I'm 43 years old with income 2 lakh per month, I wanted to build atleast 5cr for my retirement, my wife also works with 1L per month... together here are our expenses
under car lease (company sponsored) 46k per month
Home loans - took 91 Lakh with tenure 20 years, in 2022, paid some partial payout and remaining O/S principal 67L, with remaining 140 months , mutual funds SIP 75k per month, currently accumulated around 33 lakhs as of today, 2 insurance with lifer cover of 15lakhs, I'm selling one of my property's and will get around 12 L, monthly expenses all inclusive is around 60k, share market investment 2lakhs, we have 2 kids boy 10yrs and girl 2yrs, on an average I pay around 3 to 5 lakhs every year towards home loan principal amount.
I've 2 questions
1. I want to reach 5cr as my retirement goal
2. With the property selling amount 12L should I pay towards housing loan or should I invest in mutual fund to reach my retirement goal
Ans: – Your income is stable and strong.
– Monthly savings of Rs.75,000 SIP is very impressive.
– Supporting two children and managing EMI shows strong intent.
– Good to see you’ve accumulated Rs.33 lakh already.
– Property sale adds extra liquidity at the right time.
»Current Financial Snapshot
– Household income totals Rs.3 lakh per month.
– Home loan outstanding is Rs.67 lakh.
– Monthly expenses are only Rs.60,000.
– SIPs total Rs.75,000 per month.
– Existing mutual fund corpus is Rs.33 lakh.
– Property sale will fetch Rs.12 lakh soon.
– You prepay Rs.3–5 lakh of principal yearly.
– Children’s ages are 10 and 2 years.
– Existing life cover is only Rs.15 lakh.
»Review of Life Insurance
– Current cover is far below requirement.
– Target cover should be at least Rs.1.5 crore.
– Increase term cover immediately via a simple term plan.
– Do not mix insurance with investment now.
– Don’t buy ULIP or endowment products.
– Separate protection from wealth creation.
– Keep premiums below 5% of annual income.
»Emergency Fund and Cash Flow
– Maintain at least Rs.6 lakh emergency fund.
– Monthly expense is Rs.60,000.
– Emergency fund should cover 10–12 months.
– Park this in liquid or ultra-short debt funds.
– Don’t leave emergency money in savings account.
– Avoid using equity for emergency corpus.
– Use regular plan of liquid fund via MFD.
– Certified Financial Planner helps you track it better.
»Home Loan Repayment Analysis
– Loan of Rs.67 lakh is sizeable but manageable.
– EMI already cushioned by annual prepayments.
– Annual Rs.3–5 lakh principal prepayment is helpful.
– Tenure left is 140 months, around 11.5 years.
– Interest saved through prepayment is substantial.
– However, prepayment should not disturb long-term goals.
– Use extra cash only after key goals are funded.
»Use of Rs.12 Lakh from Property Sale
– Rs.12 lakh is a large one-time amount.
– You have two options: prepay loan or invest.
– Let us assess both routes in depth.
Option 1: Use Rs.12 lakh to prepay home loan
– Loan burden reduces, tenure shortens.
– Interest outgo decreases sharply over time.
– Emotional comfort of being debt-free rises.
– But liquidity is permanently blocked in property.
– Money does not grow. No compounding benefit.
– It cannot support retirement or child goals.
– Home is not a productive financial asset.
Option 2: Invest Rs.12 lakh into mutual funds
– Investment compounds over long term.
– Wealth creation for retirement is supported.
– Helps bridge Rs.5 crore corpus gap faster.
– Asset remains liquid and flexible.
– If markets give even average returns, gains will exceed loan savings.
– With guidance from CFP, you can optimise fund selection.
– Invest in regular plans via MFD for proper service.
– Avoid direct funds as they lack full-time monitoring.
Recommendation on Rs.12 lakh
– Invest Rs.10 lakh in mutual funds for retirement.
– Allocate Rs.2 lakh into emergency or short-term fund.
– Don’t use full amount to prepay the loan.
– Prepayment helps emotionally but stalls wealth creation.
»Evaluating Retirement Goal of Rs.5 Crore
– Current MF corpus is Rs.33 lakh.
– SIP is Rs.75,000 per month.
– Time horizon is around 17 years till age 60.
– This gives compounding a long runway.
– Add Rs.10 lakh lump sum from property sale.
– Continue prepaying Rs.3–5 lakh loan yearly.
– Increase SIP by Rs.5,000 each year.
– Add wife’s surplus income into new SIPs.
– Together, both can easily target Rs.5 crore.
»Retirement Investment Strategy
– Avoid index funds. They are passive and rigid.
– Index funds don’t manage downside actively.
– Indian markets need active monitoring and dynamic allocation.
– Actively managed funds give better flexibility.
– Fund manager adapts to market conditions.
– This improves risk-adjusted returns long term.
– Stick to diversified equity, hybrid, and debt categories.
– Allocate 60% equity, 30% hybrid, 10% debt now.
– Review allocation every two years with CFP.
– Always invest in regular plans with expert monitoring.
– Direct funds lack holistic guidance and portfolio review.
– MFD-led regular plans give personal attention and service.
»Tax Impact of Mutual Funds
– Equity fund gains above Rs.1.25 lakh taxed at 12.5%.
– Short-term gains are taxed at 20%.
– Debt fund gains taxed as per income tax slab.
– Plan redemptions to stay within lower tax bands.
– Use staggered withdrawal in retirement phase.
– Track holding period to reduce tax hit.
– Use goal-based redemptions, not market timing.
»Children’s Education Planning
– Start dedicated SIPs for both kids’ education.
– For 10-year-old, horizon is 8 years max.
– For 2-year-old, horizon is 15–17 years.
– Use balanced advantage and hybrid funds for elder child.
– For younger child, equity funds are suitable.
– Avoid using retirement fund for education.
– Keep goals financially separate with different folios.
– Assign SIPs and lump sum specifically to education.
– Review progress annually with CFP.
»Behavioural Consistency and Discipline
– Don’t pause SIPs during market corrections.
– Avoid frequent fund switching.
– Stick to asset allocation.
– Review funds every 12 months.
– Don’t chase high returns.
– Prioritise consistency over performance.
– Celebrate small savings milestones with family.
– Talk openly about goals with spouse.
– Involve children as they grow.
»Other Financial Actions
– Wife’s income can contribute additional SIPs.
– Track combined household investments for better clarity.
– Avoid investing in new property now.
– Real estate is illiquid and lacks flexibility.
– Use mutual funds to meet all financial goals.
– Ensure nominations are updated on all investments.
– Write a Will once retirement corpus nears Rs.1 crore.
»Finally
– You are already on the right track.
– Stay disciplined and committed to SIPs.
– Don’t use the Rs.12 lakh for loan repayment.
– Invest it with clear purpose and asset allocation.
– With both incomes and steady SIPs, Rs.5 crore is achievable.
– Align investments to long-term goals, not short-term temptations.
– With CFP-led guidance, every step will be accountable and purposeful.
– Your family’s financial future is absolutely secure with these actions.
Best Regards,
K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,
Chief Financial Planner,
www.holisticinvestment.in
https://www.youtube.com/@HolisticInvestment