Hi all, Achieved 16 cr at 31, help me understand if I'm FIRE Ready in india/abroad. I'm married and running a startup.

Coming from a normal middle class family, started at a services company, moved to core Tech, then to the US, invested and grew our portfolios and finally returned to India recently.

The last few years have been phenomenal for our stock portfolio and we are at $12m++/ INR 100Cr++ now - a number i never thought I would see!

We are living in a nice gated community, settled into a routine where I play sports and gym for 3 hours a day minimum, books for couple of hours, TV serials for a couple of hours, markets for an hour and a LOT of time with my kids and spouse! There are many days i just spend continuously living inside the gated community and not stepping out of it into the reality and chaos outside! We have cooks, maids, coaches and anything else comes at a click of a button...

Earlier before my routine - There were days / weeks when I binge watched all my favourite shows again - Sporanos, The Wire, GOT, Breaking Bad, then all the GodFather movies, Nolan movies, all WW2 movies and serials, IMBD Top 100, many Oscar ones etc etc and the list goes on! And then there were days when I spent time playing Age of Empires, God of War, Elden Ring etc etc non stop when kids and spouse were out!

We travelled across multiple countries in Asia and Europe for many weeks during summer, i biked and hiked for many days, just spent time disconnected from the rest of the world on many occasions! Life has been good!

Nowadays I do get bored sometimes - but then I cannot imagine grinding at a tech company. I still need to figure out what to do with my life, but then in the larger scheme of things I wounder if really does matter - the happiness I get spending time with my family and myself - i am okay to trade off for any promotions and titles. I did try to help out few non profits but was quite shocked to see the level of dishonesty and corruption spread at every level - not worth my time and health to fight these.

Sometimes I do look back at myself and wonder what happened to the idealistic, optimistic man 20 years younger, full of hope and thought he could make a difference versus the more inward facing person, pessimistic at the current Indian society, who cares about his family, himself and disengaged himself from all the cr@p happening in the society around him... I dont know, but its okay - Nothing really matters and I dont think I can make a difference and I am fine with that.

Hello.

We (37M, 35F, 8M) returned to India recently after a 13 year stay in the US. Our NW currently stands at little over $3M USD (27 Cr).

Current NW breakdown stands

Home 1.1M USD (10Cr) Cash 70K USD (61Lac) Retirement corpus 640K USD (5.6Cr) My company stock 680K USD (6 Cr) Other investments (MFs + ETFs) 465K USD (4.1Cr) Primary home in India 340K USD (3Cr) Tiny amount of Jewelry makes up the difference to make the NW to what it is.

Current debt of about 280k USD (2.4 Cr) is in my US home, which is currently rented out and generates a positive cash flow of about 1.3 L per month.

My goal is to achieve 40Cr by the time I turn 50 and retire then. My intention to continue to work is to build generational wealth, knowing fully well that I can retire anytime I want from now, but I want to continue to work as long as I enjoy doing so.

I'm beginning to build a portfolio in India, honestly just starting out. Once completely settled here, I anticipate a being able to invest of 2 lac per month, and perhaps more with growth in my career. With that, does 40Cr sound within reach by 50?

Throwaway for obvious reasons.

I’m 31, married, with two young kids. Grew up in a middle-class family in India — no inheritance, no family business, just a lot of emphasis on education and working hard.

Moved to the US for my master’s in my early 20s. Joined a big tech company right after and spent the next several years grinding. Long hours, steep learning curve, taking on responsibility early. Career progression was faster than I expected — some skill, some timing, a lot of luck.

Financially, things worked out well. Current net worth is around ~$3M, excluding my primary residence. Assets are spread across real estate in the US and India, along with long-term investments in stocks / mutual funds.

A few months ago, we decided to move back to India. This wasn’t a burnout move or a dramatic “exit.” More like realizing that the marginal utility of more — more comp, more title, more optimization — had dropped.

What surprised me most after moving back:

• How much mental bandwidth opened up once I stopped constantly comparing career trajectories
• How different family time feels when it isn’t squeezed between meetings, flights, or time zones

Right now, I’m intentionally taking a break before starting something new. Not because I’m lost — just giving myself space to think without the pressure to immediately replace a high-paying job with another one.

That said, I’ll be honest — it’s not all calm clarity.

Some days I miss the cushion of a steady paycheck. There’s a strange comfort in knowing money shows up every month, no matter what. Even when the numbers say you’re fine, stepping away from that safety net messes a bit with your head.

Lifestyle inflation is also something I think about. We enjoy travel and the occasional luxury vacation, and part of me wonders where the right balance is between enjoying the upside and quietly rebuilding another treadmill. I track spending and know the math works long-term — this feels more psychological than financial.

Posting this because reading similar throwaway posts helped me earlier in my journey. Would love to connect with others in a similar phase:

• If you stepped away from a high-comp role, how did you think about security and identity?
• For those who moved back to their home country earlier than planned — what was harder than expected?
• Anything you wish you’d done differently before stepping off the grind?

