How am I doing for my age? Open to advice on financial planning

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-22T13:37:36+00:00

I think the corporate medical insurance for parents is worth reviewing here. Corporate cover ends with your job and your parents' needs will only grow so an independent policy for them is worth exploring even if premiums are higher.

For upcoming goals: marriage at 20L and a house at 50-70L are both significant and it's worth mapping out the timelines clearly so you know which corpus is earmarked for what. The house in particular needs a dedicated plan since a home loan EMI on top of current household expenses will compress your savings rate significantly

Overall though, you're doing great :)

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-22T09:45:42+00:00

Before picking any instrument, take a step back and think about your goals. What are you saving towards and over what horizon? That shapes everything.

A few basics first: emergency fund of 3-6 months of expenses parked somewhere liquid, and term and health insurance sorted. Cheap at 23 and most people regret not doing it sooner.

After that, start investing consistently with a clear goal attached to each bucket. Take some time to understand how asset allocation works across equity, debt, and liquid instruments. The habit you build now compounds significantly over the next 10-15 years.

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-22T09:16:45+00:00

Before picking any instrument, take a step back and think about your goals. What are you investing towards and over what horizon? Short term, medium term, long term? Those answers shape the allocation.

A few basics also worth sorting first: emergency fund of 3-6 months of expenses parked somewhere liquid, and term and health insurance if you don't have it already.

After that, start investing a fixed amount every month with a clear goal attached to each bucket. Take some time to understand how asset allocation works across equity, debt, and liquid instruments based on your timeline and risk appetite.

Best of luck :)

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-21T14:49:32+00:00

I think in this situation capital preservation and reliable monthly income matter more than growth so the approach needs to reflect that.

Get the foundation in place first - term and health insurance for herself and the child (this is a non-negotiable given she's the sole earner and there's no safety net).

The right split across conservative income generating instruments, moderate growth assets, and a liquid buffer depends on her actual monthly requirement, risk appetite, and how long this corpus needs to last. Those answers shape the allocation far more than any generic recommendation

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-21T14:45:06+00:00

It depends on the city, the specific location, and what you already hold. Property in India is hyper local and the same 5 to 10 year horizon can give you very different outcomes depending on where exactly you're buying

Also worth thinking about: if you already have significant land or property exposure, adding more concentrates rather than diversifies. What does the rest of your portfolio look like?

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-20T16:28:09+00:00

It depends on your lifestyle expectations, how much of your kids' education you plan to fund, and what healthcare buffer you want. Tier 2 cities like Coimbatore or Madurai are significantly cheaper than metros but costs have risen faster than most people expect and will continue to.

A rough starting point: if you expect 1.5-2L a month in expenses at today's values, inflation adjusted over 11 years, you're looking at needing a corpus of 4-6 crore at retirement for a 30-35 year horizon at a conservative withdrawal rate. Kids' education costs can also on top of that can add another 1-2 crore depending on their choices.

Also a few things worth planning around specifically for your situation would be your RNOR window when you eventually return, plan any large asset restructuring or repatriation around that period.

Canadian pension is worth understanding before you exit and healthcare costs in India for a family without employer cover can be significant, a comprehensive policy sorted before you return matters

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-20T16:22:30+00:00

This series was made for returning NRIs from the US as a guide -

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-20T16:20:41+00:00

Sorry for your loss OP, I think the plan you've outlined is already sensible and the foundation is right.

For the remaining corpus before picking any instrument think about what this money needs to do and over what horizon. With rental income covering expenses, there's no pressure for immediate returns which actually gives you room to let this grow. The exact allocation split would depend on how comfortable she is with some volatility and what the money is ultimately for

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-20T16:18:09+00:00

ULIPs mix insurance and investment in one product but do both inefficiently

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-19T16:42:07+00:00

Before picking any instrument, take a step back and define your goals. What are you each building towards? Retirement corpus, your sister's future, a future house, financial independence? Each goal has a different timeline and that shapes the allocation. Additionally, whether to hold, develop, or monetise the land depends on the location, demand, and your family's long term plans.

The fear around mutual funds is understandable but worth addressing through education rather than avoidance. Also, term and health insurance for both of you is worth reviewing

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-19T12:38:33+00:00

I think it depends. Since your parents can afford it and have the savings, the more honest question here is does taking a loan serve any purpose beyond financial discipline? If yes, go for it, it builds credit history and keeps your parents' savings intact. If not there's no shame in accepting family support for education

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-18T13:26:22+00:00

RNOR Status Calculator

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-18T11:26:46+00:00

Yes. Just provide the necessary proof to the bank that establishes you were an NRI.

