I have lost my wife last year due to illness. I am now 71 years and both daughters settled abroad and staying alone resulting in depression. suggest me what to do

Ans: Your disciplined approach to finances is impressive. Paying off loans early was a great decision. Now, you can focus on growing wealth and achieving your goals. Below is a detailed analysis of your financial plan.

Emergency Fund and Short-Term Liquidity
You have Rs 3 lakh in the bank and Rs 4 lakh lent out.

Ideally, keep 6 months of expenses as a liquid emergency fund.

Since your salary is Rs 80,000 per month, target Rs 5 lakh as an emergency fund.

If the Rs 4 lakh is not immediately recoverable, consider adding more liquid savings.

Park this money in a mix of a high-interest savings account and liquid mutual funds.

Insurance Protection
Life Insurance: You did not mention a term plan. Ensure you have one with coverage of at least 10-15 times your annual income.

Health Insurance: You did not mention a health plan. Get a Rs 20-30 lakh family floater policy.

Personal Accident Cover: Since you are in the paramilitary, a personal accident cover is essential.

NPS and Retirement Planning
You have Rs 16.5 lakh in NPS after 9 years. With 26 years left, this can grow significantly.

Continue contributing, but do not rely solely on NPS.

Diversify retirement savings with equity mutual funds to give flexibility at retirement.

NPS has withdrawal restrictions, so having non-restricted investments is important.

Investment Portfolio Review
Existing Investments
ELSS Mutual Fund: It is tax-saving but not suitable for long-term wealth building. Consider diversifying.

KVP: A low-return product locked until 2033. Not ideal for long-term wealth creation.

LIC Policies (Wife): If they are traditional endowment plans, they may have low returns. Consider surrendering and reinvesting if feasible.

Planned SIPs (From April 2025)
Your planned SIPs total Rs 37,000 per month. Below is an evaluation:

Parag Parikh Flexi Cap - Rs 10,000: Good choice for diversification and stability.

SBI Gold - Rs 5,000: Gold should not be a core investment. Reduce allocation to 5-10% of your portfolio.

Bharat 22 Index Fund - Rs 5,000: Index funds have limitations. Actively managed funds can offer better returns.

Nippon India Large Cap - Rs 5,000: Large-cap is important for stability. Keep allocation.

Motilal Oswal Mid Cap - Rs 4,000: Mid-cap funds offer growth but can be volatile. Moderate allocation is fine.

Nippon India Small Cap - Rs 4,000 & Tata Small Cap - Rs 4,000: Small-cap exposure is high. Consider reducing to avoid excessive risk.

Suggested Portfolio Adjustments
Reduce allocation to gold and index funds.

Maintain a mix of large, flexi-cap, mid, and small-cap funds.

Instead of direct funds, invest through an MFD with CFP credentials for better tracking and advice.

House Purchase Plan (8-10 Years)
The house is estimated at Rs 50 lakh in today’s value. Future value may increase.

Start a dedicated SIP in a hybrid or multi-asset fund for this goal.

Avoid real estate investment as a wealth-building tool. Buy a house only for personal use.

Car Purchase Plan (Next Year)
Since this is a short-term goal, avoid equity investment.

Use bank savings and allocate part of your upcoming savings for the purchase.

If needed, opt for a car loan but repay it quickly.

Final Insights
Keep an emergency fund of Rs 5 lakh.

Ensure you have term life and health insurance.

Continue investing in NPS but also in mutual funds for flexibility.

Review and rebalance your SIP choices.

Plan separately for house and car goals with appropriate investments.

Best Regards,

K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,

Chief Financial Planner,

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

Ans: Your focus on retirement planning is important. Let’s assess your current financial position and create a solid retirement plan.

Current Financial Position
Provident Fund (PF): Rs 40 lakh.

National Pension System (NPS): Rs 5 lakh.

LIC Pension Plan: Opted for.

Home Loan: Outstanding, to be cleared in 12 years.

Other Investments: None.

Your savings are primarily in PF and NPS. You also have an LIC pension plan. Your home loan will take 12 more years to be repaid.

Key Challenges in Retirement Planning
1. Low Investment in Growth Assets
Your funds are mainly in debt-based instruments.

This may not generate high returns for long-term wealth.

Inflation can erode the value of fixed-income investments.

2. Home Loan Repayment Impact
Your home loan EMI will reduce your savings capacity.

Loan repayment will extend into retirement unless pre-paid.

