What is cabin baggage and check-in baggage ?

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Cabin baggage

Cabin baggage or Hand luggage is the type of luggage that passengers are allowed to carry along in the passenger compartment of a vehicle (airplane or train) instead of moving to the cargo compartment. In North America it is commonly referred as Carry-on. There is a limit for the passengers of carrying smaller bags with them in the vehicle and should contain valuables and items needed during the journey. There is normally storage space provided for hand luggage, either under seating, or in overhead lockers in flights. Whereas, in trains usually we can see luggage racks above the seats and in the case of trains travelling longer distance they have luggage space between the backs of seats facing opposite directions, or in extra luggage racks - for example, at the ends of the carriage near the doors. 

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Size restrictions 

As per the IATA (International Air Transport Association) rules, Cabin baggage should have a maximum length of 56 cm (22 inches), the width of 45 cm (18 inches) and depth of 25 cm (10 inches) including all handles, side pockets, wheels etc. However, in practice the actual size and weight limits of cabin baggage can differ widely between airlines, in some it dependent on the aircraft model being used and it depends on the booking class - Economy, Business and etc..,

Check-in baggage / Checked baggage

Check-in baggage or Checked baggage refers to the luggage delivered to an airline or train for transportation in the hold of an aircraft or baggage car of a passenger train, which means it is inaccessible to the passenger during the flight or ride.

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Weight restrictions

As per the IATA (International Air Transport Association) rules, The bag should weigh less than 23KG/50LBS. This is an international regulation set for the health and safety of airport workers who have to lift hundreds of bags daily. If your bag weighs more than this, you may be asked to repack, or have it labeled as "heavy luggage". The maximum weight however is 32KG/70LBS in the EU and the US. Some airlines impose lower limits. You can refer the airline's websites for more detail about their limits .

Conclusion

Both the Cabin and check-in baggage has limits in carrying size, weight and items. For instance, British Airways there is a limit that liquid you carry must be in its own container of no more than 100 ml. Similarly, the weight and size limits differ from airlines to airlines and It also depends on the Ticket class you buy. So, it is always recommended you to visit the website of concern airline and plan before packing your bags.

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What are the different modes or options for Investments?

Different modes of investments

There are many ways to invest your money, stocks and bonds are the most types people hear of in TV channels and agents, but there are a ton of different ways to invest your money - mutual funds, Cash deposits, real estate and the list goes on... It depends on your objective to decide which investments are suitable for you, based on their characteristics. Before making any investments you should be aware of a checklist that I had suggested in my post here:  12 points one should take care while Investing .

Options for investments:

There are two major options available for investment. they are

Physical assets like real estate, gold/jewellery, commodities etc.

Financial assets such as fixed deposits with banks, small saving instruments with post offices, insurance / provident / pension fund etc. or securities market-related instruments like shares, bonds, debentures etc.

Short-term financial options

Any assets that are anticipated to expire or to be liquidated within the course of 1 to 3 years is termed as Short-term investments. Here I point out few short-term investments options and their characteristics.

1. Savings Bank Account

Usually It is the first banking product people use, this offers low interest of something around 4 - 5% p.a., which is marginally equal to fixed deposits.

2. Term deposits

Fixed Deposits with Banks are also referred as term deposits and minimum investment period for bank FDs is 7 days. These deposits with banks are for investors those who prefer to take no or low risk, and might be considered for up to 10 years. Normally interest earned from such deposits is likely to be lower than the returns of money market fund.

3.Money Market or Liquid Funds

These are specialized form of mutual funds that is extremely short-term fixed income instruments and provides easy liquidity. Unlike most mutual funds, money market funds are primarily oriented towards protecting your capital and then, aim to maximize returns.These funds usually yield better returns than savings accounts, but lower than bank fixed deposits and carries certain risks.

Long-term investment options

In general, long term investments are physical or financial assets  that matures in more than 10 years.

Post Office Savings

Post Office Monthly Income Scheme is a low risk saving instrument, which can be availed through any post office. It provides an interest rate of around 8% per annum, which is paid monthly. More details about MIC can be found here Monthly Income Scheme (MIS) Account.

Public Provident Fund 

PPF is a long term savings instrument with a maturity of 15 years and interest payable at 8% per annum compounded annually. A PPF account can be opened through a nationalized bank in India at anytime during the year and is open all through the year for depositing money. Tax benefits can be availed for the amount invested and interest accrued is tax-free. To know more visit Public Provident Fund Account 

Company Fixed Deposits

These are short-term (six months) to medium-term (three to five years) borrowings by companies at a

fixed rate of interest which is payable monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually. They can also be cumulative fixed deposits where the entire principal along with the interest is paid at the end of the loan period. The rate of interest varies between 6-9% per annum for companies. The interest received is after deduction of taxes.

Bonds

It is a fixed income (debt) instrument issued by companies or government for a period of more than one year with the purpose of raising capital. It is generally a promise to repay the principal along with a fixed rate of interest on a specified date, called the Maturity Date.

Mutual Funds

These are funds operated by an investment company which raises money from the public and invests in a group of assets (shares, debentures etc.), with a set of objectives. It is an alternate for those who are unable to invest directly in equities or debt because of constraints such as resource, time or knowledge. Mutual fund units are issued and redeemed by the Fund Management Company based on

the fund's net asset value (NAV), which is determined at the end of each trading session. NAV is calculated as the value of all the shares held by the fund, minus expenses, divided by the number of units issued. 