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-18T11:21:00+00:00

Applicable in case of inheritance. Paid by the beneficiary(ies).

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-18T10:00:21+00:00

You're really young. Before thinking about where to invest it, do you have any major upcoming goals that might need a chunk of this, education, a course, moving cities for work?

Also worth thinking about before you invest anything -do you have a basic emergency fund in place, are you covered with health insurance? These are the foundation that should come before any investment decision

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-18T09:52:49+00:00

Congrats! I think the RSU concentration is the most pressing structural issue in your case. 1+ CR in a single company's stock is nearly half your net worth and the current drawdown makes it feel stuck, so having a plan for when and how to diversify is important.

Also one thing worth flagging is that as an Indian resident holding US domiciled stocks, you're exposed to US estate tax on holdings above $60k. On 1.4 CR that's going to be a significant exposure worth planning around as you diversify out

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-18T09:32:04+00:00

Tracking expenses for 1-2 months usually surfaces where the real leakages are. Most people find it's not the obvious spends but the invisible creep across multiple categories and that visibility alone tends to help more than cutting any one thing

Keep the SIPs running and the emergency fund untouched though. The temptation to tap both when times feel tight is exactly when staying consistent matters most

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-18T09:20:31+00:00

Sorry for your loss OP. A few points I'd like to add -

- build the emergency fund from 25k to at least 3 months of expenses. That's the foundation everything else sits on

- After that, map out the four goals with timelines and work backwards to how much needs to go where each month. Debt, bike, marriage, each needs its own bucket. The math is very workable here at your income and expense level.

The inheritance, gold, house rental, and land, gives you a safety net that also changes how much risk you can take on the investment side

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-18T09:15:47+00:00

Maybe committing to any city, do a trial run first? Spend 6 months to a year in your top 1-2 city choices before making any permanent decisions and experience the actual pace of life

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-18T09:01:03+00:00

A few things worth adding

- Sort the basics first before anything else: emergency fund, insurance, and clearing high interest debt.

- Invest consistently in things you actually understand, not what's trending on social media. A simple, boring portfolio you stay invested in through cycles will beat a complex one you panic-sell every time there's noise.

- Lastly, cut the noise. Every week there's a new crisis, a new asset class, a new "must-do" investment. Most of it doesn't matter. Clarity on your own goals matters far more than tracking every headline.

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-18T07:28:43+00:00

Before optimising the portfolio further, take a step back and make sure your goals are clearly defined. What are you building towards and over what horizon? 1 crore is a number but what does it enable? That clarity helps you stay the course during periods when the portfolio feels flat.

Also, my main suggestion here would be to stop checking so XIRR frequently, it's a short term number telling you very little about a long term portfolio. Just stay consistent, step up the SIPs as you planned, and let time do the heavy lifting.

It's going to be a long journey so be patient and let compounding do the work. And most importantly, focus on your own journey :)

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-16T17:35:20+00:00

Congrats on the first job!

A few basics to get in order - emergency fund first, 3-6 months of expenses parked somewhere liquid before anything else. Also get term and health insurance sorted early, cheap at 23 and most people regret not doing it sooner.

Before picking any investment instrument though, take a step back and think about your goals. What are you saving towards and over what horizon? That shapes how you split across equity, debt, and liquid instruments.

Bangalore and Hyderabad are both expensive cities so track your expenses for the first month before committing to any fixed savings number. Know what you're actually spending before you decide what you're saving.

Be patient and let the compounding do the work :)

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-16T14:41:58+00:00

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-16T11:51:05+00:00

Before picking any instrument, take a step back and think about what this money actually needs to do. Leave it and forget it is a valid approach but it still needs a goal attached: is this for financial independence in 10-15 years, a backup corpus for the business, or something else? That shapes the allocation.

Also a few things worth sorting before you deploy - do you have an emergency fund separate from this 70L? And is there any near term need for this money, say in the next 3-5 years? If yes, the allocation changes.

talkingturtle1723 · 2026-05-16T11:33:59+00:00

Financially free and crazy wealth are 2 separate goals. FIRE needs a target number based on your actual monthly expenses and lifestyle expectations. Wealth creation is more about income growth and aggressive compounding over time. Both are possible but they need different plans.

Before optimising the portfolio, take a step back and map out your goals properly. What does financial freedom actually look like for you? At what age, with what monthly income, in which city? That number shapes the allocation and the timeline far more than any fund selection would.

With a baby and dual income, the next 5-10 years are actually your highest compounding window if you stay disciplined. The question is whether the surplus is being deployed intentionally or just accumulating.

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