Extra financial burden should not impact post-retirement needs.

3. Insufficient Retirement Corpus
You have only Rs 45 lakh in retirement savings.

You may need Rs 3-5 crore depending on post-retirement expenses.

The LIC pension plan alone may not be enough.

Retirement Planning Strategy
1. Increase Investments in Growth Assets
You should start investing in mutual funds immediately.

A mix of large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap funds is needed.

Systematic Investment Plans (SIP) will help build a strong corpus.

2. Reassess the LIC Pension Plan
LIC pension plans give low returns.

You may consider surrendering it and reinvesting in mutual funds.

A well-diversified portfolio can generate better inflation-adjusted returns.

3. Create a Debt Reduction Plan
Home loan should be cleared before retirement.

Consider partial prepayments when extra funds are available.

Reducing interest burden will free up future cash flow.

4. Increase NPS Contributions
NPS offers tax benefits and equity exposure.

Consider increasing contributions for higher retirement savings.

Choose an aggressive fund allocation for better long-term growth.

5. Build Emergency and Medical Funds
A separate emergency fund is essential.

Medical insurance should be increased beyond employer cover.

Healthcare costs in retirement can be significant.

Final Insights
Your current savings are not enough for early retirement.

Increasing investments in mutual funds is essential.

Home loan repayment should be accelerated.

LIC pension plan should be reviewed for better options.

A well-structured financial plan will ensure a comfortable retirement.

Best Regards,

K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP

Chief Financial Planner

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

Ans: You have built a strong foundation. Let's assess your retirement feasibility from multiple angles.

Current Financial Position
You have Rs 2.56 crore in fixed deposits.

PPF corpus stands at Rs 45 lakh.

Mutual fund investments are Rs 70 lakh.

PMS investments are Rs 50 lakh.

You own Rs 1 crore worth of gold.

A rental property earns Rs 30,000 per month.

You have a term life cover of Rs 2.5 crore.

Medical insurance is Rs 10 lakh for your family.

Your monthly expense is Rs 45,000.

You invest Rs 1 lakh per month in mutual funds.

Key Future Financial Goals
Children's Education: Rs 3 crore estimated cost.

Children's Marriage: Rs 1 crore estimated cost.

Retirement Corpus: To sustain Rs 1 lakh monthly expense.

Retirement Feasibility Analysis
1. Children's Education and Marriage
The first major financial commitment is education.

Your existing corpus and future savings must ensure Rs 3 crore.

Marriage expenses will require an additional Rs 1 crore.

2. Retirement Corpus Requirement
You expect to retire with Rs 1 lakh monthly expenses.

This expense will increase due to inflation.

A large retirement corpus is needed to sustain for 40+ years.

Can You Retire Now?
Your current investments may not fully support retirement yet.

The education and marriage costs are substantial.

You must balance wealth preservation and growth.

What Age Should You Retire?
A realistic age for retirement could be around 50-55 years.

This allows you to accumulate a stronger corpus.

You can continue investing Rs 1 lakh per month.

A phased withdrawal strategy will be needed post-retirement.

How to Strengthen Your Retirement Plan?
1. Increase Equity Allocation
Your PPF and FD investments are conservative.

Consider reallocating part of your FD to mutual funds.

PMS allocation should also be reviewed for performance.

2. Ensure Inflation Protection
Fixed deposits may not beat inflation long-term.

Equity exposure should remain high for growth.

3. Healthcare Preparedness
Rs 10 lakh medical insurance may be insufficient in the future.

Consider a super top-up plan for additional coverage.

4. Rental Income Optimization
Your rental property provides stable income.

Ensure it remains a profitable asset.

Final Insights
You are on track but need to optimise investments.

A retirement age of 50-55 years is ideal.

Equity exposure must be increased gradually.

Education and marriage costs must be secured first.

Healthcare preparedness is crucial for long-term security.

