How Can I Overcome My Persistent Vertigo Problem?

Ans: This can be dealt with an affidavit during counseling of admissions. But in longer run and to avoid any hassles in your career, get your name corrected in 10th marksheet.

Ans: You have planned and accumulated well over the years. That gives a strong base for retirement planning. I will address your questions one by one in a simple and clear manner.

» Current Financial Position – Overall Assessment

– Own house, no home loan: very positive
– Retirement corpus spread across EPF, gratuity, FDs and NPS: well diversified
– No major liabilities except car loan and daughters’ marriage
– Regular expenses are known and realistic

From a big-picture view, your retirement corpus is adequate, provided it is structured properly for income and inflation control.

» Immediate Actions at Retirement

– Use gratuity to close car loan as planned. This is sensible and removes EMI stress.
– Keep at least 2–3 years of household expenses in safe and liquid options.
– Do not deploy entire corpus at once after retirement. Phased planning is important.

» Monthly Income Planning After Retirement

Your expenses are around Rs. 2.5–3.0L per month. This means income must be:

– Stable
– Tax-efficient
– Inflation-aware

Suggested structure in simple terms:
– One part of corpus to generate regular monthly income
– One part to grow slowly to beat inflation
– One part kept aside for emergencies and medical needs

Avoid locking all money only in fixed-return products, as inflation will reduce purchasing power over time.

» EPF, NPS and FD Strategy

– EPF: Very strong pillar. Avoid withdrawing entire EPF immediately. Withdraw only what is required.
– NPS: Use cautiously. Ensure flexibility and avoid forced income if not needed.
– FDs: Review interest rates and maturity laddering. Avoid renewing all FDs at one time.

This helps in managing interest rate risk and tax impact.

» Managing Income Tax Post Retirement

– Spread withdrawals across financial years.
– Avoid creating large taxable income in a single year.
– Senior citizen tax benefits should be fully utilised.

Proper sequencing of withdrawals matters more than chasing higher returns.

» Daughters’ Marriage Planning

– Estimated Rs. 10L per child is reasonable.
– Since timeline is around 3 years, keep this money in low-risk options.
– Do not expose marriage funds to market volatility.

This goal should be clearly separated from retirement income planning.

» Health and Medical Planning

– Since your wife is diabetic, health expenses can rise with age.
– Maintain higher liquidity buffer than normal.
– Do not compromise emergency reserves for higher returns.

Medical certainty is more important than return optimisation at this stage.

» Gold Jewellery – Should You Sell?

– Gold jewellery meant for daughters’ marriage should ideally not be sold now.
– Emotional and social value is also important.
– Sell gold only if there is a clear shortfall or medical emergency.

Gold should act as a backup, not a primary retirement funding source.

» Can Returns Be Increased Safely?

– Yes, but only to a limited extent.
– Focus should be on smart allocation, not aggressive return chasing.
– Income stability and peace of mind matter more than maximising returns.

At this stage, preservation + predictable income is the right balance.

» Finally

You are entering retirement with preparation, not panic. That itself puts you ahead of many. Your corpus is sufficient, but success depends on how you draw income, not just how much you have.

A clear income plan, controlled withdrawals, proper tax planning, and adequate liquidity will ensure a comfortable and dignified retirement for both of you.

Best Regards,

K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,

Chief Financial Planner,

www.holisticinvestment.in

https://www.youtube.com/@HolisticInvestment

Ans: Hi,

Agreed that your selection of funds is quite scattered.
You have 2 mid cap funds and 2 small cap funds. Merge into 1 fund of each category. Choose MO Midcap and Nippon small cap.

Also move your existing investment from ICICI LArge n midcap fund to gold FOF for better exposure.

It is always advisable to connect with a professional. Hence consult a professional Certified Financial Planner - a CFP who can guide you with exact funds to invest in keeping in mind your age, requirements, financial goals and risk profile. A CFP periodically reviews your portfolio and suggest any amendments to be made, if required.

Let me know if you need more help.

