago. His grandfather just had a heart attack in Mumbai. The earliest appointment he could get was three months away. I felt horrible for him. But it also made me realize something important. Most NRIs have no…
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Understanding IRS Form 1040: Complete Guide for NRIs
Let me tell you about my most stressful tax season ever. It was 2017, the year we moved back to India. I was juggling Form 1040 for my US income, Indian tax returns, and trying to figure out which country I was a resident of for tax purposes. My wife Priya was eight months pregnant…