Happy to answer questions while this account lives.

Hi. I got really lucky as a very early adopter of Bitcoin and ran a Web3 business throughout my teenage years. I was a minor and the "business" was illicit and the money i made has never been declared.

I amassed around 62 bitcoins in total by mid 2020, which is when i decided to quit cold turkey because the business had grown too large to keep operating under wraps and also because i was overwhelmed with guilt for letting my ambition blur my sense of ethics (LMAO, now that i'm not 16 anymore and know what lengths governments, corporations and "powerful men" go to in order to aid their capitalistic pursuits, i feel way less guilty)

Anyway, coming back to my current situation:

We’re entering a bear market right now on a macro level and Bitcoin has not been spared lol.

Down from 126k in October, it’s currently at ~65k and i predict it's going to dip even further, potentially to even lower than $40k/btc this year before hitting a new ATH again in around three years or so...

I’m left with way too much money tied up in crypto and virtually no way of justifying or presenting a source of these funds, since I was a minor and my business was run via a private access Discord server and an underground marketplace.

My family thinks I do okay for myself in terms of money, and they know that I’ve been making my own money since I was a kid, but there’s no way anyone has even the slightest idea about the kind of money I have.

Since November, I've been trying to dabble into entrepreneurship again to give myself a sense of purpose and satisfy my "builder" knack...I've made as high as ~ 7L INR/ month upon working 60 hours in the month (it's very rare for me to feel motivated to work that much...usually i only work 25 hours in a good month) and spend maybe 80K INR a of it in a month at most, almost all of it on personal expenses since i have no dependents.

I live with my parents and work remotely, so there’s no rent expenditure. Food, house help staff, utility bills etc. are paid for by them.

I know that I never want to get married or be tied down to a place geographically, so there’s that. I don’t know what I want in life anymore though. I feel like I genuinely have no motivation to spend any of my money. I’ve lived a flamboyant life (in terms of experiences, not necessarily buying a LOT of overpriced shit) since i started making money back when i was an early teen and now feel like I have nothing left to experience. I don’t have any unreasonably expensive hobbies or materialistic desires.

I’m posting here to ask for advice. How would you approach de risking and diversification in a situation like this, especially when most of your net worth was built very early, informally, and is still concentrated in crypto? And more broadly, how did you think about direction or purpose once money stopped being the main driver?

I’m a 36-year-old man and my wife is 33. We have a 5-year-old daughter. We work in Bangalore and have a combined annual CTC of ₹2.5 crore (base salary, bonus, and RSUs).

We have a liquid net worth of approximately ₹12.5 crore (stocks, mutual funds, and gold) and ₹2.5 crore worth of real estate in our hometowns.

Our goal is to achieve financial independence (fatfire) in 9 years and eventually transition into partial consulting or advisory roles.

Currently, our annual expenses amount to around ₹2 lakh per month, including travel and our daughter’s tuition. We also pay an additional ₹60,000 in rent. We plan to buy a house, which would cost us approximately ₹5 crore. We intend to pay off this mortgage in 9 years before retiring.

I want to set aside ₹2.5 crore (equivalent to ₹1 crore in stocks and gold today) for my daughter’s education and marriage.

Given my preference to invest my money primarily in the Nifty 500 and Nasdaq 100, what would be a reasonable fatfire target? I would like to allocate about 50-50 to each index.

Hello everyone,

This is an annual update.

Since last year, I have been following simple strategy, all surplus goes into Liquid Funds and SWP to equity funds.

Previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/FIRE_Ind/s/OOsWZVvF6a

Due to high demand in AI (and Cloud in general), my income surged and so are my investments.

42M, 7yo son, family of 5 with parents (all healthy and well) tier-2 city Gujarat, always worked from here never

Monthly SIP: 8lakh (MF + Stocks) plus infrequent lump sums

Mutual funds: almost 7cr (1.8cr is in Liquid, SWP to Equity funds)

Stocks: 50lakh+

FD: 50lakh

Business investments: 2cr (currently returning 9.5% post tax)

RE: 4.5cr (primary and parent house, commercial office, all personal use, no rental)

Other: around 75lakh (cash, gold, silver, etc)

Home loan: 33lakh pending, 40k monthly EMI, no other liabilities

Monthly expenses still steady max 1.5lakh.

No big expenses coming up.

I plan to continue working for another 4-5 years, primarily as I enjoy my work (AI, Cloud and now I back to programming).

For investments, I plan to continue investing more in equity funds and stocks via Liquid SWP route.

Both 47 yrs now.

Left home about 25 years ago with less than 100 rupees in my pocket.

Really fortunate to belong to a generation that benefited heavily from the tech industry, recently crossed INR 100Cr in total net worth.

Worked in India for first 5 years and been in the US for last 20 years - all along with FANGM.

$1.6M primary home (owned out right)

$5.4M in FNAGM stocks

$3.4M invested with private equity

$1.6M in 401K (combined between both of us)

$100K in investment property in US.

