Guides
Long-form pieces on the problems the tools solve. Written to stand on their own, with the relevant tool linked where it actually helps.
ImagesFormatsWhich image format should you use
Format is the decision before compression, and the wrong one cannot be tuned away. What each format is actually built for, which to stop using, and how to serve more than one.
6 min read
FreelanceInvoicingGetting an invoice paid on time
Most late invoices were unpayable when sent. The fields finance systems stop on, terms worth setting instead of net 30, and an escalation ladder decided before you need it.
6 min read
FreelancePricingWhat to charge per hour as a freelancer
Your floor rate is arithmetic; your market rate is a decision. Why billable hours are nearer 1,100 than 2,080, the costs a salary was hiding, and how to price above the floor.
5 min read
IdentifiersDatabasesUUID v4 or v7 for database keys
Random v4 keys scatter writes across a B-tree and slow inserts as tables grow. v7 sorts by time and fixes that, but leaks creation time. Use v7 internally, v4 in public.
5 min read
EncodingSecurityBase64 is not encryption
Base64 is a transport encoding with no key and no secrecy. What the padding means, why base64url exists, the Unicode trap in btoa, and when to reach for a hash instead.
5 min read
SalaryIndiaCTC versus in-hand: where the rest of it goes
Cost to company includes money that never reaches your payslip. Only one of the four gaps is a genuine loss — the rest is deferred, and the structure decides how much.
5 min read
DepositsIndiaCumulative or non-cumulative: which FD pays more
One compounds and pays at maturity, the other pays interest out and never compounds. The rate is usually identical; the return is not, and the tax timing catches people out.
5 min read
DepositsIndiaWhy a 444-day FD is not the same as 15 months
Banks pick odd tenures because they are hard to compare. Interest compounds only on completed quarters, and the leftover days earn simple interest. Here is what that costs.
5 min read
SalaryIndiaGratuity: the 15/26 formula and the six-month rule
Fifteen days of pay per completed year, on a twenty-six day month. Six months rounds up to a full year, and one month either side of that mark is worth thousands.
4 min read
RetirementIndiaHow long will my corpus actually last?
The withdrawal rate dominates, not the return you assume. Two extra points of withdrawal can halve how long the money lasts, and inflation is usually left out entirely.
4 min read
TaxSalaryIndiaHRA exemption: the least-of-three test, worked
Your exemption is the smallest of three figures, and the rent you paid is not one of them. Which leg binds decides whether paying more rent helps at all.
5 min read
TaxIndiaOld vs new regime: where the break-even actually sits
Run both across a range of incomes and one rule falls out: without HRA the new regime wins at every level, however much 80C you claim. HRA is what reverses it.
5 min read
InvestingIndiaSIP or lump sum: what the maths actually says
On a rising market a lump sum wins, and it is not close. A SIP is not a return-maximising strategy — it is a regret-minimising one, which is usually the more useful property.
4 min read
TaxDepositsIndiaTDS on FD interest is a withholding, not a tax bill
The bank deducts at a flat rate against a bill calculated at your slab. It is rarely the right amount, and no deduction does not mean no liability.
5 min read
SavingsIndiaWhere to put your money in India
The right home for a sum of money is decided by when you need it back and how much you can afford to lose — not by which product has the best headline rate.
6 min read
PricingFreelancingHow to calculate a freelance project quote
A step-by-step method for pricing fixed-fee freelance work: find your real hourly rate, break the job into tasks, add a buffer, and present the number.
5 min read
ImagesPerformanceHow to reduce image size without losing quality
Resize before you compress, pick the right format, and stop at quality 80. A practical guide to making images far smaller with no visible difference.
3 min read