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Ramalingam Kalirajan |11045 Answers |Ask -Follow

Mutual Funds, Financial Planning Expert - Answered on Feb 01, 2026

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

Asked by Anonymous - Jan 31, 2026Hindi

I am fifty two year old. I have two home. One is two bed room one hall and one kitchen flat and it's resale value is fourteen lakh. The other is a kothi, which is near to fourty lakh price in resale. I don't want to sale any one. Only i can rented out my flat in just five thousand rupees per month. I have three members in my family and they are covered by twenty five lakh rupees of mediclaim for each person. I have a PF. In my provident fund nine lakh rupees present and it's pension fund have only one lakh fifty thousand rupees. The provident fund is running since November two thousand thirteen.i have four D-mat account. Each have the value is 2 two lakh rupees now. One of them is totally free, as the value of that dmat tripled, so i sale some parts of the all shares and without any investment that dmat value is niw two lakh. My only daughter is in class eight. I have some LIC policy of sum assured near to twenty six lakh rupees and monthly premium pay for this is six thousand. I have one lakh fixed deposit, as a emergency fund and i have also one lakh rupees of monthly income scheme in indian post office. My monthly expenditure today is near to twenty thousand rupees. I don't stay in any one of my house, because i work outside,so i am living in a monthly rented room. The rent is now seventeen thousand rupees per month. My sallary is now one lakh rupees per month and i will retire from my work place at the age of fifty eight.Now please tell me whether i am in a right way in the path for planing the retirement? My and my wife have life expectency is ninety years. Now i also invest monthly fifty thousand rupees in ETF. Please tell me that does i do right things or wrong?

Ans: I appreciate the honesty and effort you have taken to put all details clearly. At age 52, with steady income, assets, and disciplined savings, you are not late. You are actually in a position where course correction can still create a strong and peaceful retirement life. Your intent is right. Now it needs direction.

» Where You Stand Today – Big Picture
– You have two self-owned properties and you are clear that you do not want to sell them. That emotional clarity is important.
– You have stable salary income till age 58 and a reasonable monthly expense level.
– You have health cover in place, which is a big relief for retirement planning.
– You are investing regularly and thinking long term till age 90, which shows maturity.

» Cash Flow Reality Check
– Monthly salary is Rs 1 lakh.
– Monthly expenses including rent are on the higher side because you are not living in your own house.
– Rental income from your flat is very low compared to its value, which limits support during retirement.
– Post retirement, salary will stop, but rent and living costs will continue.

» Retirement Corpus Readiness
– Provident Fund balance is moderate and will grow till retirement, but by itself it will not support a 32-year retired life.
– Pension fund amount is very small and cannot be relied upon for monthly needs.
– Fixed deposit and post office monthly income scheme amounts are too low for emergencies and long retirement needs.
– Demat holdings show good market exposure, but they are scattered across multiple accounts, making tracking and discipline difficult.

» ETF Investment – Important Concern
– ETFs simply follow the market without judgement. They go up when markets rise and fall fully when markets fall.
– At age 52, protecting downside is as important as growth. ETFs do not offer this protection.
– ETFs cannot shift strategy based on valuations, interest rates, or economic cycles.
– Actively managed mutual funds are better suited now as they can control risk, manage volatility, and rebalance based on conditions.
– Continuing heavy ETF investing at this stage increases retirement risk.

» LIC Policies – Review Is Necessary
– You are holding investment-cum-insurance policies with monthly premium of Rs 6,000.
– Life cover of around Rs 26 lakh is not meaningful considering your income, liabilities, and dependents.
– These policies grow slowly and lock your money for long periods.
– This is one area where surrender and redirection should be evaluated carefully.
– Redirecting future premiums into growth-oriented mutual funds can improve retirement readiness.

» Daughter’s Education Planning
– Your daughter is in Class 8, which means major education expenses are coming soon.
– This goal should be kept separate from retirement money.
– Education planning needs growth with time-bound discipline, not random investments.

» Emergency and Stability Planning
– Emergency fund of Rs 1 lakh is not sufficient considering job risk, rent, and medical needs.
– This should ideally cover several months of expenses.
– Health insurance is well structured, which is a strong positive.

» 360-Degree Corrections Needed
– Consolidate demat holdings to simplify monitoring and reduce emotional decisions.
– Gradually reduce ETF exposure and move towards actively managed funds aligned to goals.
– Review LIC policies and consider surrender where financially sensible.
– Increase emergency fund to avoid touching retirement money.
– Align investments separately for retirement, daughter’s education, and near-term needs.
– Rental income strategy should be realistic and aligned with retirement cash flow needs.

» Final Insights
– You are not on a wrong path, but the path is unorganised.
– Assets are there, income is there, discipline is there, but structure is missing.
– Heavy ETF exposure and slow-moving insurance products are the biggest risks today.
– With six working years left, smart reallocation and simplification can still build a stable retirement till age 90.
– With guided planning by a Certified Financial Planner, your existing resources can be turned into a confident retirement plan.

Best Regards,

K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,

Chief Financial Planner,

www.holisticinvestment.in

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

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