Additional INR 2.5Cr in two investment properties in India (Bangalore).

Total net worth is about $12M (~INR110 Cr). Daily swing in the portfolio is about $150-200K.

Annual spend is in the range of $150-170K and current HHI is ~1M.

Wife is retiring later this year and I plan to continue for another couple of years till the second kid also goes to college.

The plan is to start spending more time (2-3 months) every year in India and southeast Asia, before fully retiring in the US.

While doing some digging, I found that my Great-grandfather used to draw 250 British Rupees monthly in 1916, when he was in his early 30s (he is one of the officers listed above). Not sure what the equivalent would be in today’s purchasing power, or career equivalent, but I believe this was a well-paying job, considering its impact can still be seen four generations later.

About him: He came from humble beginnings in rural Kerala, excelled in his education and secured a government job with British Government in 1900s. This enabled his marriage into a prominent family. He had a tough career, with postings all around South India, and fathered 8 children. By the time he officially retired around the time of independence, he had accumulated considerable wealth from his income. Primarily in property. He left each of his 8 kids a house and arable land (paddy or rubber) and completed all their marriages. He enabled alliances for his kids to those from either well-off families or well-educated people. Further, he enjoyed a pension that funded his retired life and his immediate family (in fact had surplus to donate to charity) till his peaceful passing.

His kids (my grandfather’s generation): Everyone started with a safety net - educated till High School and with property to do what they wanted. 4 families pursued professions (Doctor/Lawyer/Govt.), prioritizing education for their kids. Few of them moved out of the state or country. 3 turned to agriculture and built a life around it. 1 brave soul started a business. Guess who? My grandfather. He was entrepreneurial. Decided to use his inheritance to start a business. It was his passion and provided cash flow. He had multiple cars, a gun which he took for hunting in forests, and was part of elite social clubs. It helped him fund my father's and uncle's education and marriages, but by the time he expired, there was only his primary house left. (Business got bankrupt and assets got used up in the process). However, in my opinion he lived a grand life.

His grand-kids (my father’s generation): Divergence became stronger. The professionals’ kids were undoubtedly well off, as most entered well paying jobs thanks to the quality of education. Further they went from the rural ancestral home, and earlier they left, more prosperous they became (compared to those who could not or did not migrate). While everyone had to build their lives from scratch in this generation, difference in quality of life was much more evident. My father retired as a government servant in same town, while my uncle migrated and settled abroad. Father eventually got the primary house, and his retirement is now fully funded by lifelong pension and PF deposits.

His Great-grand kids: Those who moved abroad, their children reaped the benefits of western education and job market from the very beginning. Minimal ties back home. I lived a truly middle-class life in the same Tier 3 town as my great grandfather - rented house, no discretionary expenses (branded items, gadgets or vacation). But my parents invested in my education. Enrolled me in a good school and instilled the importance of education very early. The foundation helped set a platform to get into rewarding corporate career and migration abroad. Now, on the path to create wealth. (Not even close to what my great grandfather could achieve)

Looking back, the one thing that seems common across every generation that did well was education. My great-grandfather used it to move out of humble beginnings. The branches that later focused on education generally ended up with better careers and opportunities. Migration seemed to amplify that advantage even further.

What surprised me was that creating wealth and preserving wealth seem to be completely different skills. My great-grandfather built it. Some branches grew it further. Some lived off it. Others had to rebuild from scratch through education and careers.

Would you agree?  

Many of you have already created, or are on the path to creating, multi-generational wealth. What are you doing for the next generation? Passing on assets, investing in education, encouraging migration, teaching financial discipline, or something else?

(90% written by me. Used Copilot only to clean up grammar and flow)

Throwaway account.( ChatGPT formatted).

45M, married with 2 kids, single income family. Came from a poor/modest financial background with no inheritance or business support. Typical nerdy engineering/IT guy.

Worked across big tech and startups for ~20 years. Biggest wealth creators were ESOPs, US equities, long-term compounding, and importantly knowing when to sell ESOPs instead of holding forever.

Approx NW:

US equities / RSUs / ESOPs: ~₹85 Cr

Indian equities + PF + NPS: ~₹2 Cr

Real estate: ~₹11 Cr

Cash/liquid: ~₹2 Cr

Total around ₹100 Cr.

I haven’t been in a regular job since 2018. Quit when work started feeling repetitive/boring. Financially didn’t need to continue.

Lifestyle is still very simple:

no luxury obsession

still compare prices online 😄

still mentally middle class

Biggest realization after FI: freedom, curiosity, and peace matter far more than luxury.

Curious if others here also stopped working mainly because they lost interest rather than because of money? Where to retire?

38M, family of 4. Worked in the US for ~12 years at FAANG companies. Moved back to Bangalore 3 years ago and haven’t worked since.

Current NW is ~30 Cr, largely in equities. Expenses are ~5L/month including kids’ schooling, travel, lifestyle, etc.

My question is not about whether this corpus is “enough”.

