Hi. I am 44 years old. My wife (40 years) we earn 1.80 lakh per month. We have 1cr in mutual funds. Continuous SIP monthly 50k in MF. 1 flat of Rs 85 lacs, given on rent, getting 17k per month. Living in own house. Lic of 20 lacs maturing next to next year. Wife NPS value around 30 lacs (20 years to retire). 2 LICs on children's name 16k premium each for 10 years (5 years gone). 1 LIC Jeevan Umang 82k yearly premium started in 2021 looking for long term. Depositing 1lac each year in SSY for daughter from last 7 years. It wil mature in 2039. Gold jewelry worth Rs 50 lac. Term Insurance premium 20k yearly for me and wife. Mediclaim for family 30k yearly premium for 25 lac cover. No Loan. My business progress is not stable and reducing. Still 75k is confirmed and regular monthly in bad condition. Is this enough for the future for me and my family. Pls suggest how we can grow the saved money? How much we will have in MFs when i will be of 55 years?
Ans: You and your wife have done really well. At 44 and 40, you already have strong assets. Mutual funds of Rs 1 crore, continuous SIPs, own house, rental income, NPS, LIC, SSY for daughter, gold, and no loans. Very few families build such diverse assets at this age. It shows foresight and commitment. Let us look at your situation carefully from all sides.
» Current financial strength
– Monthly income of Rs 1.8 lakh is good.
– Even if business slows, Rs 75,000 is stable.
– Rental income adds Rs 17,000 per month.
– Mutual fund corpus is already Rs 1 crore.
– SIP of Rs 50,000 ensures continuous growth.
– NPS value of Rs 30 lakh is strong base for retirement.
– LIC maturity next to next year will add liquidity.
– Daughter’s SSY ensures safe corpus for 2039.
– Gold worth Rs 50 lakh is additional wealth.
– You live in own house, so no EMI burden.
– Term insurance and health cover are well in place.
» Assessment of existing insurance and LIC
– Term insurance cover is rightly kept.
– Family health cover of Rs 25 lakh is adequate.
– LIC maturity of Rs 20 lakh will add to liquid funds.
– But other LICs like Jeevan Umang and child LICs are low return.
– Premiums paid here could deliver only 4 to 5% returns.
– This is lower than inflation and opportunity cost is high.
– After completion of mandatory premium term, review surrender value.
– Then shift to equity mutual funds with Certified Financial Planner guidance.
– That will increase long term wealth and efficiency.
» Role of mutual funds in your wealth
– Mutual funds are your strongest growth asset.
– Rs 1 crore already invested shows discipline.
– Rs 50,000 SIP ensures continuous wealth creation.
– In 11 years, by age 55, this can grow significantly.
– Even with moderate growth, corpus may cross Rs 3 to 3.5 crore.
– If growth is strong, it may touch Rs 4 crore plus.
– Your NPS will also grow parallel, adding to retirement wealth.
– Systematic investment through actively managed funds is most effective.
– Index funds cannot match this because they only copy the market.
– Active fund managers can shift strategies and protect downside.
– That increases probability of beating inflation consistently.
» About direct mutual funds
– Direct funds look cheaper due to lower expense ratio.
– But they don’t come with professional handholding.
– Without review, portfolio may drift and risk may increase.
– Investors may also stop SIPs in volatile times.
– That damages compounding badly.
– With regular funds and Certified Financial Planner, you get monitoring.
– Timely rebalancing and tax planning add extra value.
– This extra guidance is more important than small cost difference.
» Rental property and gold
– Rent of Rs 17,000 is not very high compared to property value.
– But rental income gives additional stability.
– Consider property as diversification, not growth asset.
– Gold worth Rs 50 lakh is large.
– Gold preserves wealth but doesn’t grow wealth.
– Don’t add more gold, keep it for safety and tradition.
– Over long term, equity funds will outgrow gold.
» NPS assessment
– Wife’s NPS of Rs 30 lakh is solid at age 40.
– With 20 years to retirement, it will multiply strongly.
– NPS offers equity allocation plus pension component.
– It adds stability to retirement plan.
– But withdrawals are partly restricted and partly taxable.
– So don’t depend only on NPS.
– Use mutual funds as flexible retirement wealth pool.
» Children related savings
– SSY deposits of Rs 1 lakh yearly for daughter is good.
– It will mature around 2039 with safe corpus.
– That covers her higher education or marriage expenses.
– LIC child policies are low return.
– Review if continuing them is best use of money.
– You can consider stopping after 10 years and reinvesting in mutual funds.
– That will give better wealth for her future.
» Income stability concerns
– Business income may reduce in future.
– Still Rs 75,000 confirmed monthly gives safety.
– Rental plus pension plus investments will support later years.
– Mutual funds can provide systematic withdrawals in future.
– By building large corpus now, you reduce dependence on business income later.
» Emergency fund and liquidity
– Emergency fund should be minimum 6 to 12 months of expenses.
– You have adequate assets but keep Rs 10 to 12 lakh liquid.
– This can be in FD or liquid mutual funds.
– Do not mix emergency fund with growth investments.
» Tax aspects of investments
– FD and LIC maturity amounts are taxable based on conditions.
– Mutual funds are more tax efficient.
– Equity mutual funds give long term gains taxed at 12.5% above Rs 1.25 lakh.
– Short term gains taxed at 20%.
– Debt funds taxed at slab rates, so less efficient.
– SWP from equity funds during retirement reduces tax impact.
– Rental income and gold sale are also taxable, so plan carefully.
» Future projection for mutual funds
– You asked about MF value when you turn 55.
– At present Rs 1 crore is invested.
– SIP of Rs 50,000 adds more every month.
– Over 11 years, this can grow to around Rs 3 to 4 crore.
– Growth depends on market cycles, but long horizon reduces volatility.
– Add matured LIC money into mutual funds to accelerate growth.
– Avoid new low return traditional policies, stick to equity funds.
» How to grow your money faster
– Continue SIP of Rs 50,000 without fail.
– Add LIC maturity amount into mutual funds.
– Review surrender of low return LIC and move into mutual funds.
– Use rental income surplus for investing.
– Keep emergency and insurance updated.
– Rebalance portfolio once a year with Certified Financial Planner.
– Stay away from index funds and direct funds.
– Active funds through CFP support will give better results.
– Avoid stopping investments during market falls.
– Compounding works best in tough times if you stay invested.
» Retirement readiness
– You already have multiple income sources for retirement.
– NPS, mutual funds, rental, gold, SSY and insurance cover.
– At 55, you may have Rs 3 to 4 crore in mutual funds alone.
– At 60, this can be Rs 5 crore plus.
– With NPS and other assets, total retirement wealth will be strong.
– Even if business income drops, your plan looks safe.
» Final Insights
– You are on the right path with strong foundation.
– Mutual funds will be your main wealth creator.
– LIC policies except term plan are less effective, review them.
– SIP of Rs 50,000 must continue without fail.
– Add any lump sums like LIC maturity into mutual funds.
– Keep adequate emergency fund liquid.
– Rental and gold add safety but don’t depend on them for growth.
– At 55, mutual fund corpus can be Rs 3 to 4 crore.
– At 60, it can go beyond Rs 5 crore.
– Keep working with Certified Financial Planner for discipline and review.
– You and your family can look forward to a secure future.
Best Regards,
K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,
Chief Financial Planner,
www.holisticinvestment.in
https://www.youtube.com/@HolisticInvestment