Lost Interest in Family Business: 33-Year-Old Seeks Direction with Free Time

Ans:

Hi.

I can understand your situation where you worked for so many years to support your family and not really had the opportunity to follow your passion.

If your family’s financial condition is stable now, then you can consider starting your own business. It comes with its own risks but it will be an enriching experience.

You can also consider areas like teaching or social work for the next phase of your career.

Ans: A gradual transition or experimenting with part-time initiatives in a different field or starting a side business while maintaining your current job can help you explore new opportunities without taking significant risks.

Ultimately, the decision should align with your personal and professional aspirations. Weigh the pros and cons of each option and consider what will make you most satisfied and fulfilled in your career.

Why is there a lack of growth? Is it due to a lack of opportunities, skill gaps, or a restrictive work environment? Understanding this is crucial.

Are there any new roles, departments, or areas within finance that interest you? Networking within your industry might uncover fresh opportunities.

Leverage your experience by offering consulting services in finance. Freelancing or consulting roles might offer flexibility and the potential for growth in various projects and industries.

Ans: Unfortunately, nobody can answer that question for you.. you have to find your own areas of expertise and interest and develop a business there. Start the business where there is minimum capital expenditure. Keep working till the proof of concept of your business is done and you truly believe that there is a future in the business you want to do.

Ans: I hope that your job loss has not affected you emotionally. I see that you are close to your retirement age! One good thing to know is that you do not have any loans outstanding. On the other hand, you still have some responsibilities in your kid’s education apart from taking care of monthly expenses. Ideally, your investments should have covered your kid’s education expense annually given you have 1.30 cr in FD’s. However, if you continue to significantly depend on FDs, you may not be able to achieve your goals- as your returns would not beat inflation on a post tax basis.
At the same time, you are nearing retirement age, which makes you ideally risk conservative. As a first step, I would suggest you move some of your FDs to dynamic asset allocation funds like ICICI Balanced Advantage Fund. Part of your portfolio you can use Large Cap and Flexicap/Multicap funds. Second step is if you can look at some sources of earning to at least cover household expenses for a few years. Your can get it reviewed and see if it is delivering returns in line with managed funds. If not, you can move some of this also to managed funds.
A combination of looking for sources of income, and improving your returns will help you in this journey. One backup you have is that of a reverse mortgage on your house to take care of your expenses.