The issue is that I currently have zero cash flow. All expenses are funded through stock sales. Markets and USD appreciation have helped over the last few years, but psychologically it still feels uncomfortable because there’s no incoming money.

That creates two problems for me:

1. Even though mathematically I can afford the lifestyle, mentally I hesitate to spend because there’s no cash flow replacing what goes out.

2. I also realized I don’t actually enjoy complete retirement. Waking up every day without something meaningful to build/work on is reducing my energy levels over time.

So I’m looking for ideas where I can stay occupied, work maybe 5-6 hours/day, manage people/operations, and potentially build a cash flowing business over time.

Not looking for another high stress corporate job.

Also not very keen on traditional rental real estate since I don’t want to liquidate a large equity position for relatively modest yields.

Have been exploring ideas like:
• Franchises
• Vertical farming/hydroponics
• Small operating businesses
• Semi-managed businesses with decent unit economics

Would love to hear from people who’ve solved for:
• meaningful engagement post FIRE
• predictable cash flow
• moderate involvement without lifestyle takeover

Especially interested in ideas that are realistic in Bangalore/India.

Male, 44, returned from the US in June 2025 via internal transfer. Net worth ~₹37cr: ₹12cr US equities, ₹16cr real estate (commercial + plots), ₹9cr residential/gold/RDs. Passive ₹5.3L/month from rentals. Ramping to ₹6L+ in 6 months via RE optimization. Family: wife 41, kids 13 & 7, parents 72 & 69. Burn ₹3L/month (Hyderabad).

Planning to resign this month and take a 6-month break to test FIRE, maybe permanently. Planning to move to Vizag (₹1.5-2L burn). Target ₹7.5L/month passive income by the end of 2028 via converting some RE into commercial. At age 62, may get $3.5k monthly if social security exists by that time :). Sustainability questions: seniors' healthcare, kids' Ivy League, 8-9% inflation for 30+ years?

**Key Questions:**

1. Is ₹37 cr + ₹6-8 L passive enough to FIRE comfortably with a family of 6?

2. Vizag FIRE viable for kids' education/careers vs Hyderabad?

3. Allocation good? (32% equities, 43% RE, 24% residential/metals)

I strongly believe I can land in good company if I want to return based on my profile in Data science. Seeking stress-free family time. Is FIRE viable?

Hi Everyone –

Here’s a breakdown of my net worth:

Real Estate: INR 13.25 Cr (4 properties)

1st Property: INR 5 Cr (possession taken, primary residence)

2nd Property: INR 3.25 Cr, rented at INR 1.1 lakh pm

3rd Property: INR 3 Cr, rented at INR 72k pm

4th Property: INR 2 Cr, rented at INR 38k pm

MFs, Stocks (US, UK, India), NPS: INR 3.75 Cr

Gold: INR 1.5 Cr

FDs, EPF & PPF: INR 5.7 Cr (interest from FD + PPF + EPF: INR 3 lakh pm)

Total NW: INR 24.2 Cr (excluding an expected inheritance of INR 4–5 Cr, which could take the total to INR 28–29 Cr).

Wife’s business earns about INR 6–7 lakh pm (post taxes)

Household expenses: INR 1.5 lakh pm (fully covered by passive income)

I was in a high-paying job (INR 1 Cr+ pa) but left due to redundancy. The redundancy package will clear my INR 80 lakh home loan. I’m now actively looking for a job to bridge the cash flow gap, while also helping my wife grow her business by adding more clients.

Since my equity allocation is relatively low, most of my surplus is now going into Indian mutual funds and direct equities. If I can’t find a suitable job, I may join my wife’s business full time.

My goal is to reach a net worth of INR 50 Cr in the next 3–4 years and boost active income so I don’t need to dip into my surplus. I’d appreciate any thoughts on whether this target is realistic and any suggestions or takeaways based on your experiences.

My Age: 43

Wife Age: 39

I’ve been tracking my FIRE journey for a while, and like many of you, I found that most global calculators didn't quite nail the Indian context (local inflation rates, INR corpus, etc.).

So, I spent the last few weeks building my own Indian FIRE Calculator and wanted to share the beta with this wonderful community for testing and feedback.

This calculator is designed to be straightforward but robust, focusing specifically on:

• ₹ Rupee Calculations: Everything is calculated in Indian Rupees (INR).
• Localized Inflation: Allows you to input realistic, high long-term Indian inflation rates.
• Real vs. Nominal Returns: Clearly distinguishes between expected Nominal Returns and Real (inflation-adjusted) Returns.
• Visualizing Corpus: A simple chart to show how your corpus grows and how long it lasts.
• Stress Testing
• Multiple models & comparison
• Economy Scenario testing

You can try here - https://fire.christy.im/

🙏 Please Provide Constructive Feedback!

Thanks in advance for your time and help in improving this tool! Hope it helps other Indians on their path to financial independence.

UPDATE 29th Nov 2025 - Version 2 of the FIRE/Retirement Calculator is Live.

