Terms & Conditions

Terms & Conditions for Members of Moneylife Foundation

Membership to Moneylife Foundation will be subject to the following conditions:

1. Moneylife Foundation (MLF) is a not-for-profit organisation that endeavours to spread financial literacy and help consumers of financial services in multiple ways.
2. Membership to MLF is free. You can become a member by registering online or simply filling out a basic membership form.
3. MLF membership is provided at the sole discretion of the Board of Trustees. The Trustees have the right to cancel the membership or deny membership to any person, at its sole discretion, without explanation to the members concerned. Such action will be initiated by those in charge of day-to-day management of the Foundation’s activities who will report to the Board, in confidence, their reasons for rejecting, or terminating, a specific membership.
4. Free membership to MLF offers the following benefits, which may be change, be restricted or enhanced, from time to time, as decided by MLF’s Trustees:
   1. Free daily and weekly newsletters for news and views with a difference in your mailbox by email;
   2. Free invitations and access to seminars and workshops on financial literacy (there may be exceptions when there are paid-programmes);
   3. Free access to MLF’s FIVE Helplines:
      1. Legal Resource Centre
      2. Samir Zaveri Railway Helpline for railway victims
      3. Free access to counselling for financial and debt-related issues,
   4. Invitations to attend round-table discussions;
   5. Access to free reading room of Moneylife Knowledge Centre
5. MLF’s financial literacy sessions are non-partisan and independent. We do not recommend any product or service. We educate, help and guide people, but MLF members are responsible for their own financial decisions and for properly analysing and verifying any information they intend to rely upon.
6. MLF adheres to the highest standards of ethics and we expect our members to do the same.
7. MLF members will not misuse their access to financial consumers, by way of the membership and events and use it as a forum to get new clients or to sell – directly or indirectly – any financial product or service.
8. MLF’s financial literacy sessions include eminent speakers from various disciplines who very kindly spare their time and share their expertise with members pro bono. Our speakers do not use the MLF platform to hard sell their services. Conversely, MLF members cannot use their membership or access to contact our expert speakers for ‘free’ help or ‘free’ consultation after the seminars. Members are, however, free to contact the experts on a professional basis. MLF takes no responsibility for such engagements.
9. While using MLF’s website or helplines, members must remember that MLF does not endorse any recommendation or opinion posted by other members in the comments section. We keep moderation to the minimum to promote multiple and diverse views. Members must use their own judgement and discretion when it comes to comments and messages by other members.
10. We do not give tax or investment advice or advocate the purchase or sale of any security or investment. You should always seek the assistance of a professional for tax and investment advice. Our helplines provide guidance, assistance and information.
11. MLF’s Insurance Helpline is only for individual consumers of insurance and not for insurance agents, brokers, business or wealth advisors. It offers basic advice and guidance. If you need to approach the insurance ombudsman, consumer court or any other legal forum, you may need to seek professional help. At this point, the insurance helpline has no resources to fight battles for consumers.
12. MLF’s Insurance Helpine will NOT recommend specific insurance products or the timing of buying or selling them. We are not an intermediary, broker or professional service-provider.
13. The objective of MLF’s Legal Resource Centre’s (LRC) is to provide information, advice and preliminary guidance to a person needing legal help or planning legal action. A panel of experts, provides FREE help and guidance in 10 defined areas.
    1. Filing complaints with financial regulators & stock exchanges;
    2. Filing consumer complaints;
    3. Information Technology (Amendment) Act and issues that affect life and liberty;
    4. Filing public interest litigation;
    5. Guidance to whistleblowers;
    6. Filing complaints & consequences in sexual harassment cases;
    7. Wills, transmission of assets, etc
    8. Filing RTI applications effectively and handling the appeals process;
    9. Property, conveyance, cooperative society-related issues, registration, stamp duty, etc;
    10. Basic legal research of different kinds, especially matters pertaining to new legislation.
14. While using MLF’s Legal Resource Centre or its other helplines, members will undertake to provide facts and information accurately to get the best possible guidance. We insist that you read our terms and conditions for using the LRC before submitting queries.
15. MLF will not support any member’s claims or contentions that are not in line with rules and regulatory provisions applicable, or claims that, in our opinion/judgement, are unfair or unreasonable. The decision about what is a fair or unfair is the sole discretion of MLF management and no explanation is owed, or can be demanded, by a member.
16. MLF believes in showing savers the right path to fight their own battles in case of disputes with financial intermediaries, service-providers or regulators. The actual battle will be fought by the member not the Foundation.
17. Grievance redressal is a longdrawn process. MLF will only take up those cases that are possible within its limited resources and that too on a best-effort basis. MLF provides no guarantees, nor do we promise unlimited hand-holding. Members may have to seek professional help to take up issues that are beyond the means and resources of MLF to handle.
18. We may not permit one individual to monopolise the Foundation’s time and resources with endless questions and demands on multiple helplines. We expect members to educate themselves through our free seminars and YouTube videos to AVOID financial blunders, rather than constantly seek redress to their financial mis-adventures.
19. MLF can only grow and survive if those who benefit from our work also donate to the cause and help us reach others. We encourage members to donate.
20. We do not recommend any lawyers or advocates for any form or legal consultation or work. Moneylife Foundation provides the services of experts who provide FREE counseling either in person at our Knowledge Centre or through our helplines. At no point, will our experts also provide/recommend the services of any particular lawyer or legal consultant.
    We are not liable for any advice that is offered by any lawyer or legal consultant that is not directly associated with Moneylife Foundation. You may choose to follow their advice at your own volition.
21. REFUND POLICY
    Refund of charges paid against Donations to Moneylife Foundation and its Helpline services are NON-REFUNDABLE .
    
    REFUND POLICY pertaining to FEES against Special programme/s and Round Table meetings
    Moneylife Foundation will not entertain any refund whatsoever, EXCEPT in cases wherein the programme/meeting is cancelled.
    If the programme/meeting date is changed, you will get an option to either get a full refund or attend the programme/meeting on the new date.