Imagine transforming a modest Rs 10,000 monthly investment into a steady Rs 1 lakh monthly income in your retirement years.
This is the power of compounding -- a strategy that rewards you for starting early and staying consistent with your investments, says Ramalingam Kalirajan.
By leveraging the growth potential of a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) and later transitioning to a Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP), you can accumulate a substantial corpus and enjoy financial security. This approach allows you not only to build wealth during your working years but also to ensure a comfortable retirement income for decades.
To explain the combination of SIP (Systematic Investment Plan) during the accumulation phase and SWP (Systematic Withdrawal Plan) for retirement, consider the following scenario. This will help you understand how to accumulate wealth and then transition to a reliable retirement income plan.
Wealth Building with a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP)
Starting at the age of 25, imagine setting aside just Rs 10,000 every month into a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP).
With consistent contributions for 30 years and assuming an annual return of 12 per cent, this disciplined approach would allow you to accumulate a significant corpus by the time you retire at age 55. However, there are certain assumptions built into this calculation:
1. Consistency: It assumes that the SIP is continued without any interruptions for 30 years. The key to wealth accumulation is staying invested throughout the term, despite market ups and downs.
Regular, disciplined contributions are essential for leveraging the power of compounding.
2. Returns of 12 per cent per annum: The second assumption is that the investment yields an average return of 12 per cent annually. While this may seem optimistic, it is based on historical data. Many equity mutual funds, for example, have delivered robust returns over long periods.
As shown in the table below, several funds have been in the market for nearly 30 years and have achieved returns exceeding 12 per cent.
| S no | Scheme Name | Inception Date | Returns Since Launch (as of 30 Sep 2024) |
| 1 | UTI Large cap (Master share Unit) Reg Gr | 15-10-1986 | 17.55% |
| 2 | UTI Flexi Cap Reg Gr | 18-05-1992 | 13.08% |
| 3 | Tata Large & Mid Cap Reg Gr | 25-02-1993 | 13.61% |
| 4 | Franklin India Blue-chip Gr | 01-12-1993 | 16.63% |
| 5 | Franklin India Prima Gr | 01-12-1993 | 20.10% |
| 6 | HDFC Capital Builder Value Gr | 01-02-1994 | 15.17% |
| 7 | HDFC Large and Mid-Cap Gr | 18-02-1994 | 13.44% |
| 8 | Tata Mid Cap Growth Reg Gr | 01-07-1994 | 13.92% |
| 9 | Franklin India Flexi Cap Gr | 29-09-1994 | 18.63% |
| 10 | ICICI Pru Multicap Gr | 01-10-1994 | 15.85% |
These funds demonstrate that long-term investments in equity funds can generate substantial returns.
While equity investments generally tend to perform better over the long term, they do come with inherent risks due to market volatility. This is why we've assumed a 12 per cent per annum return as a conservative estimate.
By investing consistently in a well-performing mutual fund, the assumption of 12 per cent returns becomes realistic, highlighting the potential for accumulating a substantial corpus after 30 years of disciplined SIP investments.
Let us dive into the calculation now.
| Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) | |
| Current Age | 25 |
| Retirement Age | 55 |
| Monthly SIP | Rs 10,000.00 |
| No. of years | 30 |
| Returns | 12.00% |
| Final corpus at the age of 60 | Rs 3,08,09,732.10 |
This growth occurs due to the power of compounding. The longer you stay invested, the more your money multiplies over time. The idea is to take advantage of market growth while you are still earning an active income, allowing you to build a sizable retirement fund.
Transition to Retirement with a Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP)
Once you reach the age of 55 and retire, you can switch your accumulated corpus to a Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP), which will provide you with a steady monthly income during your retirement years. Here's how it works:
Scenario 1: Monthly Income Rs 1 Lakh
You take the Rs 3 crore corpus and invest it in a diversified portfolio, with 40 per cent in equity and 60 per cent in debt. The equity returns are assumed to be 12 per cent, while the debt returns are 6 per cent per annum, resulting in a weighted average return of 8.4 per cent per annum
You then start withdrawing Rs 100,000 per month as retirement income. This allows you to maintain a comfortable lifestyle without depleting your retirement fund too quickly.
