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Ramalingam Kalirajan |10881 Answers |Ask -Follow

Mutual Funds, Financial Planning Expert - Answered on Sep 08, 2025

Ramalingam Kalirajan has over 23 years of experience in mutual funds and financial planning.
He has an MBA in finance from the University of Madras and is a certified financial planner.
He is the director and chief financial planner at Holistic Investment, a Chennai-based firm that offers financial planning and wealth management advice.... more

Question by Himanshu on Aug 11, 2025Hindi

Hi I am 43 me and wife earning 3.5 lcs per month with no kids we have a liability of 45 lacs housing loan and 2 car loan total of15 lacs Housing loan balance 33 lacs ( we paid 9 lacs as part payment in two years) and also increase our installments from 38000 to 50000 for the last 9 months and reduce our tenure from 20 years to now 09 years @7.6%per anum Expenses:- 50000 housing laon per month 29000 car loan per month 30000 house hold expenses including travel expenses etc.. 30 lakhs mediclaim insureace premium 25000 annually Investment:- 45000 mutual funds per month ( funds like multi assets,multi cap and large cap one or two funds in small cap,and flexi funds ) Lic premium annual around 2 lacs 65000 annually for term plan ( unit linked plan) of 50 lacs 1 lakhs in PPF 65 lakhs corpus in mutual funds (90% equity and 10% hybrid) 15 lakhs FD 40 lakhs worth gold (400 grm) apprx 1 flat worth 1 crore ( on loan paying 50k pm) 1 car loan is on floating ROI of 8% Want to build a corpus of minimum of 10 crores before 60 years of age and also want to travel the world.. How do we invest in more systametic manner so that we can grow our money and how much amount do we need more to invest to reach this target

Ans: It is very good to see your clarity about goals and disciplined approach toward financial planning.
Earning Rs 3.5 lakh per month with no kids gives you a big advantage.
Your plan to grow wealth systematically and travel the world is achievable.
Let me explain the entire situation carefully and give a full 360-degree perspective.

» your current financial situation

– Your age is 43, and your wife is working.
– You have no kids, which reduces current financial responsibility.
– Your total monthly income is Rs 3.5 lakh.

– Housing loan balance is Rs 33 lakh.

EMI increased to Rs 50,000 per month.

Tenure reduced to 9 years from 20 years at 7.6% interest.

– Car loan outstanding is Rs 15 lakh.

EMI is Rs 29,000 per month.

One car loan is floating rate at 8%.

– Household expenses are around Rs 30,000 per month.

This includes travel and daily expenses.

You are living a comfortable but reasonable lifestyle.

– You have health insurance with Rs 30 lakh coverage.

Paid Rs 25,000 annually.

» your investments

– Monthly mutual fund SIP is Rs 45,000.

Investments include multi-assets, multi-cap, large-cap, small-cap, flexi-cap funds.

Current mutual fund corpus is Rs 65 lakh.
– Out of this, 90% is equity, and 10% is hybrid.

– You have Rs 15 lakh in fixed deposits.
– Gold worth about Rs 40 lakh (400 grams).
– You own one flat worth Rs 1 crore, under home loan.

EMI is Rs 50,000 per month.
– LIC premium is Rs 2 lakh annually (unit-linked plan).
– Term insurance of Rs 65,000 annually, covering Rs 50 lakh.
– You also contribute Rs 1 lakh annually into PPF.

Your overall asset base and disciplined savings are very good.
But a few important improvements are needed to build a corpus of Rs 10 crore.

» home and car loan assessment

– You are paying Rs 50,000 EMI for home loan.

This is aggressive but good, because tenure is now 9 years.
– Continue this, as early repayment helps save interest.

– Car loan of Rs 29,000 EMI is high.

Car loan should ideally be repaid fast.

Consider making prepayments to reduce outstanding faster.

– Car is a depreciating asset.

Do not take another car loan unless really essential.

Two cars are fine, but avoid increasing liabilities.

– Home loan is productive liability, because property value appreciates.
– Car loan is non-productive, best to repay faster.

» insurance coverage and LIC investment

– Your term plan of Rs 50 lakh is sufficient.

It protects family against unforeseen events.

– Health insurance of Rs 30 lakh is adequate for both.

– But your unit-linked insurance policy (ULIP) needs review.

ULIPs have high charges and poor returns.

They combine insurance and investment but are costlier than mutual funds.

– I strongly suggest you surrender the ULIP.

Use proceeds to invest in mutual funds.

This improves flexibility, lowers cost, and increases returns.

» mutual fund strategy

– You invest Rs 45,000 per month in mutual funds now.