These are some of the modes/ options through which one can make their investments. The above mentioned instruments are commonly used in India and similar products are available in other countries too. So you can verify whether such instruments are available in your country. similarly, the interest rates differ from one to another country too.

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What are the factors that determines interest rates?

Interest rates

What is an Interest?

Interest is the charge for the privilege of borrowing money, typically expressed as annual percentage rate. Interest can also refer to the amount of ownership a stockholder has in a company, usually expressed as a percentage.(source: Investopedia) . In simple words, When we borrow money, we are expected to pay for using it – this is known as Interest. It is usually calculated as a percentage of the the amount borrowed. The percentage rate may be fixed for the life of the loan, or it may be variable, depending on the terms of the loan.

Factors determine Interest rates:

There are different types of interest rates such as, rates that banks offer to their depositors, rates that banks lend to their borrowers in form of diffrents loans( Personal loan, Home loan, Car, Education loan and etc..) , the rate at which the Government borrows in the form of Bond/Government Securities market, rates offered to investors in small savings schemes like NSC and PPF, rates at which companies issue Bonds/Debentures. Interest rates are mostly economy related and are commonly referred to as macroeconomic factors. Some of these factors that determine the interest rates are as follows:

- The Central bank (for ex. For India it is Reserve Bank of India) and the Government policies.

- Level of Government borrowings

- Demand for money

- Supply of money

- Inflation rate

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12 points one should take care while investing

12 points one should take care while investing

Instead of keeping the savings idle one may use it to get returns for future, this is called Investment. There are different ways to invest your money such as Fixed deposit, Bonds, Mutual funds, Securities, ETF, Gold, Real estate and etc..  Let it be any investment, before investing your hard earned money I recommend you to have a checklist that is given here. because I had a bitter experience in my past so I share this tips that could save you and your asset in many ways.

1. Obtain written documents explaining the investment
2. Read and understand such documents
3. Verify the legitimacy of the investment
4. Find out the costs and benefits associated with the investment
5. Assess the risk-return profile of the investment
6. Know the liquidity and safety aspects of the investment
7. Ascertain if it is appropriate for your specific goals
8. Compare these details with other investment opportunities available
9. Examine if it fits in with other investments you are considering or you have already made
10. Deal only through an authorized intermediary
11. Seek all clarifications about the intermediary and the investment
12. Explore the options available to you if something were to go wrong

If you are satisfied after scrutinizing the above said elements,  make the investment and keep monitoring it.One of the important reasons why one needs to invest wisely is to meet the

cost of Inflation. Read my post on How your money grows owning a Share? if you are interested in share market.

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How to embed the fonts? Solution for font display problem in PDF files using Font embedding

Font embedding 

Font embedding is an inclusion of font files in a document, by default Word Processing files and the Excel spreadsheets keep the fonts embed with to keep document fonts and layout the same way as they were added in the document. In PDF files the user who receives the file with no other option but to have the same fonts installed into his computer to be able to see it as it was originally created. If the receiver is missing certain font then there arises the problem in viewing the PDF files. This can be solved by embedding the font manually in to the file.

Pros and Cons 

These are the pros of using font embedding in a PDF file
1. File fidelity (quality, layout, special characters etc.) will stay exactly the same as the original file one.
2. Additional modifications can be made on the PDF later without the need of having any other fonts installed assuring the file will always be viewed as intended by the users despite being modified.
3. Subset embedding assures that the file will contain at least the font with which it was created so everyone else can see it without having to install the font and also have the minimum size at the best quality.
4. Font embedding takes the PDF file sharing and interactivity between users to a different level.
The Cons of font embedding in a PDF file are
1. The file size which in the case of full font set embedding can be 3 to 4 times larger than the original file.
2. The practice is controversial as the potential for making copyright infringements is high. This is why Microsoft permits font embedding only with DRM protection in its applications.
3. If only subset embedding is made on the PDF file the other fonts that were not added originally in the file cannot be added anymore.

Using bullzip to embed font

Bullzip provides free pdf printer for up to 10 users. The FREEWARE comes with limitations that for personal and commercial use up to 10 users. It does not contain any advertising or popups. For commercial applications with more than 10 users there are commercial versions available with advanced features.
1. Install the free printer and open Bullzip PDF printer option. From your windows menu
2. Under the Other tab , In other Settings, select All from the Embed fonts dropdown list box. And click ok.

3. Open the document that you want to print. Under the print dialog box. Select Bullzip PDF Printer and print the file. That’s it now your pdf is font embedded. 

There are few other alternatives for embedding such as using Adobe Acrobat, NOVA pdf and etc.. but This is a simplest and easiest way to embed the font in PDF as well as you get the software for free.! 

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Free Hungama Subscription for Mi users!

Hello Mi Users, A good news for you all!. The first 1 million Mi 5, Mi Max and Redmi Note 3* customers will get unlimited a 3 months of Hungama Play and 1 year of unlimited Hungama music subscription for free. 

Steps to avail the offer

Step-1 Download the Hungama apps (play and Music) from Playstore on your Mi 5 / Mi Max / Redmi Note 3.

Step -2 After the app is installed, open the app you will get Mi Account Sign In window.
Step-3 Just Sign In with your Mi account and avail the offer.

Here is my Screenshots:

 

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SIRF PANCH MINUTE KA MADRASAH (ENGLISH) Just five min of madarasah

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NOTE: THE BOOK IS IN ENGLISH NOT IN URDU. THE COVER PHOTO IS USED ONLY FOR REPRESENTATION.

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