Hi Dear, I have purchased a duplex house recently for Rs.73 lacs. I have taken loan of Rs.43.20 lacs from SBI @ 9.6% which is higher and monthly installment is of Rs.36,700. I have FDR of Rs.20 lacs which are maturing in July 2024. I have query - should I renew FDRs with Bank and continue to pay installments of bank loan or on maturity of FDRs i should pay Rs.20 lacs for the loan or invest in mutual funds. Kindly suggest me better way. My monthly income is around Rs.1 lac.

Ans: I'm sorry to hear about your job loss, but it's commendable that you're taking proactive steps to manage your finances during this challenging time. Let's create a plan to address your immediate needs and long-term goals:

• Home Loan Repayment: Selling your other two flats to repay the home loan is a prudent decision, as it will relieve you of the burden of the EMI and reduce financial stress.

• Emergency Fund: It's essential to maintain an emergency fund to cover unexpected expenses and loss of income. Since you'll have 70 lakhs from the sale of your flats, consider keeping a portion of this amount aside as your emergency fund, ideally in a liquid and accessible form like a savings account or short-term FD.

• Children's Education: With 60 lakhs earmarked for your children's education, you can explore investment options that offer growth potential over the medium to long term. Consider a combination of equity mutual funds, balanced funds, and fixed-income instruments to achieve your education goals. Since your daughter is in 12th grade, you may need to prioritize her education expenses in the near term.

• Retirement Planning: Your goal of having 1 lakh per month from next month onwards for retirement can be achieved by structuring your existing investments wisely. With 70 lakhs in EPF, 30 lakhs in PPF (maturing in 2026), and other fixed deposits and mutual funds, you have a solid foundation. You can explore options like Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS), Post Office Monthly Income Scheme (POMIS), and systematic withdrawal plans (SWPs) from mutual funds to generate a regular income stream in retirement.

• Income Replacement: Since you'll no longer have a regular income from employment, it's crucial to plan for income replacement. Your wife's income of 50,000 per month will provide some support, but you may need to supplement it with income generated from your investments.

• Expense Management: Given your monthly expenses of 75,000, it's essential to budget carefully and prioritize your spending. Look for areas where you can cut costs without compromising on essentials.

• Professional Advice: Consider consulting with a Certified Financial Planner who can help you develop a comprehensive financial plan tailored to your specific circumstances and goals. They can provide valuable guidance on investment strategies, tax planning, and retirement planning.

In conclusion, while losing your job is undoubtedly challenging, with careful planning and prudent financial management, you can navigate this period of transition successfully. By leveraging your existing assets and making strategic investment decisions, you can work towards achieving your children's education goals and securing a comfortable retirement for yourself. Stay focused, stay positive, and remember that you're not alone in this journey.

Ans: If your investment period is more than you can covert your FD in an equity mutual fund

Ans: You are 59 years old and retired. You have a housing loan of Rs 22 lakhs at 6% simple interest. You have invested Rs 30 lakhs in an FD and receive a pension of Rs 47,000. You also have an excess of Rs 12 lakhs available for investment.

Key Considerations
Risk Tolerance: As a retiree, preserving capital is crucial. Avoid high-risk investments.
Income Stability: Ensure stable income to meet your monthly expenses.
Debt Management: Evaluate paying off the housing loan versus investing.
Evaluating Investment Options
1. Debt Repayment
Interest Savings: Paying off a part of the housing loan can save you on interest costs. This ensures a guaranteed return equivalent to the loan interest rate.
Emotional Relief: Reducing debt can provide peace of mind.
2. Fixed Deposits (FDs)
Safety: FDs offer safety and guaranteed returns. Suitable for conservative investors.
Liquidity: Choose FDs with different maturities to ensure liquidity.
3. Mutual Funds
Debt Mutual Funds: Suitable for low-risk appetite. Provide better returns than FDs, with moderate risk.

Liquid Funds: For short-term needs, provide higher returns than savings accounts.
Short-Term Bond Funds: Suitable for a 1-3 year horizon, offering steady returns.
Hybrid Funds: Mix of debt and equity, offering balanced risk and return. Suitable if you have a moderate risk appetite.

4. Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS)
Government-Backed: Safe and secure with attractive interest rates.
Regular Income: Provides quarterly interest payments, ideal for retirees.
5. Monthly Income Schemes (MIS)
Post Office MIS: Provides regular monthly income, secure and low-risk.
Mutual Fund MIPs: Invest in a mix of debt and equity, offering monthly income with moderate risk.
Recommended Strategy
Debt Repayment and Investment Balance
Partial Loan Repayment: Use Rs 10 lakhs to pay off a portion of the housing loan. This reduces your interest burden and provides a guaranteed return.
Emergency Fund: Keep Rs 2 lakhs as an emergency fund in a liquid fund for easy access.
Investment Allocation
Fixed Deposits: Invest Rs 10 lakhs in FDs with varying maturities for safety and liquidity.
Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS): Invest Rs 5 lakhs for secure returns and quarterly interest.
Debt Mutual Funds: Allocate Rs 5 lakhs in short-term bond funds for moderate returns with low risk.
Monthly Income Scheme: Invest Rs 2 lakhs in Post Office MIS for regular monthly income.
Final Insights
Balancing debt repayment and secure investments is crucial. Partial loan repayment reduces your financial burden. Diversify the remaining funds into safe and moderately risky investments. This ensures capital preservation, regular income, and potential for moderate growth. Always keep an emergency fund for unforeseen expenses.

Best Regards,

K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,

Chief Financial Planner,

www.holisticinvestment.in

Ans: Hi Shaks,

Your query will resonate with many working professionals.

First and foremost, please check/calculate if you have capital gains arising out of the sale of your current flat. This is important for tax implication and will also help make your decision for utilizing the funds.

Lets assume you have some capital gains from this sale, then you can again have to confirm if the capital gains can be utilized without paying tax on it - this is possible if you have purchased the new flat within the last 1 year. If so, then you can utilize/adjust the capital gains towards payments made for the new flat and save tax on it. If you have purchased the new flat earlier than the last 1 year, then you have 2 options - pay tax on the capital gains and then use the funds as you wish OR invest the capital gains amount in NHAI bonds (locked) for the next 5 years (pay tax only on the interest earned).

Once you have sorted the above, you will know what is the amount in hand to make your decision, so lets dive into it.
You have a loan of 60 Lacs and you can manage the EMI from your salaries. Over the next 6-7 years, your salary will also see an increment of approx 7-8% annually, so I suggest you utilize this excess amount each year to prepay/topup your EMI payments. This will help reduce the loan burden over time. At the time of retirement, your loan outstanding can be paid with available options at that time.
You mentioned PPF as an option - I would suggest you do not utilize PPF amount towards this loan closure. The reason is PPF is a completely tax exempt asset and can be utilized well towards retirement income. Of course depends on how much you have accumulated in PPF.

So lets now consider paying the loan amount with the sale proceeds of the current flat. You have a loan today (assuming interest rate applicable is 8-8.5%), which you can manage and you are keen to continue it till retirement, so also recommend you do so. Keep the sale proceed amount available for investment and wealth creation as there are opportunities that can generate returns at a same rate (conservative options) and higher returns (with a slightly higher risk associated).

As you do not have any major liability which is outstanding or cannot be managed, and also you are investing 90k per month in Mutual funds, you can consider wealth creation options for the sale amount available.
PMS is an option but I feel its risks will out weigh the returns in the time frame you have, unless you have a known and trust-worthy option you want to consider.
As you are looking to retire early, at age 50, you should target to create a corpus that will sustain your retirement life (consider at least 30 years post retirement) and your child's education requirements.
Hence my recommendation would be to invest in Mutual Funds and continue with your PPF until retirement. A well constructed portfolio to create a retirement corpus and your child's education requirements would be required.

You can consult a Certified Financial Planner to help you with this plan. They can guide you with your Investments and Retirement planning and provide options to consider and provide advise on risk management (Insurance requirements).

Thanks & Regards
Janak Patel
Certified Financial Planner.