Hello I am 36 years old, married blessed with 2 daughters. My wife is also earning, she is taking care of kids education currently.
I have an ongoing home loan with current outstanding loan of 70L. My current EMI is close to 63K per month. Remaining Tenure 205 months. My take home in-hand salary is around 1.7L per annum. So apart from EMI, house expenses+ giving money to the family comes to around 50K per month. I have started investing around 45k per month as SIP. My current investments into SIP is around 15L. My aim is to be debt free . Is it good idea to reduce the loan with this SIP investment?
Ans: You are 36 years old, married, and father of two daughters. Your wife is working and currently managing the children’s education. You are repaying a home loan with Rs. 70 lakh outstanding. The EMI is Rs. 63,000 per month, and the tenure left is 205 months. Your monthly in-hand salary is Rs. 1.7 lakh. After EMI and family expenses of Rs. 50,000, you are still investing Rs. 45,000 per month as SIP. Your total SIP corpus is Rs. 15 lakh.
You want to become debt-free. You are wondering if it is a good idea to use your SIP corpus to reduce the loan.
Let us evaluate your situation from all angles.
Income and Expenses Review
You have Rs. 1.7 lakh monthly salary. That is a decent and stable income.
Rs. 63,000 goes as EMI. Rs. 50,000 for household and family support.
This leaves you with Rs. 57,000 per month.
Out of this, you are investing Rs. 45,000 SIP per month.
That means you are managing well and maintaining savings discipline.
Excellent financial behaviour. Most families cannot save this much.
SIP Investment Progress
You already built Rs. 15 lakh through SIPs. That’s a great start.
You are in the habit of regular saving. This is your biggest strength.
SIPs are long-term wealth creators. The key is consistency.
If you stay invested, this corpus will grow significantly over time.
But you are now considering redeeming it to reduce home loan.
Let us understand both sides clearly.
Home Loan Status
Rs. 70 lakh loan outstanding. 205 months remaining. EMI is Rs. 63,000.
This is a long-term liability. But it is a structured one.
You are not struggling with EMI. That is important to note.
Home loans come with tax benefits. Interest and principal both give deductions.
It helps reduce your taxable income.
Reducing this loan sounds good emotionally, but may not be best financially.
Should You Use SIP Corpus to Prepay Loan?
Let us evaluate this carefully.
Using Rs. 15 lakh from SIP to reduce loan will bring down EMI or tenure.
But it will stop the compounding of that Rs. 15 lakh.
SIP in mutual funds has potential to deliver higher returns than loan interest.
Over long-term, equity mutual funds grow faster than the cost of a loan.
So keeping SIP invested gives better wealth growth.
You will also lose liquidity if you prepay loan. That’s a risk.
In case of job loss or emergency, you can’t get money back from loan.
But SIP corpus is accessible if really needed.
So using SIP to reduce loan is not advisable at this stage.
Your loan EMI is not hurting your budget. So you can continue as is.
What Can Be Done Instead?
You can follow a balanced and flexible strategy.
Continue your Rs. 45,000 SIP. Do not stop it.
Split this SIP amount into growth-oriented and hybrid mutual funds.
Use actively managed funds. Avoid index funds. Index funds follow market blindly.
In down markets, they fall equally. No protection during correction.
Actively managed funds aim to reduce downside and find better growth.
Choose regular plans via a Certified Mutual Fund Distributor working with a Certified Financial Planner.
Direct funds don’t offer advice or review. You will miss strategic help.
Regular plans come with personalised support and ongoing monitoring.
That is more valuable than slightly lower expense ratio.
Use part of your growing SIP corpus later for home loan prepayment in 4-5 years.
This way you benefit from compounding and debt reduction.
Debt Freedom Goal – A Step-by-Step Plan
You want to become debt-free. That’s a powerful goal. Let’s plan for it.
Don’t aim to close full loan immediately. Plan for a staged prepayment.
Every 3 to 5 years, use part of your corpus to reduce principal.
This shortens loan tenure and reduces interest burden.
At the same time, keep investing parallelly.
Maintain a clear balance between long-term investment and debt reduction.
Avoid emotional decisions. Focus on long-term financial logic.
Reinvest bonuses or surplus into mutual funds. Use them later for bulk prepayment.
Avoid pulling SIP corpus unless you have a shortfall in emergencies.
You can use part of SIP corpus to prepay loan when it crosses Rs. 25 to 30 lakh.
Emergency Fund and Liquidity
Do you have an emergency fund? If not, create one soon.
Keep 6 months’ expenses as reserve. Use liquid or ultra-short-term funds.
Do not invest emergency fund in equity. Keep it separate.
Emergency fund gives peace and safety. Never use it for loan prepayment.
Child Education and Family Planning
Your wife is handling kids’ education. That gives you flexibility.
In a few years, education costs will rise. Plan early.
Use goal-based investing for each child’s milestone.
SIPs should be mapped to each goal. Use separate folios if needed.
Review each goal with a Certified Financial Planner once a year.
Do not mix children’s education fund with loan prepayment plans.
Keep goals separate for clarity and better management.
Insurance Protection Check
Do you have a term life cover? Make sure it’s 10x your yearly income.
Home loan is big. Your family needs safety if anything happens.
Do not rely on ULIPs or endowment plans. They give poor cover and low returns.
If you hold such policies, consider surrendering. Reinvest that money in mutual funds.
Health insurance is a must for you and family.
Even if your employer provides cover, keep personal cover too.
It helps after job switch or retirement.
Tax Planning Insight
You can claim Rs. 1.5 lakh under 80C for home loan principal.
Claim interest up to Rs. 2 lakh under section 24.
SIP in ELSS mutual fund also gives 80C benefit.
But don’t invest just for tax saving. See overall returns too.
Keep documentation ready for all claims.
Final Insights
You are already on the right track. You are managing EMI, expenses, and still investing. That shows discipline.
Using SIP corpus now to reduce loan is not the best decision.
Continue investing. Let compounding build your wealth. Use partial corpus in future for prepayment.
Stay invested in regular mutual fund plans through Certified MFDs associated with CFPs.
Avoid index and direct funds. They lack guidance, risk control, and personalised support.
Build a strong base with emergency fund, term insurance, and goal-based SIPs.
You are young. Your income is growing. Let time and planning work for you.
You can become debt-free and financially secure within 8 to 10 years.
Stay focused. Review once a year. Avoid panic or shortcuts.
You are doing great. Just stay steady.
Best Regards,
K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,
Chief Financial Planner,
www.holisticinvestment.in
https://www.youtube.com/@HolisticInvestment