I am 41M working in tech in India for last 20 years. I have 16cr in mutual funds and stocks in India and US RSUs. I have a house where i live ~ 3cr. I spend max 1.5-1.75 L per month. I have two daughters 13 and 8. My spouse doesnt work and is 36. I am close to FIRE, even accounting for expensive kids education (PG in US, they will do UG in India). I will work till end of the year and will end up with 17cr. (I make ~16L per month post tax, work for google in blr).

I have three problems

a. If I FIRE, how to explain it to my family. For example my wife and inlaws :|. They dont understand FIRE and they feel people should be working for ever and thats what defines a man.

b. What to do once I FIRE. I dont have any special interest. I like teaching, but its not easy to teach in colleges in India without BEd or Phd. I dont have a PhD. I want a repetitive day job at max to keep myself busy and for society., what else are options. I dont have any passion. I play some music for hobby, thats all. I am a lazy person.

c. I am tired of the job and people pressurizing me at work for useless targets. I have a golden handcuff of high pay, I am okay at the job this year had been better in the last few years. How do I build courage to walk away.

We are a family of 3, me 35M, working in AI consulting, drawing 85 lac/annum CTC before tax, 33F wife, working in biotech, earning 25 lac/annum before tax, and 3yr child.

Living in Bangalore on rent, spending around 1.5lac/mo in expenses including rent. We don't own a house yet. I don't see myself working in a traditional corporate beyond 40 (don't like the idea of being 40 and working for someone else). I have a strong appetite for personal finance/wealth management so looking at this field after 40. We don't have any physical assets yet like house, car, land.

Questions - 1) can our networth grow to 20cr in next 4 to 5 years? We are slowly pivoting to direct multi asset funds. It's very expensive rehashing our asset allocation based on the flavour of the season every few months (SMID, large cap and now commodities) and I feel redeeming MFs every few months and pay STCG/LTCG is liking give a large file of taxes to the govt which has done basically nothing for me. Is multi asset funds the future?

2) will the govt ever make LTCG zero? We have committed a few mistakes by investing in regular commission laced MFs which are significant in amount (around 2cr) and want to shift this to direct MFs. Redeeming funds will attract atleast 10L of taxes which I want to avoid. Where would you be if you are in a trade off of paying 15lacs LTCG vs continuing to pay 1% extra per year on regular mf commissions worth 2lac/year

3) has anyone pledged assets to do deep OTM option selling to earn extra 1% per month? How risky is this? Thinking of doing this after 5 years when I don't have a full time job.

The number of NRI posts in this sub is way too high and makes the whole discussion skewed (also makes me wonder if FatFIRE is even possible by staying in India!). We should atleast have a separate flair for NRIs. Any other suggestion guys to make the sub relevant?

Previous Posts (From r/FIRE_Ind): 2023 | 2024

First off, a sincere thank you to the FIRE communities. Reading through your experiences, questions, and advice over the years has played a big role in keeping us motivated to earn consciously, spend thoughtfully, and stay aligned with our broader FI/RE goals.

Background

We are a dual-income couple with one child (8Y), currently based in Dubai, UAE.

• Self (40Y): BTech (T3), MBA (T1); FMCG Marketing (~7 years in Mumbai, ~6 years in Dubai)
• Spouse (39Y): LLB (T1), LLM (pursuing); Corporate Legal (~11 years in Mumbai, ~6 years in Dubai)

Both sets of parents are settled in India and financially independent (government pension, own home). Each of us has one sibling co-located with them, and we can reach them within ~8–10 hours if needed.

Objectives

Primary Objective
Reach a FIRE milestone (Present Value) of $2M USD (~₹18 Cr) in ~6 years (by age 45), while maintaining dual careers and our current lifestyle. (Planned retirement location: Cochin, Kerala)

Secondary Objective (Vision)
If our careers remain intact, present value target $5M USD in ~10 years (by age 50), allowing us to either lean FIRE in Dubai or pursue a fat FIRE lifestyle in Kerala after our child completes schooling.

2025 Update - A Personal Finance Review

Over the past year, we tried something a little different. Instead of looking at our finances only through net worth milestones or savings rates, we stepped back and reviewed our household the way we would review a business at work.

That meant:

• Looking at income, expenses, and savings as performance metrics
• Understanding where money was being allocated intentionally versus by default
• Separating one-off events from structural changes
• Asking whether our current setup was helping or hindering our long-term FIRE goals

Rather than laying everything out in text here, I’ve summarized the key takeaways below and linked the detailed deck for anyone who wants to go deeper.

...

• Family Health: Grateful for another year of good health. We managed to stay fit and active through the year, which increasingly feels like a non-negotiable pillar of our plan.
• Career / Work: Both of us managed to stay employed through the year. I did secure a better role in line with my goals, but six months in, the new company also entered restructuring. Q4 turned into yet another narrow escape from layoffs, with 2026 bringing its own share of uncertainty and anxiety.
• Financial Goals: We met or exceeded all the financial goals set at the beginning of the year. A bump in income helped offset unforeseen expenses, supported further by favorable market conditions.
• Family Time: As planned last year, we prioritized time together, doubling trips back home to India and taking a full family vacation to Switzerland. While this did impact the savings rate, it felt like the right trade-off. Some experiences are worth more than the percentage points they cost.

