Retirement Savings Calculator

Typically, people in their late 20s and early 30s, with family obligations, should begin by looking at property. In fact, up to 50% of your fund should be invested in property, as it appreciates over the long term. Following this should be up to 30% exposure in equities/ mutual funds, to reap the high returns they promise over the long term. 10% in long-term bonds and debentures will yield a fixed return over a period of time. Liquidity is as important, so invest 5% in gold, fixed deposits and 5% in cash. read more

Be regular with your investment. It is best to allocate a portion of your funds from your monthly income and make arrangements to transfer it immediately to another account, from where you can plan your fund allocation for each investment. Do not use the bank account that you utilise for your day to day expenses, draw money at the ATMs etc. for this purpose. Use a different account. This will help you organise your funds and quell the temptation to overspend. read more

The New Pension Scheme is an investment option which will help an individual, plan for his or her retirement. The key difference between the old government pension scheme and the New Pension Scheme is that the old pension scheme was based on a defined benefit principle and the new pension scheme is based on a defined contribution principle. read more

If you are thinking about putting all your eggs in one basket, better not do that because Section 80C has a limit of Rs. 1 L. That is, if you have made investments of Rs. 1.50 L in the investment instruments mentioned above, only Rs. 1, 00,000 out of it would be eligible for deduction under Section 80C. Also, if you are a salaried individual, the PF contributions from your company are also included in this limit. read more