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Ramalingam

Ramalingam Kalirajan  |10881 Answers  |Ask -

Mutual Funds, Financial Planning Expert - Answered on May 09, 2024

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 - Feb 23, 2024Hindi
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Iam 23.I want to invest in mutual funds for next 30 years. How much money would I need by retirement at that time.How much should I invest from now every month to achieve that goal?

Ans: Investing for retirement at a young age is a smart financial decision. Let's calculate how much money you would need by retirement and how much you should invest monthly to achieve that goal.

Determining Retirement Corpus:
Estimate your desired retirement corpus based on your expected expenses during retirement. Consider factors like inflation, lifestyle preferences, healthcare costs, and other financial obligations.
Assuming a moderate estimate of future expenses, let's say you aim for a retirement corpus of 5 Crores.
Calculating Monthly Investment:
Use a retirement calculator or financial planning software to determine the monthly investment required to reach your retirement corpus.
Assuming an annual return of 10% on your mutual fund investments (which is a reasonable long-term average for equity investments), we can calculate the monthly investment required.
With a 30-year investment horizon, the power of compounding will work in your favor. By starting early, you can invest smaller amounts monthly to achieve your goal.
For example, if you aim for a retirement corpus of 5 Crores and assuming a 10% annual return:
Using a financial calculator or formula, the monthly investment required would be approximately 22,000 INR.
Regular Review and Adjustments:
Periodically review your investment strategy and adjust your contributions based on changes in your financial situation, investment performance, and retirement goals.
As your income increases or expenses decrease over time, consider increasing your monthly investments to accelerate your progress towards your retirement goal.
By consistently investing in mutual funds over the next 30 years and staying committed to your long-term financial plan, you can work towards achieving a comfortable retirement.

Remember, while this calculation provides a rough estimate, individual circumstances may vary. Consulting with a Certified Financial Planner can provide personalized guidance tailored to your specific financial goals and help you create a comprehensive retirement plan.

Best Regards,

K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,

Chief Financial Planner,

www.holisticinvestment.in
DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information to be as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision.
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Ramalingam

Ramalingam Kalirajan  |10881 Answers  |Ask -

Mutual Funds, Financial Planning Expert - Answered on May 17, 2024

Asked by Anonymous - Apr 13, 2024Hindi
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Hi sir, I am 47 yrs old, Investing in Mutual fund since 2017, @ 35000/- month, planning to retire at age of 55. I need 60000/- month as my monthly expenses. Please suggest how much I need to invest more.
Ans: Planning for Retirement: Assessing Additional Investment Requirements
Investing in mutual funds since 2017 and aiming to retire at the age of 55 while requiring ?60,000 per month for expenses is a significant financial goal. Let's evaluate your current investment scenario and determine how much more you need to invest to achieve your retirement target.

Current Investment Assessment
Monthly Investment: ?35,000 since 2017.
Investment Horizon: Planning to retire at 55, which gives you approximately 8 years until retirement.
Retirement Expenses: Targeting ?60,000 per month post-retirement.
Estimating Retirement Corpus
To estimate the retirement corpus required to generate ?60,000 per month, we'll use the following steps:

Monthly Expenses x 12 = Annual Expenses: ?60,000 x 12 = ?7,20,000 per year.
Annual Expenses / Expected Withdrawal Rate: Assuming a withdrawal rate of 4%, the required corpus would be ?7,20,000 / 0.04 = ?1.8 crores.
Assessing Current Corpus
Calculate the current value of your mutual fund investments considering the initial investment, monthly contributions, and expected rate of return since 2017.

Determining Additional Investment Required
Subtract the current corpus from the required corpus to determine the shortfall. This shortfall represents the additional amount you need to invest to achieve your retirement goal.

Consultation with a Certified Financial Planner
Given the complexity of retirement planning and the need for a personalized approach, I recommend consulting with a Certified Financial Planner. They can assess your current financial situation, risk tolerance, and investment objectives to create a tailored retirement plan that aligns with your goals.

Conclusion
Retiring comfortably requires careful planning and disciplined investing. By assessing your current investments, estimating the required corpus, and determining the additional investment needed, you can take proactive steps towards securing your financial future. Remember, seeking professional advice can provide valuable insights and guidance on optimizing your retirement strategy.