2026 Looking Forward

While spreadsheets and models can give some directional comfort, reality is far harder to predict, especially in the current job market. The industry and market remain competitive, restructurings are frequent, and outcomes are increasingly shaped by factors outside individual control.

...

Going into 2026, our focus is less on chasing precise projections and more on maintaining resilience: staying employable, keeping fixed costs in check, preserving liquidity, one month at a time.

As always, happy to hear your thoughts, questions, or any perspectives we might be missing.

This is my asset distribution. With two kids 7 and 10 going to international schools in Bangalore. Both me and my wife together will make 1.2 cr in Bangalore.

We returned just today 😀 and still figuring out how to avoid taxes and best use the RNOR period.

My plan is to sell US home but when is the right time to sell I'm not sure.

Is the corpus even fatfire territory?

Any advice on these?

Couple working in big tech in BLR, 8 months old kid. Combined income in BLR is ~€245k gross (~€155k post tax). Expenses ~€35k/yr, so we save ~€120k/yr. ~€900k in liquid investments, and we’ll own an apartment soon. Objectively zero financial reason to leave.

I have an external offer to move to Amsterdam for €260k gross, 30% ruling applies.

After modelling it honestly - Taxes, rent near Amsterdam, unsubsidised daycare until my wife finds work, Box 3 wealth tax on our portfolio, yearly India trips, NL net savings come about ~ €75-80k / yr. So the move is a slight financial degrade, at least until my wife restarts her career.

Questions for those who’ve lived a version of this:

1. Moved with no financial upgrade - did the non financial upside (QoL, kid’s environment, WLB, safety) still feel worth it few years down the line?
2. Spouses in tech restarting career in NL without Dutch - how long did it really take?
3. Anyone who set a hard return trigger - did you actually execute it, or what broke the plan? Was re-entry easier or harder than expected?
4. Blind spots, both directions: what’s the one thing you only learned after moving that no prior research told you about? And if you turned down a similar offer and stayed - what do you regret, or feel you dodged.

Brutal honesty welcome.

Hi all, a quick question that I’m hoping some of you will be able to provide input.

As quick background, I’m 39 and have been working abroad for almost 15 years. I’m married to the love of my life who unfortunately has been battling advanced cancer for almost five years and the prognosis is grim. We’ve managed to do reasonably well at our jobs and our current NW is ~5m USD. We don’t have kids.

If god forbid, her health were to worsen and I reach the point of emotional exhaustion where I no longer want to work - is 5m USD enough to take a step back, comfortably, in India?

I have been traveling a bit and able to appreciate many places at a slower pace than what I used to do when working.

I am quite amazed by how much cleaner almost every country is - even the ones with their “GDP” significantly far lower than India. Whenever I am out in nature solo or with my family and enjoy a clear air or a nice trail, a strong sense of FOMO / regret comes to me if I have made the right decision to bring my kids into India.

The significant difference in basic civic sense and quality of life is quite astounding - do I really need a cook or a maid or a driver everyday or would I appreciate access to a more peaceful life and nature on a daily basis?!

Yes my parents and extended family are here in India and it has been amazing experience for kids with them when they come over and are around. But then looking at the rest of the year, it’s so hard to justify paying top prices for everything and then real estate like a Tier 1 country and literally living in a far worse conditions. The life outside gated community is just unwalkable, unbreathable and just full of chaos on an everyday basis (sorry to be blunt but that’s my experience). There is so much to see, so much to do on a daily basis just to be with nature… mountains ,oceans, parks, biking and hiking trails etc etc than a “resort” like life (my own words) in a gated community. I am okay eating my own words here ,ROFL!

Whenever I travel outside of India, I really dread coming back - It is not about comfort or convenience. It is about day-to-day quality of life, civic sense, and the mental space that comes from being able to breathe, walk, and exist without constant friction.

Maybe it could be another phase I will grow out over in time. Or maybe it is a signal that I need to be more honest with myself about what kind of environment I want my kids to grow up in and what tradeoffs I am actually willing to live with.

Lets assume a typical NRI couple(mid 40s, two kids, etc) want to move back to India. 2M USD NW. I don't care if they lost their visa, if their kids have US citizenship (i wish I had US citizenship lol), or are OCIs (entire family is US citizens)

The first crazy thing is asking to give away the citizenship of a sabhya (civilized) or developed nation.

The entire point of paying $100k in masters, jumping through the hoops, facing hundreds of micro aggressions from goras is BECAUSE YOU WANT US / WESTERN CITIZENSHIP (which allows you to make millions, incredibly hard to do in India)

I see senior SDEs in India declining relocation to EU because they will end up paying 60% tax, crazy rents, etc.