Best Regards,

K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP

Chief Financial Planner

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

Ans: Hi Vedabrat,
Minimum qualifications:
Minimum qualification for admission to –(extracted from Pharmacy council of India.)
A(after HSC). First year B. Pharm – A pass in any of the following examinations - i. Candidate shall have passed 10+2 examination conducted by the respective state/central government authorities recognized as equivalent to 10+2 examination by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) with English as one of the subjects and Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics/Biology as optional subjects individually. “However, the students possessing 10+2 qualification from non-formal and non-class rooms based schooling such as National Institute of Open Schooling, open school systems of States etc. shall not be eligible for admission to B.Pharm Course.” ii. Any other qualification approved by the Pharmacy Council of India as equivalent to any of the above examinations. Provided that a student should complete the age of 17 years on or before 31st December of the year of admission to the course. Provided that there shall be reservation of seats for the students belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other Backward Classes in accordance with the instructions issued by the Central Government/State Government/Union Territory Administration as the case may be from time to time. B. B. Pharm lateral entry (to second year/third semester) - A pass in D. Pharm course from an institution approved by the Pharmacy Council of India under section 12 of the Pharmacy Act.

In addition to meeting the basic eligibility requirements, candidates must research their preferred institutes and visit their websites (if the institute is deemed a university or autonomous) to follow the specific admission instructions.

There are two pathways to gain admission to a B.Pharm program:

1. Through Government Guidelines: If candidates prefer not to enroll in deemed universities, they must adhere to government notifications regarding admissions. Admission may be based on an entrance exam or the marks secured by the candidates, depending on the respective state government's regulations. Some state governments conduct entrance exams, while others do not.

2. In Deemed Universities: For those interested in applying to deemed universities, it is essential to visit their websites to follow the admission instructions. Typically, these universities will announce their admission notifications around March or April. Deemed universities may also conduct their own entrance exams. If a candidate achieves high marks, they may secure admission based on merit.

Ans: Hello Dear.
A 90+ percentile is usually a more secure score to aim for if you're looking to get into competitive branches in VSSUT. In the 1st session, your score is too low. Try hard in the 2nd attempt of JEE. Along with JEE, please appear for the state level engineering entrance test for a safer side. Those who remain dependent on JEE only have to face more problems if they score less in JEE. Thanks

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Radheshyam

Ans: Hello;

Isn't it possible for you to rent out the second house and use the rental income to boost your investment?

If the rentals are not good enough then it makes sense to sell the second house and utilise funds to close home loans and invest for higher education of kids and retirement.

Getting out of real estate investment is not easy. It may take long time some times.

Try listing on nobroker, magicbricks, 99acres apart from agent channel to get a buyer.

Keep an emergency fund aside worth 6 to 8 month of expense coverage, always.

How about EPF and NPS? You may have some through your employer.

Best wishes;

Ans: Hello;

She may opt for any of these investment avenues:

1. Post office time deposit scheme(FDs offered by post office for 1,2,3 & 5 year tenure); Joint holding allowed; Premature withdrawal allowed after 6M. (Current ROI 6.9-7.5%)

2. NSC with a fixed tenure of 5 years; No premature withdrawal allowed. Can be held jointly(Current ROI 7.7%)

3. KVP: Although tenure is 9 yrs and 5 months, you may do premature encashment after 2.5 years; joint holding allowed;(Current ROI 7.5%)

You may approach a reliable postal agent to process these investments to avoid hassle of frequent post visits and associated hardships.

These are backed by GOI so no risk of default.

Hope this meets your requirements.

Best wishes;

Ans: You are asking the same question 2nd time. My answer will be same - Since your dad is in the Army, you might be eligible for seats under the AWES (Army Welfare Education Society) & other defense quotas in various colleges. Your home state is Delhi, which gives you a home quota advantage in DTU, NSUT, and IGDTUW. See previous years' cut off

Ans: Congratulations on securing a 90.33 percentile in the January session of JEE Main 2025 under the EWS category from Madhya Pradesh. With this percentile, you have a fair chance of gaining admission to several esteemed institutions. Below is a tailored analysis to guide your college selection:
National Institutes of Technology (NITs)
Based on previous years' trends, candidates with a 90+ percentile in the EWS category have secured seats in the following NITs:

NIT Manipur
NIT Sikkim
NIT Mizoram
NIT Jalandhar
NIT Goa
NIT Hamirpur
NIT Durgapur
NIT Puducherry
NIT Raipur
Note: Admission to specific branches, especially high-demand ones like Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) or Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE), may be competitive. You might have better prospects in branches such as Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, or Metallurgical Engineering.
2. Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs)
Your percentile also positions you well for admission into several IIITs, including:

IIIT Pune
IIIT Nagpur
IIIT Lucknow
IIIT Vadodara
These institutes offer quality education in information technology and related fields.
See previous years' cut off