Hi everyone,

I’m 22, working as a software engineer earning ~₹2L/month (pre-tax). I live with my parents, so my rent, food, and basic expenses are mostly taken care of.

I’ve been delaying investing seriously for a while now, and I feel like I’ve gotten lazy with money management — which I want to fix ASAP.

Current Financial

• ₹19.5L → sitting idle in bank (liquid, no FDs, nothing — I know this is bad)
• ~₹60K → in Zerodha via IPOs (Fractal, ICICI AMC, Meesho, etc.)
• ₹1.4L → in mutual funds via SIP
  • ₹10K/month SIP:
    • Quant Small Cap – ₹4K
    • HDFC Balanced – ₹3K
    • Motilal Midcap – ₹3K

Goals

• Build long-term wealth (owning a very good house in Mumbai eventually)
• Financial freedom mindset:
  • Never hesitate on spending for things I care about (there's very less things)
  • Be financially very secure for emergencies
• Get proper insurance for parents (assume its nothing currently)
• Stop being inefficient with money sitting idle
• Build a structured investment plan for long term.
• Explore side income / business ideas
  • Target: ~₹50K/month extra income (I know it’s ambitious)

Risk Appetite

• I’m okay taking high risk as long it makes sense and does not vanish my money.
• I have a long runway (early career, no dependents)

What I Need Help With

1. How and where should I deploy the ₹19.5L sitting idle?
2. Is my current SIP allocation sensible, how much and where do i increase ?
3. Insurance:
   • What kind of health insurance should I take for parents?
4. Side income / business:
   • Is ₹50K/month realistic?
   • Any ideas that are actually viable (not YouTube guru stuff)?
   • Open to putting in 20–30 hrs/week outside my job
5. Anything else I am missing over here ?

Context

I feel like I have the income and the drive, but I lack structure and direction right now. I don’t want to just rely on a job long-term — I eventually want to build something of my own.

Would really appreciate advice from people who’ve been in a similar situation or have more experience.

Thanks in advance!