Good mix of multi-asset, multi-cap, large-cap, small-cap, and flexi-cap.

– Actively managed funds are preferable.

They adapt based on market situations.

Index funds do not actively rebalance or protect in downturns.

Index funds purely track market indices without expert decision-making.

So they don’t offer good risk management.

– Direct mutual funds are also not ideal.

They lack professional monitoring and regular rebalancing.

MFD regular plans give expert CFP support.

They adjust asset allocation based on goals and market.

– Suggested systematic plan:

Rs 25,000 in multi-cap and large-cap funds for stability.

Rs 10,000 in mid-cap and small-cap funds for growth.

Rs 5,000 in aggressive hybrid funds for stability plus growth.

Rs 5,000 in balanced advantage funds to manage volatility.

– Over time, shift allocation toward safer assets like hybrids and debt funds.

As you approach age 60, reduce equity allocation gradually.

» target corpus and investment gap

– You aim for Rs 10 crore corpus by age 60.
– Current corpus:

Rs 65 lakh in mutual funds.

Rs 15 lakh in FD.

Rs 40 lakh in gold.

Property is worth Rs 1 crore.

– Your current net assets approx Rs 2.2 crore (ignoring liabilities).

House loan and car loan outstanding still reduce net worth.

– To reach Rs 10 crore in next 17 years:

Systematic investments must grow consistently.

Expected long-term return of equity mutual funds: 12-15% p.a.

Gold has limited long-term growth; better kept for emergencies or family events.

– Your current SIP of Rs 45,000 is good.

But to reach Rs 10 crore, you must invest more monthly.

– Suggested additional monthly investment:

At least Rs 1.5 lakh total (including current Rs 45,000).

Allocate:
– Rs 75,000 in equity mutual funds (multi-cap, mid-cap, large-cap).
– Rs 30,000 in hybrid funds (balanced advantage, aggressive hybrid).
– Rs 20,000 in debt mutual funds or PPF for stability.
– Rs 25,000 in liquid funds for emergencies.

This systematic investment approach builds a strong long-term corpus.
Your monthly contribution target should be around Rs 1.5 lakh.

» managing gold holdings

– Gold is good as a safety net.
– But avoid increasing gold holdings further as investments.
– It does not generate income or compounding returns.

– Gradually reduce gold holding (especially over 300 grams beyond the marriage corpus).

Use proceeds to repay jewel loans or invest in mutual funds.

» emergency fund strategy

– Emergency fund should cover 6 to 12 months expenses.

Around Rs 15 to 20 lakh based on your expenses.

– Keep it in liquid mutual funds or ultra-short-term debt funds.

Avoid keeping it in FDs or speculative swing trading.

» speculative investments like swing trading

– I see no mention of speculative trading now, which is good.
– Swing trading is risky and unsuitable for long-term wealth.
– Focus entirely on systematic mutual fund investments.

» tax planning

– For equity mutual funds, LTCG above Rs 1.25 lakh is taxed at 12.5%.
– STCG is taxed at 20%.
– Debt funds follow income tax slabs.

– Long-term investments reduce tax impact.

Hold equity funds for over 1 year.

– PPF offers tax-free growth.

Suitable for safe part of portfolio.

» goal of global travel

– Traveling the world is a great aspiration.
– Plan for travel as a separate goal.

Set aside specific SIPs or liquid funds for travel expenses.

– Example:

Rs 5,000 per month in liquid or short-term debt funds.

Build a corpus of Rs 20–30 lakh for global travel in 5–10 years.

» regular portfolio review

– Periodically review your portfolio.

Rebalance annually with a Certified Financial Planner.

Ensure asset allocation suits your age and goals.

– Shift gradually from equity to debt/hybrid after age 50.

This protects capital and reduces risk.

– Continue increasing SIPs as income grows.

Avoid reducing investments during market downturns.

» final insights

– Your financial discipline and clear goals are strengths.
– Prioritize repaying high-interest loans like car loan fast.
– Strongly surrender ULIP and reinvest in mutual funds.
– Maintain emergency fund in liquid form.
– Increase systematic mutual fund investments to Rs 1.5 lakh per month.

This helps target Rs 10 crore corpus by age 60.

– Focus on actively managed regular mutual funds.

Avoid index and direct funds.

– Gold should be held for specific purposes only.
– Plan global travel separately with dedicated savings.

– Continue simple lifestyle to increase savings capacity.
– Revisit plan yearly for adjustments.

Your thoughtful approach shows good financial awareness.
With disciplined actions, your 10 crore target is achievable.

Best Regards,
K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,
Chief Financial Planner,
www.holisticinvestment.in

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

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