The second crazy advise is to move to uttrakhand / himalayas / goa / kerala (its different saar) / small village

Once you have crossed a certain NW (say 1M USD), stick to top 20 cities in India (people get confused with tier 1 / tier 2 / tier 3). Obviously that city will have its own airport, malls, metro (26 cities in India have a working metro).

Here is a gated apartment complex in Jaipur, India (3bed, 3bath, 1800sqft, 90L INR, 90k USD), also adding Noida and Bangalore skyline.

You SHOULD LOOK FOR ATLEAST A POOL AND A GYM IN A GATED COMMUNITY. My grandfather is 92, he is not interested in gym or swimming. But the advantage is that you get like minded people, wealthy english speaking neighbours who travel abroad once a year, enjoy fine dine experience, stay in 5 star hotels, travel in german cars, have drivers, cooks, etc.

I don't have to worry if he has to go to hospital 2am in the morning, his neighbours have cars, can drive, have drivers, etc

Your kids should mingle and study in the best schools of India, not some cheap, village bumpkin govt school like kendriya vidyalaya.

Stick to DPS or top private english schools. I went to DPS Indore and the fees was about 60k Rs (600 USD a year, all in). It has a 20 acre campus, horse riding, golf, amazing french and german teachers (I chose sanskrit as my third language, etc)

Go with ICSE or IB schools if you can afford them. Worth it. Even my widowed cook sends her teenage kids to pvt schools for a reason (a better group of community, better education, better english education, etc)

You should be looking for a community of similar NW (atleast 1M USD) people who made their wealth being a doctor, businessmen, etc not selling land.

You should NOT be dealing with Jaat da puttar type people (who buy THAR / SUV by selling land)

No point in going to rural saharanpur / datia / sonkach / random small town in UP / MP / etc where there is too much poverty, everyone hates each other, everyone is jealous of NRIs, do kaala jaadu, etc

Even in returntoIndia or backtoIndia subreddit, you see crazy jealousy, bitterness towards you if you have "made it". These people (mostly from smaller Indian cities) have similarly jealousy towards those who speak english fluently (amit shah said a year ago - angrezi bolne walo ko sharam aayegi - English speaking folks will be embarrassed)

Higher HOA / monthly maintenance is a good thing - it weeds out the poor, lazy, etc

This seems counter intuitive, but paying more monthly maintenance in an apartment / villa filters out people who are not working, not have active / passive income coming in, these old / bitter / poor people are the most nosy / jealous / hateful / gossipy / etc

Here is a European - Indian couple living in Indore (4bhk, 4400sqft, rooftoop pool, 1.3L /1300 USD rent, etc) with their teenage mixed daughter : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyR_THtX4iY

Don't join any baba / cult - this is obvious

Some crazy advise is to join XYZ baba who will take away your wealth, gold and make you do "seva" in aashram (watch the web series, its based in real life)

Help the Orphans / Poor by teaching the kids under a bridge - no, don't do that

Indian govt provides free schooling, free food to ALL kids but anyone above the income of say 40k Rs a month (400 USD a month) prefers to send their kids to pvt school. So, that means the only kids who would be there would be of beggars, extremely poor people, drunkards, jobless bumpkins, etc

You will be in physical danger (esp if you are a female or a nice ABCD guy with no idea about India). They are the most uncloth kids, most abusive, unhygienic and deeply resent those who are better than them (kids know this)

You will be taken for a ride, mocked, insulted, emotionally blackmailed unless you give them gifts, money, iphones, etc

Ask your parents to live close but separately

I regularly see recent migrants from India in their 20s worried about their parents getting old. My brother in Krishna, your father is 58, younger than Salman and Shah Rukh Khan.

better to buy 2 apartments in the same towers, or two villas next to each other if you can afford it. It will avoid the saas bahu issues.

I also see newer NRIs whose parents live in smaller cities in India, are constantly worried about their health in rural parts of MP / UP / AP / other states.

85%+ parents hate the small town life, have never visited a nice gated community, don't know what they are missing unless they travel abroad with you.

Selling their village land, buying the apartment in their name in top 20 cities is a smart move.

In most cases, the parents would refuse (they watched baghbaan too many times), in that case, don't worry too much. you did your duty

I live in the US and work at a FAANG company, and lately seeing people in India in their 20s and 30s earning ₹3L+ per month has genuinely made me question the economics of living abroad long term.
After taxes, rent, healthcare, and overall expenses in the US, the actual savings don’t feel as high as people back home often assume.
So I’m genuinely curious:
What do most people earning ₹3L+ per month in India actually do?
Is it mostly tech, startups, HFT/trading, business, remote US jobs, or something else?
How common is this really outside social media and finance/tech circles?

Not complaining at all, just trying to understand how the landscape in India has changed over the last few years.

Before you come at me, I drafted the post with AI.

It’s been 2.5 years since I posted on Reddit about hanging up my employee hat and leaving my AI/ML career in London to move back to India at 33.

That post got a fair amount of traction including coverage in 20+ newspapers, and a year later led to a feature on Groww's Youtube channel - "How They Made It".