With the SWP:
| Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP) | |
| Lump sum Investment | Rs 3,00,00,000.00 |
| Retirement Age | 55 |
| Life expectancy | 90 |
| Monthly withdrawal | Rs 1,00,000.00 |
| No. of years | 35 |
| Returns | 8.40% |
| Final corpus at the age of 90 | Rs 26,85,59,825.36 |
This plan ensures that even after 30 years of withdrawing Rs 1,00,000 every month, you will still have a healthy sum of money left, which can serve as a financial cushion or inheritance for your loved ones.
Scenario 2: Inflation-Adjusted Monthly Income Rs 1 Lakh
In retirement, it's essential to account for inflation when planning your withdrawal strategy. The cost of living naturally increases over time, and without considering inflation, your fixed withdrawals may lose purchasing power, impacting your lifestyle in the later years of retirement.
Let's explore how you can adjust your withdrawal plan to maintain the same standard of living throughout retirement.
In the previous example, we assumed you could withdraw Rs 12,00,000 annually during retirement without adjusting for inflation. However, with an average inflation rate of 6 per cent per year, your purchasing power could diminish significantly over time.
To safeguard against this, you need to gradually increase your withdrawals to keep pace with rising prices.
By adjusting the withdrawal amount each year to match inflation, you ensure that your Rs 100,000 withdrawal today will have the same purchasing power 10, 20, or even 30 years from now.
Although the withdrawal amount increases, the returns on your remaining corpus should ideally outpace inflation, preserving your wealth over the long term.
Calculation for Inflation-Adjusted Withdrawal
By the time you reach your later years, you may be withdrawing significantly more, but your lifestyle and purchasing power will remain steady, unaffected by inflation. This inflation-adjusted withdrawal approach ensures that your retirement income keeps pace with the rising cost of living.
| Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP) | |
| Lump sum Investment | Rs 3,00,00,000.00 |
| Retirement Age | 55 |
| Life expectancy | 90 |
| Annual withdrawal | Rs 12,00,000.00 |
| No. of years | 35 |
| Returns | 8.40% |
| Inflation (annual increase in withdrawal) | 6% |
| Final corpus at the age of 90 | Rs 12,17,193.54 |
Even after adjusting for inflation over a 35-year retirement period, the combination of careful planning, an 8.4 per cent return on investments, and disciplined withdrawals would still leave you with a substantial corpus of Rs 12.17 lakh by age 90.
Conclusion
There are two important phases in financial planning: the accumulation phase and the distribution phase. The SIP and SWP can serve as effective tools during these phases, respectively.
By starting early with an SIP and transitioning to an SWP upon retirement, you ensure a smooth and systematic approach to financial independence. With just Rs 10,000 per month during your working years, you can build a corpus of Rs 3 crore by retirement.
This sum, when invested wisely, can provide you with a monthly income of Rs 100,000 for 30 years, ensuring a worry-free retirement.
However, Scenario 2 emphasizes how inflation can impact long-term financial planning and why it is essential to account for it during retirement.
The key takeaway is to start early, stay consistent, and allow your investments to grow over time, ensuring a financially secure future.
Ramalingam K, an MBA in Finance, is a Certified Financial Planner. He is the Director and Chief Financial Planner at holisticinvestment, a leading financial planning and wealth management company
Disclaimer: This article is meant for information purposes only. This article and information do not constitute a distribution, an endorsement, an investment advice, an offer to buy or sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities/schemes or any other financial products/investment products mentioned in this article to influence the opinion or behaviour of the investors/recipients.
Any use of the information/any investment and investment related decisions of the investors/recipients are at their sole discretion and risk. Any advice herein is made on a general basis and does not take into account the specific investment objectives of the specific person or group of persons. Opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.
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