How Sreekanth Built a Robust Portfolio with Patience and Discipline

Published on / By M. Pattabiraman Twitter: @pattufreefincal

Published: January 15, 2026 at 6:00 am

In this edition of the reader story, Sreekanth, who runs the personal finance blog ReLakhs.com, shares his investment journey.

About this series: I am grateful to readers for sharing intimate details about their financial lives, which benefits us all. Some of the previous editions are linked at the bottom of this article. You can also access the full reader story archive.

Opinions expressed in reader stories do not necessarily represent the views of freefincal or its editors. We must appreciate multiple solutions to the money management puzzle and empathise with diverse views. Articles are typically not checked for grammar unless it is necessary to convey the right meaning and preserve the tone and emotions of the writers.

If you would like to contribute to the DIY community in this manner, send your audits to freefincal AT Gmail dot com. You can publish them anonymously if you wish.

Please note: We welcome such articles from young earners who have just started investing. See, for example, this piece by a 29-year-old: How I track financial goals without worrying about returns. We also have a “mutual fund success stories” series. See, for example, how mutual funds helped me achieve financial independence. Now, over to the reader.

Since starting as a mutual fund investor in 2009, patience, discipline, and conviction have driven 16 years of steady progress. From 2015 onward, investments shifted to a structured, goal-based approach targeting two key milestones: my child’s higher education and our retirement wealth creation. Each rupee now serves a clear purpose, yielding real results.

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Education Goal Progress

Investments began in 2015 via HDFC Balanced Fund (now HDFC Hybrid Equity Fund) for a 10-year horizon, assuming 10% returns amid high-inflation medical education costs. The portfolio achieved 12.5% XIRR through lump-sum installments, outperforming expectations despite recent peer-lagging performance—consistency trumped short-term highs.

As the 2027 goal nears, the corpus switched in FY 2025-26 to 60% bank FDs and 40% arbitrage funds (Kotak and SBI) for capital preservation over growth. If a government seat lowers MBBS costs, surplus funds can be redirected to post-graduation needs.

Infographic representing "How Sreekanth Built a Robust Portfolio with Patience and Discipline"
Infographic representing “How Sreekanth Built a Robust Portfolio with Patience and Discipline”

Retirement Portfolio Strategy

This 15-year goal relies on equity-oriented funds: UTI Nifty Next 50 Index Fund, HDFC Hybrid Equity (topped up to 2024), and ICICI Prudential Multi-Asset Fund (added December 2024), targeting 12% returns via periodic lump sums.

Multi-asset funds like ICICI Pru offer 65-80% equity with debt, gold, and commodities for volatility cushioning, inflation protection, and strong risk-adjusted metrics (Sharpe >1, low 0.7% expense ratio, top CRISIL ranks). They balance Nifty Next 50’s mid-cap growth, excelling in volatile periods with superior Sharpe relative to pure equity.

Goal-based investing aligns money with life priorities, proving discipline beats market timing every time.

Reader stories published earlier:

As regular readers may know, we publish a personal financial audit each December – this is the 2024 edition: Portfolio Audit 2024: The Annual Review of My Goal-Based Investments. We asked regular readers to share how they review their investments and track financial goals.

These published audits have had a compounding effect on readers. If you would like to contribute to the DIY community in this manner, send your audits to freefincal AT Gmail. You can also publish them anonymously.