Want to get rich? Then measure your progress with these milestones

/ M. Pattabiraman / @pattufreefincal

Published: April 9, 2018 at 10:13 am

When it comes to money management, success can be measured in many ways. If it is personal finance, then it makes sense that the milestones be personal. Here are a few personal finance milestones that can help you gauge “where you stand today” on the road to wealth. Before we begin did you get a chance to read the previous post: How to reduce risk in an investment portfolio

The following assumes that you have

  1. adequate life insurance
  2. medical cover
  3. identified your goals, chalked up a strategy for each
  4. started investing

The milestones are in no particular order as we cannot say which arrives first.

0 Think rich to be rich.

Think rich to be rich

1 Your Liquid Networth exceeds Your Life Insurance Sum

For example, if you are insured for er … one crore and your net worth that can be immediately liquidated – stocks, bonds, gold, funds etc. exceed one crore.

No biggie. Should be possible in a decade with some systematic investing,

2 The investment amount required decreases!

We need to re-do the goal planning calculations each year with updated portfolio values and goal estimates. As your portfolio grows, at some point, you will notice that the investment amount needed from this point forward is lower than what you calculated last year and/or lower than the amount you are actually investing.

For example, if you are investing 10,000 per month for a goal, increasing say at the rate of 10% a year and if the revised calculation says, you only need to invest 8,000 a year (increasing at 10%), then that is a huge relief!

Photo by: T Hino Focus on the big picture

3 Your Equity holdings exceed your term insurance sum

With luck – the residue of discipline, your equity holdings will have a value greater than your life cover. Sure, it may not last, but it is a great feeling while it does. Give it time. It is possible.

4 Your Retirement Planning can be set on auto-pilot

This is related to (2). As your portfolio grows and the investment amount decreases, there would come a time when all you need to do is – nothing. Your current equity holdings and your EPF monthly deduction should be enough for your to retire normally. Give it a little more time, and even that EPF deduction will not be necessary (although it cannot be stopped).

5 You can live off Your Net Worth for a certain number of years

As mentioned here, Review Your Financial Freedom Portfolio in Seven Easy Steps, look out for two numbers measured in years.

The no of years you can generate an inflation-protected income if you were to retire today. This will soon be 5Y, then 10Y, then 15Y etc.

The no of years you can generate an inflation-protected income if you were to retire as planned (say 55 or 60). This will soon be 5Y, then 10Y, then 15Y etc.

These are the first steps towards financial independence. Read more: E-book: How to retire early in India.

If you want a simpler thumb rule then for zero real return (return from investment = inflation) then if your retirement corpus = 25 times your current annual expenses (25x) then you can life off that amount for 25 years. So 5x will be your first mini-milestone. This is suitable for those who wish to quit salaried jobs to create startups. Then 10x then 15x –> 20x —>30x. Anything about 30x with at least 15 years worth of money in fixed income would be pretty awesome.

6 The current cost of an undergraduate education matches the current value of your child education portfolio

If your kid is years from 12th standard, then you can pat yourself on the back.

You can make up milestones like these and watch your net worth grow. All it takes is discipline and time.

 

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About the Author Pattabiraman editor freefincalM. Pattabiraman(PhD) is the founder, managing editor and primary author of freefincal. He is an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. since Aug 2006. Connect with him via Twitter or Linkedin Pattabiraman has co-authored three print books, You can be rich too with goal-based investing (CNBC TV18), Gamechanger, Chinchu Gets a Superpower! and seven other free e-books on various money management topics. He is a patron and co-founder of “Fee-only India,” an organisation to promote unbiased, commission-free investment advice. He conducts free money management sessions for corporates and associations based on money management. Previous engagements include World Bank, RBI, BHEL, Asian Paints, Cognizant, Madras Atomic Power Station, Honeywell, Tamil Nadu Investors Association, IIST Alumni Association. For speaking engagements, write to pattu [at] freefincal [dot] com
About freefincal & its content policy Freefincal is a News Media Organization dedicated to providing original analysis, reports, reviews and insights on developments in mutual funds, stocks, investing, retirement and personal finance. We do so without conflict of interest and bias. Follow us on Google News. Freefincal serves more than three million readers a year (5 million page views) with articles based only on factual information and detailed analysis by its authors. All statements made will be verified from credible and knowledgeable sources before publication. Freefincal does not publish any paid articles, promotions, PR, satire or opinions without data. All opinions presented will only be inferences backed by verifiable, reproducible evidence/data. Contact information: letters {at} freefincal {dot} com (sponsored posts or paid collaborations will not be entertained)
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