At 45 my retirement corpus is 37X with 45% equity should I start decreasing equity exposure?

A reader says, “You mention in multiple articles such as – How much equity should I hold after retirement? – An equity allocation of not more than 30% for typical retirements is recommended.” “Can you write/update an article explaining if/how this 30% number would change based on someone’s current corpus (as a multiple of annual…

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My expenses have increased tenfold over 20 years – will I have enough when I retire?

A reader says, ” Thank you for the Robo Advisory Tool. It has given me insight into my retirement plans. A query: As we can recall, monthly expenses during the year 2002 were approximately Rs.10,000/- p.m. In 2022, our expenses escalated to Rs.1,00,000/- p.m. (in 20 years)”. “The Retirement Corpus calculated in the year 2002…

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Are you really eligible for higher EPS pension? EPFO circular clarifies

Many EPFO subscribers who retired after Sep 1st 2014, or are still in service have the incorrect impression that they will automatically be eligible for higher EPS pension. This is incorrect, as clarified by the EPFO circular issued on Feb 20th 2023. According to point no 5 of the circular: “5. Therefore, in compliance of…

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Higher EPS pension delayed if you did not retire before Sep 2014

Many organisations part of the EPFO are abuzz with discussions and calculations on higher EPS pensions following the Supreme Court’s verdict. Many have even provided deadlines to employees currently in service to opt for a higher EPS pension by transferring a significant portion of their EPF corpus to the EPS. However, at the time of…

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I am forced into semi-retirement – Can I still be financially independent?

A reader asks, ” I am 45 years old with a corpus of around 2.5cr distributed across equity (MFs + stocks) and fixed assets (Bank Savings+Debt Funds+SGB+EPF). I worked for a niche media industry and lost my job in 2020 when Covid hit.” “With few opportunities locally, finding suitable positions has been difficult, especially with…

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I lost my job but got a big severance package – is this enough for financial freedom?

A reader says, ” I am 45 years old and am doing well. My company recently shut down operations in India, and I have been offered a hefty severance package. I wanted your advice on generating 10% annual returns ( or the best returns possible)”. “Here is my financial status: Severance package: 70 Lakhs Self-owned…

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