Best Regards,

K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,

Chief Financial Planner,

www.holisticinvestment.in

..Read more

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Nayagam P

Nayagam P P  |10854 Answers  |Ask -

Career Counsellor - Answered on Dec 14, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Dec 12, 2025Hindi
Career
Hello, I am currently in Class 12 and preparing for JEE. I have not yet completed even 50% of the syllabus properly, but I aim to score around '110' marks. Could you suggest an effective strategy to achieve this? I know the target is relatively low, but I have category reservation, so it should be sufficient.
Ans: With category reservation (SC/ST/OBC), a score of 110 marks is absolutely achievable and realistic. Based on 2025 data, SC candidates qualified with approximately 60-65 percentile, and ST candidates with 45-55 percentile. Your target requires scoring just 37-40% marks, which is significantly lower than general category standards. This gives you a genuine advantage. Immediate Action Plan (December 2025 - January 2026): 4-5 Weeks. Week 1-2: High-Weightage Chapter Focus. Stop trying to complete the entire syllabus. Instead, focus exclusively on high-scoring chapters that carry maximum weightage: Physics (Modern Physics, Current Electricity, Work-Power-Energy, Rotation, Magnetism), Chemistry (Chemical Bonding, Thermodynamics, Coordination Compounds, Electrochemistry), and Maths (Integration, Differentiation, Vectors, 3D Geometry, Probability). These chapters alone can yield 80-100+ marks if practiced properly. Ignore topics you haven't studied yet. Week 2-3: Previous Year Questions (PYQs). Solve JEE Main PYQs from the last 10 years (2015-2025) for chapters you're studying. PYQs reveal question patterns and difficulty levels. Focus on understanding why answers are correct, not memorizing solutions. Week 3-4: Mock Tests & Error Analysis. Take 2-3 full-length mock tests weekly under timed conditions. This is crucial because mock tests build exam confidence, reveal time management weaknesses, and error analysis prevents repeated mistakes. Maintain an error notebook documenting every mistake—this becomes your revision guide. Week 4-5: Revision & Formula Consolidation. Create concise formula sheets for each subject. Spend 30 minutes daily reviewing formulas and key concepts. Avoid learning new topics entirely at this stage. Study Schedule (Daily): 7-8 Hours. Morning (5:00-7:30 AM): Physics concepts + 30 PYQs. Break (7:30-8:30 AM): Breakfast & rest. Mid-morning (8:30-11:00): Chemistry concepts + 20 PYQs. Lunch (11:00-1:00 PM): Full break. Afternoon (1:00-3:30 PM): Maths concepts + 30 PYQs. Evening (3:30-5:00 PM): Mock test or error review. Night (7:00-9:00 PM): Formula revision & weak area focus. Strategic Approach for 110 Marks: Attempt only confident questions and avoid negative marking by skipping difficult questions. Do easy questions first—in the exam, attempt all basic-level questions before attempting medium or hard ones. Focus on quality over quantity as 30 well-practiced questions beat 100 random questions. Master NCERT concepts as most JEE questions test NCERT concepts applied smartly. April 2026 Session Advantage. If January doesn't deliver desired results, April gives you a second chance with 3+ months to prepare. Use January as a practice attempt to identify weak areas, then focus intensively on those in February-March. Realistic Timeline: January 2026 target is 95-110 marks (achievable with focused 50% syllabus), while April 2026 target is 120-130 marks (with complete syllabus + experience). Your reservation benefit means you need only approximately 90-105 marks to qualify and secure admission to quality engineering colleges. Stop comparing yourself to general category cutoffs. Most Importantly: Consistency beats perfection. Study 6 focused hours daily rather than 12 distracted hours. Your 110-mark target is realistic—execute this plan with discipline. All the BEST for Your JEE 2026!

Follow RediffGURUS to Know More on 'Careers | Money | Health | Relationships'.

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Dr Dipankar

Dr Dipankar Dutta  |1841 Answers  |Ask -

Tech Careers and Skill Development Expert - Answered on Dec 13, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Dec 12, 2025
Career
Dear Sir/Madam, I am currently a 1st year UG student studying engineering in Sairam Engineering College, But there the lack of exposure and strict academics feels so rigid and I don't like it that. It's like they don't gaf about skills but just wants us to memorize things and score a good CGPA, the only skill they want is you to memorize things and pass, there's even special class for students who don't perform well in academics and it is compulsory for them to attend or else the student and his/her parents needs to face authorities who lashes out. My question is when did engineering became something that requires good academics instead of actual learning and skill set. In sairam they provides us a coding platform in which we need to gain the required points for each semester which is ridiculous cuz most of the students here just look at the solution to code instead of actual debugging. I am passionate about engineering so I want to learn and experiment things instead of just memorizing, so I actually consider dropping out and I want to give jee a try and maybe viteee , srmjeee But i heard some people say SRM may provide exposure but not that good in placements. I may not be excellent at studies but my marks are decent. So gimme some insights about SRM and recommend me other colleges/universities which are good at exposure
Ans: First — your frustration is valid

What you are experiencing at Sairam is not engineering, it is rote-based credential production.

“When did engineering become memorizing instead of learning?”

Sadly, this shift happened decades ago in most Tier-3 private colleges in India.

About “coding platforms & points” – your observation is sharp

You are absolutely right:

Mandatory coding points → students copy solutions

Copying ≠ learning

Debugging & thinking are missing

This is pseudo-skill education — it looks modern but produces shallow engineers.

The fact that you noticed this in 1st year already puts you ahead of 80% students.

Should you DROP OUT and prepare for JEE / VITEEE / SRMJEEE?

Although VIT/SRM is better than Sairam Engineering College, but you may face the same problem. You will not face this type of problem only in some top IITs, but getting seat in those IITs will be difficult.
Instead of dropping immediately, consider:

???? Strategy:

Stay enrolled (degree security)

Reduce emotional investment in college rules

Use:

GitHub

Open-source projects

Hackathons

Internships (remote)

Hardware / software self-projects

This way:

College = formality

Learning = self-driven

Risk = minimal

...Read more

DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related document carefully before investing. The securities quoted are for illustration only and are not recommendatory. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information and as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision. RediffGURUS is an intermediary as per India's Information Technology Act.

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