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Ramalingam Kalirajan |8442 Answers |Ask -Follow

Mutual Funds, Financial Planning Expert - Answered on May 15, 2025

Ramalingam Kalirajan has over 23 years of experience in mutual funds and financial planning.
He has an MBA in finance from the University of Madras and is a certified financial planner.
He is the director and chief financial planner at Holistic Investment, a Chennai-based firm that offers financial planning and wealth management advice.... more

Question by Rama on May 09, 2025

Sir i am 44 and i have following MF as SIP..15k in Nippon India Small Cap, 5k in Nippon India Multi Cap, 2k in 6 funds namely., Mirae Asset Mid Cap, Axis MF Bluechip, Kotak MF Emerging, Quant Large & Mid Cap, Motilal Mid Cap, SBI MF Contra. Are these right way of distribution of funds or is there any correction required? Other than these i do have few savings plan like Kotak Premium Endownment, Tata AIA, ICICI Pru Future. Amongst these 2 savings plan tenure are going to be completed, so is it a good idea to start new savings plan or invest that amt too in MF? Also where to reinvest the amt that would be matured shortly from these savings plan? Hope these investments will help to lead a decent retirement life after 60...

Ans: You are doing well by taking active steps. At age 44, building a structured and disciplined portfolio is very important. You already have good habits in place.

Let’s look at your current mutual funds and savings plans carefully.

We will also explore the better way forward with complete clarity.

Review of Current SIP Mutual Fund Portfolio
You invest Rs.15,000 in a small-cap fund. That is a very high amount.

Small-cap funds are very volatile. Not good to have high allocation.

You also invest Rs.5,000 in a multi-cap fund. That is a good choice.

You further invest Rs.2,000 each in six other funds.

Those include large-cap, mid-cap, contra, and other categories.

This spread looks like too many funds with small amounts.

Investing Rs.2,000 in multiple funds creates confusion and overlap.

It becomes difficult to monitor and analyse them every year.

Some of these categories may behave similarly.

You need to consolidate your mutual funds to 4–5 only.

Keep funds from different categories – not overlapping ones.

One large-cap, one flexi-cap or multi-cap, one mid-cap, and one small-cap are enough.

This reduces clutter and helps with proper rebalancing.

Always prefer actively managed funds over index funds.

Index funds just copy the market. No expert is managing the risk.

Actively managed funds have potential to beat market returns with less downside.

Also avoid direct mutual funds. They don’t give guidance or yearly reviews.

Use regular plans through Certified Financial Planner (CFP).

You get full support and personalised rebalancing guidance.

Current Allocation Needs Balancing
Rs.15,000 to small-cap is risky. Reduce it to Rs.5,000.

Mid-cap and large & mid-cap categories are already present.

Avoid putting Rs.2,000 in too many similar funds.

Instead, choose one good mid-cap fund and invest Rs.5,000 in it.

Keep Rs.5,000 in a large-cap or contra fund.

Another Rs.5,000 can go into a multi-cap or flexi-cap fund.

Keep your small-cap allocation not more than 20% of total equity.

Small-cap works well only over very long term and high risk tolerance.

Consolidation makes it easier to review and rebalance each year.

Assessment of Traditional Savings Plans
You have 3 savings plans from insurance companies.

Two plans are about to mature.

These include endowment and future guaranteed type plans.

These plans usually give very low returns. Mostly around 4–5%.

You can check the maturity value now and plan reinvestment.

These plans combine insurance with investment. That is never efficient.

Mixing protection and returns reduces both benefits.

Avoid taking new savings plans again.

Start investing in mutual funds instead.

Mutual funds give better flexibility, liquidity, and returns.

For protection, take pure term insurance only.

It gives high cover at low premium. No investment benefit is needed here.

What to Do With the Maturing Amount From Policies
The maturity proceeds should be reinvested based on your goals.

Don’t use that money for new insurance plans or endowment.

You can use the maturity amount for either:

Building a retirement corpus

Your child’s higher education

A specific life goal like business or health buffer

Park the amount first in liquid or ultra-short debt funds.

Then start an STP (Systematic Transfer Plan) into mutual funds.

This avoids sudden lump sum investment into equity.

It reduces timing risk and improves investment safety.

Choose 60% in equity funds and 40% in debt mutual funds.

Do this only after consulting a Certified Financial Planner.

Asset allocation is the real key, not product selection.

Protection Planning – Are You Adequately Insured?
You have mentioned insurance policies but not term cover.

Please ensure you have pure term insurance with high sum assured.

Minimum cover should be 15 times your annual income.

This is needed to protect your family’s future.

Avoid mixing savings with protection ever again.

Also review your medical insurance cover for your family.

At least Rs.10 lakh cover is needed for a family of three or four.

You can consider super top-up if cost is high.

Building Retirement Corpus – Planning for Life After 60
You are 44 now. So 16 years are left for retirement.

A well-managed mutual fund portfolio can build a large corpus in this time.

Continue SIPs regularly. Increase amount when income grows.

Review portfolio every year with a CFP. Rebalance it based on market and goals.

Gradually shift part of equity to debt in your last 4 years before retirement.

That helps protect your retirement capital from sudden market fall.

After retirement, don’t use FDs for income. Use mutual fund SWP.

It gives monthly income with growth and tax efficiency.

Also gives better liquidity and control than pensions or annuities.

Start goal-based investing for your retirement, not random SIPs.

That brings clarity and peace of mind.

How to Move Forward With Confidence
First, consolidate your mutual fund SIPs to 4 or 5 only.

Maintain a healthy mix of large-cap, mid-cap, multi-cap, and small-cap.

Reduce small-cap exposure to less than 20% of total equity.

Avoid all index funds. They don’t have active risk management.

Stop buying savings-cum-insurance plans. Shift to pure investments.

Reinvest maturing amounts into mutual funds through STP route.

Keep your life and health insurance separate from your investments.

Start investing for retirement with clear targets and asset mix.

Use only regular mutual funds via Certified Financial Planner.

Get proper guidance, yearly reviews, and personalised strategy.

That brings discipline and long-term clarity to your journey.

Mutual funds offer growth, liquidity, flexibility, and better tax control.

Finally
Your investment journey has started in the right direction.

But it needs cleaning and realignment now.

You are just 16 years away from retirement.

The right choices now will give you a peaceful retirement.

Avoid insurance plans as investments.

Focus only on mutual funds with proper asset allocation.

Reinvest maturity proceeds wisely with professional help.

Create goal-specific portfolios. Don’t spread money without a reason.

Protect your family with pure insurance, not savings plans.

Keep reviewing and improving every year.

A Certified Financial Planner can give you a full 360-degree plan.

Best Regards,

K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,

Chief Financial Planner,

www.holisticinvestment.in

https://www.youtube.com/@HolisticInvestment

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