I am 49. I have 1.25 cr in MF, 1 cr in PF and 1.5 cr in ULIP, lock in of another 10 years. Life cover of 5 cr. No home loan. And liquid funds of 50 L. Want to retire at 55. Currently monthly salary of 6 Lacs in hand. Current monthly expenses of 3 lacs. Expected monthly expenses post retirement would be 2 Lacs. Son has just started college. Daughter in 7th std. What should be my corpus for comfortable retirement.

Ans: Your question reflects a proactive and responsible approach to retirement planning. At 49, with your income, lifestyle, and responsibilities, you are rightly positioned to plan ahead. Let us evaluate your financials from a 360-degree perspective.

Retirement Planning Assessment
You wish to retire at 55. That gives you only six more years of earning.
Post-retirement, you expect to spend Rs 2 lakhs per month.

This means:

Rs 24 lakhs per year of retirement expenses.

You may live till 85 or beyond.

That is 30 years of retirement expenses.

Inflation will increase your monthly costs over time.
Even at a modest 6%, Rs 2 lakhs a month can double in 12 years.
You will need a rising income stream during retirement.

You already have a good foundation:

Rs 1.25 crore in mutual funds.

Rs 1 crore in provident fund.

Rs 1.5 crore in ULIP.

Rs 50 lakhs in liquid funds.

Rs 6 lakhs monthly income.

No home loan.

Now let’s assess how to use these wisely.

Estimating the Required Retirement Corpus
Let us first understand your key retirement goals:

Retire at 55.

Spend Rs 2 lakhs per month initially.

Leave enough for spouse and dependents if needed.

Your retirement corpus must cover:

At least 30 years of living expenses.

Unexpected health costs.

Costs of children’s support, if required.

To maintain a rising cash flow for 30 years, you will need:

Approx. Rs 7.5 to 8 crore in today’s value.

This includes buffers for longevity and inflation.

This assumes conservative investment growth during retirement.

Income Vs Expense Gap Analysis
You currently earn Rs 6 lakhs per month.
Your expenses are Rs 3 lakhs per month.
That leaves Rs 3 lakhs monthly surplus.

This surplus must be used to build your corpus wisely.
You have only six working years left.
Every month of saving counts now.

Your future Rs 2 lakh monthly expense will rise over time.
You must plan for increasing cash flow year after year.

Review of Existing Portfolio
Let us assess the suitability of your assets for retirement.

Mutual Funds – Rs 1.25 crore
A healthy component of your portfolio.

Should be diversified across equity and hybrid categories.

Ensure they are actively managed and reviewed by a Certified Financial Planner.

Avoid direct plans if you are not confident in portfolio review.

Regular plans through a qualified MFD with CFP help ongoing monitoring.

Why avoid direct plans?

No guidance or rebalancing help.

No goal mapping or emotional support during market cycles.

Risk of misaligned portfolios.

Provident Fund – Rs 1 crore
Provides stable and safe capital.

Keep it for the long term.

Do not withdraw it early unless critical.

It can be annuitized gradually post-retirement via SWP-based instruments.

ULIP – Rs 1.5 crore
Lock-in for 10 more years.

Continue only if returns are decent and allocation is equity-oriented.

Do not mix insurance and investment going forward.

After lock-in, redeem gradually and shift to mutual funds.

If IRR is below 8%, consider surrendering after maturity.
Then reinvest in actively managed funds.

Liquid Funds – Rs 50 lakhs
Keep Rs 25 lakhs as emergency and buffer corpus.

Balance Rs 25 lakhs can be shifted to low-duration hybrid funds.

Use them to build retirement-focused buckets.

Children's Education and Support
Your son has just entered college.
Education expenses over the next 4–5 years may be high.

Your daughter is in 7th std.
She will need college funding after 5–6 years.

You must set aside at least Rs 1 crore for both children’s needs.
This includes UG and PG education, possibly abroad.
This fund should grow safely and steadily.

Do not use retirement savings for children’s education.
Keep this goal separate and defined.

Monthly Investment Allocation till Age 55
You are left with Rs 3 lakh every month after expenses.
This must be optimised to build the required Rs 8 crore corpus.

Here’s a suggested split:

Rs 1.5 lakh monthly in actively managed equity mutual funds.

Rs 50,000 in hybrid aggressive funds.

Rs 50,000 in balanced advantage funds.

Rs 50,000 to build child education corpus (separate folio).

All these through regular plans, monitored by an MFD with CFP.

Why Not Index Funds
You might be tempted by the low-cost promise of index funds.
But consider these facts before opting:

Index funds cannot beat the market.

They follow the market blindly, without risk control.

No downside protection in volatile years.

No active stock selection, even if sector is underperforming.

No opportunity to rebalance or shift strategy dynamically.

Actively managed funds, guided by experts:

Help manage volatility.

Adjust to market changes.

Have potential for higher returns.

Offer personalised advice through CFP-monitored investment.

For your complex and large goal, you need an expert-led approach.

Ideal Asset Allocation Post Retirement
At retirement, you must switch to a safer, cash-flow-focused structure.
You will need a “bucket approach” to manage this.

Bucket 1 – First 5 years

Low duration funds

Monthly income generation through SWP

Covers regular expenses

Bucket 2 – Years 6–15

Hybrid and balanced funds

Offers growth with some stability

Replenishes Bucket 1 every 5 years

Bucket 3 – Year 16 onwards

Equity mutual funds

For long-term inflation-adjusted returns

Can be accessed after 15 years for big expenses

Each bucket must be reviewed annually by a Certified Financial Planner.
Do not try this alone.

Insurance Sufficiency
You mentioned life cover of Rs 5 crore.
Ensure it is a plain term cover.

You have no loans.
Still, you must retain this cover till your daughter is financially independent.

Review premium cost vs necessity after 10 years.
Avoid ULIP or investment-cum-insurance for future purchases.

Health insurance is not mentioned.
Ensure you and your spouse have at least Rs 25–30 lakh floater health cover.
Also, consider a super top-up.

Tax Efficiency Planning
Post-retirement, tax planning becomes very important.

Use SWP from mutual funds for steady monthly income.

It is more tax-efficient than annuities or FDs.

Under new tax rules:

LTCG above Rs 1.25 lakh on equity funds taxed at 12.5%

STCG taxed at 20%

Debt fund gains taxed as per your slab

Withdraw funds strategically to reduce tax outgo.
A Certified Financial Planner can help design a withdrawal plan.

Final Insights
You are financially disciplined and already ahead of many.
Still, the next 6 years are crucial.

You must:

Invest aggressively and consistently.

Avoid emotional investing.

Keep insurance and investment separate.

Plan children’s education with separate funds.

Avoid low-return products and blind index strategies.

Use expert-guided regular mutual fund investments.

Your ideal retirement corpus should be around Rs 8 crore.
You can achieve this if the next 6 years are used optimally.
Start working with a Certified Financial Planner to build the right framework.

Let every rupee you earn now have a purpose.
Plan well. Retire strong. Live with peace.

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