Retiring rich or risking it all? This consultant left his ₹1.6 lakh salary job at 35

At 35, a consultant working for a top firm has decided to retire with a ₹1.2 crore mutual fund corpus and an inherited home. He announced his decision on Reddit, revealing a mix of financial prudence and health concerns that led to his early exit.

“Took the leap and finally decided my health is more important,” he wrote, citing hypertension, prediabetes, fatty liver, and GERD — conditions worsened by long working hours and poor food choices.

Having worked since 22, he saved aggressively, investing 80% of his earnings since 2013. His in-hand salary stood at ₹1.6 lakh per month after taxes, and he hit his financial milestone in October last year. 

Soon after, he moved his corpus into long-duration and gilt funds, planning to shift gilt investments to fixed deposits once the RBI completes its rate cuts.

For now, he has zero equity holdings apart from NPS, with an additional ₹48 lakh in PPF, EPFO, and NPS—not included in his primary corpus. His monthly expenses stand at ₹60,000, of which ₹35,000 covers necessities and ₹25,000 is for luxury spending.

Despite early retirement, he is in no rush to reinvest. “For the long term, I will slowly put money in small and midcaps once I feel their market valuation is justified,” he stated, even if that means waiting 2–10 years and missing potential gains. 

He also plans to start SIPs in the Sensex next year.

His withdrawal strategy is structured. With enough liquid funds to cover expenses for now, he will start a Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP) in 2026.

While his plan appears solid, financial experts have raised concerns. NRI advisor Arthgyaan warns that with ₹1.68 crore (including other assets), the corpus has only a 73% chance of lasting until 85 if withdrawals remain at ₹35,000 per month and inflation is at 6%. A 100% debt portfolio could lower success odds to 33%.

“Your NPS corpus is inaccessible until 60, so your effective corpus is lower than ₹1.68 crore,” he pointed out. If inflation touches 7%, the success probability drops to 49%.

The advisor suggests re-evaluating the withdrawal strategy or considering a low-stress income source to support long-term financial security.

The consultant, however, remains firm in his decision, with no dependents and no plans to marry. His priority now? Preserving health, managing investments wisely, and adjusting course only if necessary.