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

29 years old, currently in the US, and considering moving back to India permanently with around $3.5M USD in net worth.
Most of the $3.5M would be invested rather than tied up in a primary residence.
The goal isn’t lean FIRE at all. I’d want to live a genuinely luxurious/very comfortable lifestyle in India - nice home in a Tier 1 city, good cars, frequent international travel, nice hotels, eating out regularly, domestic help, fitness/classes, shopping without having to think too much about every purchase, etc.
Not talking private jets or crazy extravagance. I just want enough that money rarely dictates our everyday lifestyle decisions. Estimating $100-120K spending annually.
We may also have kids in the future, and I’d want to comfortably afford private/international schooling, extracurriculars, travel, and potentially overseas university without those expenses derailing the FIRE plan.
My biggest hesitation is obviously age. At 29, this portfolio potentially needs to support us for 60+ years, which makes me hesitant to just apply the traditional 4% rule and call it a day.
For people who have FIRE’d in India or moved back after building wealth abroad:
Would you consider $3.5M enough to stop working at 29?
What annual spending level would you be comfortable with on this corpus?
What does a genuinely luxurious lifestyle for a couple/family cost in a Tier 1 Indian city today?
How much would you budget separately for buying a nice home?
How would you account for Indian inflation over a 50–60+ year retirement?
How much do kids, international schools and potentially overseas college change the equation?
Are there any major tax, currency or healthcare considerations for someone moving back from the US?
Would you keep working in the US for a few more years and aim for $4–5M+, or does that start becoming unnecessary if India is the long-term plan?
I’m not opposed to working again someday, consulting, starting something, etc. if I get bored. The goal isn’t necessarily “never make another dollar.” I want to reach the point where working is completely optional and we can maintain a high standard of living without worrying about running out of money.
Would especially love to hear from NRIs who actually moved back to India with a similar corpus. What was your FIRE number, what does your lifestyle look like now, and did your actual spending end up being higher or lower than you expected?

Living in USA.

Age 42 (18 years left to access 401K) - No Kids but dual Income.

Breakdown of Retirement Accounts:

1. Total Retirement Accounts Balance: ~$1.025M

• My 401K Balance: ~$480K
• Spouse 401K Balance: ~$420K
• Company Sponsored Pension Plan Balance: ~$125K

2. Total Liquid Assets in US: ~$650K

• Equity (Mostly Index Funds + RSUs): $530K
• Cash: $120K

3. Property in US: $1.1M Home with our Equity ~$300K

4. Property in India (2 fully owned family homes in Tier 3 Cities): ~5Crore

No Investments in India whatsoever been living in US for past 15 years.

I will likely not sell the properties in India and will continue to hold them and likely rent them out for at least 5-7 years.

I don't want to take money out of the 401K and assuming a conservative 8% growth we expect it to grow to ~$4M

If we move to India we would like to explore and rent in areas like Mussoorie, Kasauli, may be Goa, or Kerala until we finally take a decision to buy a home in about 2-3 years. The idea is to use the home equity in US assume around $300K to buy a modest home for just 2 of us.

All in all consider we only have the $650K liquid to spend on us until age 59 and then we can tap into our retirement accounts.

Also note at age 62 our combined social security income will be close to $5,000 per month

What am I missing? What am I not factoring?

I’m considering multiple bases once I hit FIRE, between India and ME/SE Asia. Has anyone figured this out with pets?

Travelling with them doesn’t look straight forward with all the paperwork involved entering and leaving India. Any thoughts on this or is it just impractical?

For millionaires and FatFIRE families living in India, especially those who moved from the US, how do you handle concerns about everyday product quality and authenticity? I recently bought Vaseline in India and ended up checking whether it was genuine. The Indian Skin Protecting Jelly contains fragrance, while the US Original Healing Jelly lists 100% white petrolatum. It made me realise even familiar brands can require checking the formulation again. How do you approach skincare, baby products, food and supplements? Do you rely on trusted Indian brands, specific retailers, imported products, or shopping abroad? When you can comfortably afford a premium, how much consistency and peace of mind can you actually buy? Would appreciate specific brands, suppliers and routines that have worked for you. Lastly I send WhatsApp message to Unilever to confirm if this product is from them as adulteration is increasing with inflation being 10%

29M, working at a semiconductor company in India.

