Confused Science Student: Should I Continue BA LLB or Opt for NEET After a BSc?

Ans: Your preparation so far is strong. With a clear retirement age target, minimal liabilities, and good asset mix, your foundation is solid. Let us now build a secure and income-generating retirement plan for you.

Below is a complete and personalised strategy.

 

Your Retirement Readiness Assessment

You plan to retire by 56 or 57. You are currently 52. That gives 4 to 5 years.

 

Retirement corpus will include:

 

 – Rs. 1 crore in PF
 – Rs. 1 crore in PPF
 – Rs. 2.53 crore in stocks
 – Rs. 70 lakhs in fixed deposits
 – Rs. 40+ lakhs in post office schemes
 – Rs. 40 lakhs from gratuity and superannuation

 

Your post-retirement lifestyle needs to be carefully calculated. Life expectancy planning should go till age 85 at least.

 

Your corpus is expected to be around Rs. 6 to 6.5 crore in five years. This is strong.

 

Two major expenses ahead are your sons’ marriages. These can be met through a planned drawdown.

 

You have clearly avoided mutual funds. So, we will exclude them. We will build income using other regulated options.

 

Your Emergency Liquidity Plan

Emergency fund should always be available in safe and quick-access options.

 

Keep Rs. 15 lakhs in a laddered fixed deposit structure.

 

Split this into three parts maturing every 3 to 6 months.

 

This will help if any unexpected medical or family need arises.

 

FD ladder also reduces reinvestment risk. It provides better liquidity flow.

 

Do not invest emergency fund in long-term or risky assets.

 

Retirement Income Portfolio Construction

Let us focus on creating stable monthly or quarterly income from different asset classes.

 

This should come with minimum risk. Also, inflation should not reduce the value over time.

 

Split retirement corpus into three buckets:

 

 Bucket 1 – Safety and Liquidity (2 to 3 years income)
 – Rs. 40 to 50 lakhs in senior citizen savings scheme and post office MIS
 – These provide steady monthly or quarterly income
 – Use your gratuity and superannuation lump sum here
 – You can also consider tax-free bonds if available in the secondary market

 

 Bucket 2 – Medium-Term Income (4 to 10 years income)
 – Rs. 1 crore in corporate fixed deposits and bank deposits
 – Ensure these are from high-rated institutions only
 – Choose monthly or quarterly interest payout options
 – Ladder the deposits for 3 to 5 year maturities
 – Taxation should be managed through 15H or by splitting under family members if possible

 

 Bucket 3 – Long-Term Growth and Backup (10+ years)
 – Rs. 1 crore in PPF and PF will remain safe and tax-free
 – Use interest from these accounts later in retirement
 – Keep some part in safe dividend-paying stocks
 – Choose mature, stable companies with 10+ year dividend history

 

 – Reinvest dividends into bank deposits if not needed now
 – Keep part of your stock portfolio intact to beat inflation
 – But avoid aggressive stocks or sector-based stocks

 

 – Keep a rebalancing rule every 3 years to shift excess profits to deposits

 

Income Streams Planning

You need regular income from age 57 to 85 or beyond.

 

Monthly expenses need to be estimated accurately.

 

Estimate cost of living at today’s value and account for inflation.

 

Let us say you need Rs. 1.25 lakhs per month now.

 

Your PF, PPF, FDs, MIS, SCSS, stock dividends can jointly support this.

 

Interest from SCSS, MIS, and FDs will form your early retirement income base.

 

Later, start using your PF, PPF maturity and stock profits.

 

Withdraw PF and PPF only after 65 or later, if possible.

 

This structure will ensure you never run out of money.

 

Insurance and Risk Coverage

At 52, health insurance is extremely important.

 

Please keep Rs. 25 to 50 lakhs individual health policy for yourself and spouse.

 

Check if super top-up plans are available to expand your cover.

 

Renew policies every year without gap. Choose lifelong renewability.

 

Keep Rs. 10 lakhs medical buffer in bank if you prefer not depending on insurer.

 

Term insurance is optional at this stage if your dependents are financially secure.

 

Since you are already financially independent, you may skip term cover.

 

Gold and Physical Assets

Your current plan includes buying 20 gm gold every year.

 

While gold offers value preservation, it does not provide income.

 

Keep gold allocation below 10% of total wealth.

 

Focus more on income-generating assets like SCSS, FDs, dividend stocks.

 

If needed, sell part of gold for children’s marriages. Use it only for real needs.

 

Tax Management in Retirement

Plan withdrawals in a tax-efficient way.

 

SCSS, MIS, FDs – interest is taxable. Spread across family accounts.

 

PF and PPF – completely tax-free.

 

Dividends from stocks are taxable as per your slab.

 

Keep annual tax-free limit in mind – Rs. 2.5 lakhs basic exemption (plus 1.5 lakh for senior citizens above 60).

 

Split investments in spouse’s name to save tax legally.

 

Track your Form 26AS and AIS for interest and dividend records.

 

File ITR every year without fail to maintain tax history.

 

Asset Protection and Nomination

Assign nominees for every investment and bank account.

 

Update EPF, PPF, stocks, FD and PO account nominations.

 

Write a will if your asset size is large.

 

Will should mention names of family members and asset distribution.

 

You can also explore joint holding to simplify post-retirement access.

 

Keep one asset register updated every six months.

 

Other Useful Points for Financial Peace

Sons’ marriage fund should be kept in short-term deposits or bonds.

 

Do not disturb your long-term assets for short-term expenses.

 

Avoid loans post-retirement. Stay debt free.

 

Track inflation every year and review income need accordingly.

 

Do a full review every 2 years with a certified financial planner.

 

Maintain lifestyle within income. Do not overspend on lifestyle upgrades.

 

Prefer spending from interest. Avoid touching principal till absolutely needed.

 

Keep mental peace by building a system-based financial plan.

 

Finally

You are already ahead in your retirement journey. Assets are in place. You need a structure now.

You want to avoid mutual funds, and that’s fine. The above strategy uses only deposits, PFs, stocks, and post office tools.

This gives you inflation protection, steady income, and safety.

Rebalancing every 3 years will help you stay aligned.

Please implement it step by step, not in one go. Stay in control always.

Live simply, spend wisely, and let your money work peacefully.

 

Best Regards,
 
K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,
 
Chief Financial Planner,
 
www.holisticinvestment.in
https://www.youtube.com/@HolisticInvestment