23-Year-Old With Investment Queries: How to Retire by 45?

Ans: At 23 years, you’re in a strong financial position, with a steady job, no loans, and a high monthly SIP contribution. With early retirement in mind, creating a well-structured, diversified portfolio is key. Here’s a comprehensive approach to achieve your goals while managing risk effectively.

 

1. Reviewing Your Current Portfolio
With Rs 30,000 allocated to mutual funds monthly, you’ve built a solid foundation. But since your goal is to retire by 45, let’s ensure your investments are diversified and aligned with your risk tolerance.

 

Assess Mutual Fund Allocation: Verify that your investments are balanced across different fund categories, such as equity and hybrid. Avoid concentrating too heavily on high-risk funds.

Evaluate Stock Market Holdings: Understand your stock portfolio’s risk profile and avoid excessive exposure to volatile sectors.

Seek Professional Guidance: Work with a Certified Financial Planner to tailor your fund selection according to your retirement goal.

 

Recommendation: Diversify within mutual funds for balanced growth and consider gradually reducing high-risk equity exposure as you approach retirement.

 

2. Emphasising the Importance of Long-Term Compounding
Given your young age, compounding is your greatest ally. It can turn even small contributions into significant wealth over time.

 

Regular Contributions for Consistency: Maintain your SIPs consistently and avoid stopping or pausing contributions, as this can disrupt compounding benefits.

Reinvest Returns: Instead of withdrawing, let your investment returns reinvest. This increases your corpus significantly over time.

Set Annual Investment Goals: With rising income, increase your SIP amount annually to leverage compounding even further.

 

Recommendation: Stick to disciplined, uninterrupted investing to maximise compounding, especially with your long investment horizon.

 

3. Building an Emergency Fund for Financial Security
While planning for early retirement, it’s vital to safeguard against financial emergencies. An emergency fund can prevent you from withdrawing long-term investments prematurely.

 

Set Aside Six Months’ Expenses: Keep funds for six months of expenses in a liquid fund or fixed deposit for easy access.

Avoid Risky Assets for Emergency Savings: Emergency funds should be kept separate from mutual funds or stocks to ensure they’re readily available.

Update the Fund Regularly: Review this fund as your lifestyle and expenses change to maintain adequate coverage.

 

Recommendation: Secure an emergency fund first, as it provides stability and ensures that your retirement savings stay intact.

 

4. Using NPS and EPF for Additional Retirement Benefits
National Pension System (NPS) and Employee Provident Fund (EPF) are tax-efficient and reliable for retirement planning. They offer secure growth with partial equity exposure in NPS, which can be beneficial for your long-term goals.

 

Consider Monthly NPS Contributions: NPS provides tax advantages and equity growth potential. Opt for higher equity allocation initially and switch to safer options later.

EPF for Stable Returns: If you have access to EPF through your employer, it’s a low-risk retirement tool with stable returns, helping balance your higher-risk mutual funds.

Combine with SIPs: Use NPS and EPF as core retirement components, alongside SIPs, to ensure a balanced retirement corpus.

 

Recommendation: Use both NPS and EPF to strengthen your retirement base, given their tax benefits and secure growth.

 

5. Avoiding Direct Fund Investments in Favour of Professional Management
Direct funds can seem attractive due to lower expense ratios, but they require regular tracking and expertise. Investing through a Mutual Fund Distributor (MFD) with a CFP can provide professional oversight and ensure alignment with your retirement strategy.

 

Expertise and Portfolio Review: With regular funds, you’ll receive expert guidance and timely adjustments from a Certified Financial Planner.

Peace of Mind: You avoid the hassle of constant fund management, letting professionals handle fund selection and rebalancing.

Focused on Goal Achievement: A CFP monitors your progress and recommends strategies to achieve your retirement goals smoothly.

 

Recommendation: Avoid direct funds. Choose regular funds through a certified advisor to receive valuable guidance and fund management.

 

6. Creating a Goal-Based Investment Approach
Instead of viewing all investments as a single pool, break down your investments by goals, such as retirement, travel, or higher education. This provides clarity and helps in selecting the right investment vehicles for each.

 

Define Key Milestones: List short-, mid-, and long-term goals and assign separate investments to each goal.

Align Investments Accordingly: For early retirement, invest in equity-heavy funds, while short-term goals may suit debt funds or fixed deposits.

Track Goal-Based Progress: Review each goal annually to ensure you’re on track. Adjust as your financial situation or goals evolve.

 

Recommendation: Assign investments to specific goals and review progress regularly. This keeps you organised and focused on the path to early retirement.

 

7. Understanding Taxation to Optimise Returns
Investment growth is affected by taxes, so understanding tax-efficient strategies is essential. The new MF taxation rules impact capital gains on equity and debt mutual funds, influencing your retirement planning.

 

Equity Fund Taxation: For equity funds, long-term gains above Rs 1.25 lakh are taxed at 12.5%, while short-term gains are taxed at 20%. Plan sales carefully to optimise post-tax gains.

Debt Fund Taxation: Debt fund gains are taxed as per your income slab, making them less tax-efficient. Choose debt only for short-term or stability needs.

Use Tax-Free Instruments: NPS and EPF offer tax exemptions and can reduce taxable income, providing efficient growth over time.

 

Recommendation: Plan withdrawals with tax implications in mind and use tax-saving options like NPS to maximise net returns.

 

8. Regularly Reviewing and Adjusting Your Portfolio
Investment markets and your personal circumstances change over time. Periodically review and adjust your portfolio with the help of a Certified Financial Planner to keep it aligned with your retirement goal.

 

Annual Portfolio Check-Up: Rebalance your portfolio annually to manage risk and ensure growth.

Adjust for Life Changes: Review the portfolio during significant events, like job changes, salary hikes, or major purchases.

Re-assess Retirement Needs: As you approach 45, shift to safer investments to preserve wealth for retirement.

 

Recommendation: Regular portfolio reviews are essential to maintaining the right risk level and staying on track to retire at 45.

 

9. Avoiding Common Investment Mistakes for Early Retirement
Retiring early requires careful planning. Be mindful of common investment pitfalls that could delay your goals.

 

Don’t Overlook Inflation: Inflation reduces purchasing power. Invest in growth-oriented funds to keep up with inflation.

Avoid High-Risk Strategies: While equity is crucial for growth, overly risky bets can derail your progress. Stay diversified.

Stick to the Plan: Resist the urge to withdraw investments early. Premature withdrawals disrupt growth and extend your retirement timeline.

 

Recommendation: Focus on disciplined, consistent investing and avoid impulsive changes. This ensures steady progress toward early retirement.

 

Final Insights
With clear goals, disciplined investing, and regular reviews, early retirement is achievable. Focus on SIPs, emergency savings, tax-efficient tools, and professional management to create a well-rounded, robust portfolio. Remember, your current investments are the building blocks for a secure future. Staying focused and disciplined will reward you with a comfortable retirement by age 45.

 

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