Blog

  • NRI Gift Deed: A Comprehensive Guide for NRIs (2026)

    A member in our WhatsApp community recently shared a situation that comes up far too often. His father in India wanted to transfer the family house to him. Simple, right? Father to son. Should be straightforward. Except he’s a US citizen with an OCI card. Living in Texas. Never dealt with Indian property paperwork. Didn’t…

  • Can OCIs Take Health Insurance in India? The Truth

    Last month, a member in our BacktoIndia WhatsApp group asked a question that stopped me mid-scroll. “I gave up my Indian passport five years ago. I have an OCI card. Does that mean I can’t get health insurance in India anymore?” Thirty-seven people replied within the hour. And almost half of them had wrong information.…

  • 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…

  • Dividend Stocks – Any Good for NRIs? (2026)

    A member in our WhatsApp community asked a question that stopped me in my tracks. “Mani, I bought Coal India shares last year for the dividends. The yield was 8%. But after TDS, I only received about 6.3%. And then my CA in the US told me I might owe more tax there too. Is…

  • How to Renew Indian Passport from the UK – Full Process (2026)

    An NRI friend called me at midnight once. Panicking. His Indian passport had expired three months ago. He’d just been offered a project in Singapore. Flights in three weeks. And he had no idea how the renewal process worked from the UK. Sound familiar? Passport renewal is one of those things every NRI in the…

  • Understanding IRS Form 1040: Complete Guide for NRIs (2026)

    I’ll never forget this. A friend in our WhatsApp group had been living in the US for 11 years. Green card holder. Good job. Family. He decided to move back to India. He sold his home, transferred his 401(k), and shipped his stuff. All good. Then April came. His CA asked – “Did you file…

  • Form 1099 – Complete Guide for NRIs (2026)

    A member in our WhatsApp group posted this last tax season: “I got four different 1099 forms in the mail. I don’t even know what half of them mean. Do I report all of them? I moved to India last year. Help!” She wasn’t alone. That message triggered 47 replies in two hours. The 1099…

  • PPF for NRIs: Complete Guide (2026)

    “Mani, I opened my PPF account in 2008. I moved to the US in 2012 on an H-1B. My PPF matured in 2023. I didn’t do anything. Is my money gone?” I get some version of this question every single week. No, your money isn’t gone. But it might not be earning interest anymore. And…

  • ITR for NRIs: The Complete Guide That Saved Me ₹45,000 in Penalties

    Picture this. March 2018. I had just moved back to India from the US with Priya and our two boys. Dhruv was asking me why we had to file taxes in two countries now. Good question, beta. That’s when I realized most NRIs are completely lost when it comes to ITR filing in India. The…

  • Aadhaar Card for OCI Holders: NRIs Guide (2026)

    “Mani, I have an OCI card. Can I get an Aadhaar?” This question comes up almost every week in our WhatsApp community. And the confusion is understandable. For years, the rules around Aadhaar for OCI holders were murky. People got turned away from Aadhaar centers. Others were told they didn’t qualify. Some managed to get…