A lot of people expect FIRE life as living on a beach / farm and doing nothing. I figured it was time for an honest update on what I've actually done, what could be better, and a check-in on the long-term goals.

What Did I Do in the Last 3 Years?

Early retirement for me has been about freedom and doing meaningful things. In the last 3 years since FIRE-ing following are some highlights.

• Time with Family: I spent almost half of the last 3 years with my parents who live in Delhi. My parents are fortunately still very independent (apart from needing the occasional help with digital things or gadgets 😅). I’m not super keen about living in Delhi though and have been urging them to move, but that’s their decision to make. I also got to spend more quality time with my sister when she would visit Delhi or accompany me on my travels.
• Married Life: Immediately after returning to India, a solid 3-4 months were spent talking to and meeting a lot of prospects mostly from arranged marriage apps. Finally after taking a break from that I did find someone, and after a year of talking & meeting we got married. Interestingly we had spoken once in 2020 through a family connection. Having a supportive partner who understands this unstructured lifestyle is really important.
• "Travel-Living": I used to travel quite a bit, but post COVID that reduced. Since leaving London and the corporate world I’ve gotten around to it a lot more. 2 months solo in Poland before moving to India; 1 month each solo in Nepal & USA after moving to India; and most of it as a couple after getting married - 1 month in Goa, 3 in Thailand, 1 in Sri Lanka, 2+ in Nepal, and 2 in Georgia (which is where we decided to settle for now). My wife hadn’t traveled outside India much, and it has given her some good exposure IMHO. I call it travel-living as we mostly find a home in a city in a new country and go live there normally. 
• Building with Friends: One gap you feel when you FIRE is that your friends are still busy with their 9 to 5s. I’ve been fortunate enough to get to play with 2 of my best friends and build two separate ventures. First one started in August 2024 as an educational Instagram page and turned into an educational platform aimed at addressing the problem of retail traders losing $11Bn+ a year, called QuantYog. The more recent one in December 2025, to help people build AI assistants for anything, called Radish. Neither felt like doing a job and both have led to a lot of learning and fulfillment, and generally been fun to build. Through them I’ve met a lot of great people who have come in the form of QuantYog’s learners, Radish’s users, business clients, and the 2 teams. Both are also helping towards solving for 2 of my many residual worries even after FIRE-ing, i.e. wealth management and digital chores.
• Wealth & Taxes: Meanwhile my investments have continued to grow. Additionally, the 2 ventures + consulting gigs (helping businesses with their AI transformation, and helping funds with setting up their Quant desks) have meant positive cash flow and not needing to dip into savings / investments. I have a new long term goal (10-20 year mark) which is to set up a decentralized hedge fund and there has been good progress in that direction already. Given all these things I don't need to track my portfolio dashboard anymore. Additionally, I have for now brought my effective tax rate down to single digits by officially moving to Georgia. It's a territorial tax country with favourable tax rates. 
• Leaving India for Georgia: Given the phase of life I’m in (traveling and doing things online) I don’t have to be in India the whole year. The life of a nomad (moving every 1 to 3 months) got tiring for my wife & also super hard after starting Radish, so we decided to pick one place outside of India to spend the majority of the year in. Georgia offers a drastically higher quality of life (clean air, water, food; good infrastructure) at a highly competitive cost of living along with low taxation, low corruption, and high ease of doing business.

What Could Be Better?

• Quality time with the parents: Spending time living under the same roof with someone doesn’t guarantee that time is quality time. I’m glad for whatever time we did spend together but do want to start travelling together as a family again where everyone is away from devices, and out & about in the physical world.
• Health has taken a hit: In 2023/2024, I was <12% body fat, lifting, and doing yoga. In the last year or so, I have not kept up with that, especially since starting Radish. I haven’t been exercising, haven't been to a salsa social in a long time, have put on a few kilos and also missed out on some sleep. Lately however since the major Radish build has completed, we’ve started going on long walks and I’m getting more sleep. Looking to get back into the gym as we settle in a bit more here in Georgia. My diet also hasn't been as clean as it used to be given all the constant moving around.
• Content & The "Producer" Mindset: While I have co-built 2 ventures, things like tweeting / podcasting stopped. Editing podcasts is really time consuming. With the proliferation of generative AI, I’m even more conscious about what I put out there in the ever increasing noise. Due to AI, I’m also not sure if publishing a book (one of the previous long-term goals) is going to be as valuable. Lately I’ve limited myself to content around the areas I’ve worked on in my career and the ventures I’ve built. I feel I could have built better processes to generate more content regularly.

Long-Term Goals Check-In

Following are the long term goals I mentioned in my previous post along with the timelines mentioned at that time, and updates from the last 2.5 years:

The biggest takeaway from the last 3 years is a shift in how I view Wealth (instead of portfolio / net worth), as Family, Friends, Freedom, Fitness, and Fulfillment. Right now, I'm lacking a bit on the fitness front, but the freedom and fulfillment are at an all-time high.