Best Regards,
Reetika Sharma, Certified Financial Planner
https://www.instagram.com/cfpreetika/

Ans: Hi,

Arbitrage funds are still a very tax-efficient choice for STP (even after Budegt 2026).
Make sure to have a 6-12 months of STP for 5 lakhs to capture best market movements.
- Even with increase in STT, arbitrage funds are taxed at 15% for STCG providing better post-tax returns.
- Equity savings funds are type of hybrid funds that invest 30-40% in equity, 30-40% arbitrage and 20-30% in debt funds. These funds are less volatile than the equity funds but more volatile than arbitrage funds.
- For a shorter term horizon, choose arbitrage funds over equity funds.

Let me know if you need more help.

Best Regards,
Reetika Sharma, Certified Financial Planner
https://www.instagram.com/cfpreetika/

Ans: Hi Siddhartha,

Yes schemes like PPF/ SCSS/ NSC and RBI Bonds are 100% backed by the government and carry a sovereign guarantee, thus ensuring full safety of your principal and interest amount.
But FD is not government guaranteed. DICGC offers a maximum limit of 5 lakhs insurance on your FDs.

Let me know if you need more help.

Best Regards,
Reetika Sharma, Certified Financial Planner
https://www.instagram.com/cfpreetika/

Ans: Hi Pramod,

It is never a good idea to surrender an existing Term Plan. Hence buy an additional policy of 1 crore, but avoid taking riders such as premium payback and critical illness. Usually these riders are not of much use.
A term plan should be an insurance, do not expect any premium back from the same.

Let me know if you need more help.

Best Regards,
Reetika Sharma, Certified Financial Planner
https://www.instagram.com/cfpreetika/

Ans: Hi,

A new PSU can definitely identify your previous employment through NPS records. When you transfer your PRAN (Permanent Retirement Account Number) from the old employer to a new one, the detailed contribution history, including the name of the previous employer(s), is visible in the NPS account statements.

> PRAN Portability: Your PRAN is unique to you, not the employer. When you change jobs, your account is updated with a new nodal office, but the history remains.
> Visibility of Employer Data: The CRA system allows for the tracking of contributions. The new employer can see the previous employer's contributions.
> Background Verification (BGV): While NPS is primarily for retirement, PSU/Regulatory bodies often use detailed background checks, and discrepancies between declared employment and official records (like NPS, PF) can be identified.

Thus it is always good to fully disclose all employment, as failing to do so may lead to issues during verification, especially for government-linked organizations.

Let me know if you need more help.

Best Regards,
Reetika Sharma, Certified Financial Planner
https://www.instagram.com/cfpreetika/

Ans: Hi,

- As per the data shared by you, you have a lot of funds and this over-diversification is not good. You should choose 6-7 schemes and invest the whole amount there.
- Continue with your current SIPs in the mentioned funds.
- As your retirement is near, can consider moving some of the funds into hybrid ones to safeguard the generated returns.

Kindly share other details of your current PF and PPF for me to guide you in a better way. And also share current xirr of the funds you're holding.

It is better for you to get your portfolio reviewed by a CFP. A CFP guides you with exact funds to invest in keeping in mind your age, requirements, financial goals and risk profile. A CFP periodically reviews your portfolio and suggest any amendments to be made, if required.

Let me know if you need more help.

Best Regards,
Reetika Sharma, Certified Financial Planner
https://www.instagram.com/cfpreetika/

Ans: Namaste sir, considering your huge experience in pharma manufacturing, and running the business, you are ideally positioned to consulting business. Now at the age of 50 don’t ask job instead help new comers through crisis management, regulatory experience, and industry connections. You can leverage your experience as a consultant.(I am considering that you have a degree in the pharmaceutical field as its essential if you want to become a pharmaceutical consultant)
Even if you don’t have phrama degree you can offer consultancy from the business management point of view, where the biggest issue for every industry is effective client acquisition strategies through your past experience you can work smoothly
As you are saying that “I will treat my job as an entrepreneur more than an employee” so its now the time to treat yourself as Consultant and work as entrepreneur. lastly you can also efficiently guide for all those who need international market.