40-Year-Old Single Mom With $30K Wants to Invest: Are Mutual Funds Safe?

Ans: Hello;

Following is the sum of investments you currently hold:

1. FDs: 1.5 Cr
2. Direct stocks: 2.75 Cr
3. MF corpus: 0.8 Cr
4. Land property: 0.6 Cr
5. PF corpus: 0.35 Cr
6. NPS corpus: 0.2 Cr
Grand TOTAL: 6.20 Cr

You should apply for premature withdrawal of NPS. Since this being premature withdrawal your corpus of 1 Cr will get divided into two components 0.8 Cr worth annuity you will have to buy while rest 0.2 Cr comes to you which is indicated above.

The gold asset worth 50 L is purposely not considered here. It may be used as a emergency safe reserve.

You may invest 6.2 Cr corpus in ICICI Pru equity savings fund (low to moderate risk) and do an SWP at 3% which may yield you a monthly income of ~1.4 L (post tax).

The 0.8 Cr of NPS used to buy annuity will yield you a monthly income of around 40 K (6% annuity rate considered), therefore your total monthly income will be 1.4+0.4=1.8 L.

The average returns of ICICI Pru equity savings fund are 8-9% but it is relatively less risky and this is more important.

To fund overseas education of your son, you may have to partially deplete the corpus apart from emergency gold reserves.

Hence it makes sound practical sense to have term life cover of ~ 2 Cr with riders for critical care and accident benefit for 15-20 years, apart from the health care cover which you have already.

This will ensure son's education and income for regular household expenses remain more or less unaffected in the unfortunate situation of your demise.

Also please keep searching for assignments, if not possible full time, maybe part time or on consultation basis.

This will keep you focused and busy.

Feel free to revert.

Happy Investing;