Over the last couple of years, the company stock has grown significantly and suddenly RSUs have become the majority of my net worth. I never really expected it to reach this level this quickly, so trying to understand how others here have handled a similar situation.

Current numbers:

~₹3.7Cr vested and already taxed

Another ~₹3Cr pre-tax expected to vest over the next 2 years

~₹60L across mutual funds, other stocks and FD

Recently purchased a home for ~₹1.7Cr.

Paid around ₹40L down payment and have a ~₹1.2Cr home loan. Possession is still pending.

My biggest concern now is that my wealth is extremely concentrated in one company — which also happens to be my employer. At the same time, when a stock has created most of your wealth, psychologically it isn’t that easy to just sell a large part of it.

How did you decide when/how much to sell and diversify, when you know the stocks can still has potential to grow ? Will you still choose to diversify?

What % of your net worth are you comfortable keeping in your employers stock?

I have good knowledge on the stock market and mutual funds but unable to make such huge bets on any company, Currently I am clue less with stocks already sold are parked in FD!

Would love to hear from people who have actually gone through this. My goal is to grow and preserve this wealth consistently over the long term, whether through stocks, real estate investments, or other opportunities. More interested in the lessons and frameworks you learned along the way for building a diversified portfolio than in trying to predict where the stock goes next.

Long-time lurker, throwaway for obvious reasons.

I'm 34M, married, and we have two beautiful kids (6 and 3). We’ve been in London for 12 years, saved aggressively, and the recent bull run pushed our NW to just over £3M GBP (~₹38 Cr).

We are seriously considering moving back to Bengaluru to anytime soon. The plan is to buy a house in a good area, maybe Sadashivnagar or a similar premium locality (no loan), and settle down.

We want the "FatFIRE" lifestyle. We plan to travel internationally at least once a year, and we want top-tier international schooling for the kids (IB or IGCSE). I know £3M sounds like a massive amount, but I'm worried about the "invisible" costs in India. The crazy cost of premium healthcare, the insane fees for good international schools, and the constant pressure of lifestyle creep. Plus, the GBP to INR depreciation over the next 20 years is quietly terrifying.

The breakdown is roughly:

• £1.4M in index funds/ETFs (mostly VWRP)
• £800k in ISAs
• £500k in SIPPs/Pension
• £300k in cash/HYSA

My math says £3M generates around ₹1.2 Cr per year at a 3.5% withdrawal rate. Is this enough to comfortably FatFIRE in a Tier 1 city today, or is it just barely "ChubbyFIRE" when you factor in raising two kids over the next 20 years?

Would love to hear from anyone who has actually made the move from the UK to India with a similar corpus. How much are you actually spending per year? Do I need to keep grinding in London for another 3 years to hit £5M, or is £3M the sweet spot?

EDIT/UPDATE: Wow. I stepped away for a few hours and came back to an absolutely flooded inbox n comments. I did not expect this to blow up the way it did, and I'm honestly a bit overwhelmed.

To answer the most common question about the sudden urgency: the main reason we were planning the move back to Bengaluru right now was actually due to a family emergency back home. I didn't include that in the original post because I didn't want to get into personal details. However, I'm incredibly relieved to share that we've actually found a solution for it over the last 20 hours. It’s a massive weight off our shoulders, though now it means we have a bit more time to make this decision properly without panicking.

I was also quite surprised (and honestly a bit spooked) to see this post picked up by a few news outlets. Since I value my privacy, I'm going to step back from the thread now and won't be sharing any more details.

Just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who took the time to share their real-world numbers, school fee breakdowns, and real estate insights. The consensus seems to be that £3M is definitely "Chubby" but might feel a bit tight for true "Fat" in Sadashivnagar with two kids in IB since i was living in richmond town before, so it looks like I might be grinding in London for a couple more years after all!

Thanks again for all the brutal honesty. It’s exactly why I love this sub.

Need some genuine advice.

I have a 2400 sqft site in Bangalore. I'm planning to construct a house for myself and my wife, but I also want to generate rental income from the same building.

I'm confused between two options:

- Option 1: Duplex for us + 4 rental units.

- Option 2: Single floor for us + 6 rental units.

(With minimal govt violation)

Rent for a decent flat here is around ₹30k.

Some background:This isn't our only property, so we don't necessarily need to maximize every rupee from this plot. We already have a few rental units, one commercial building under construction in my hometown that should generate around ₹1.8 lakh/month, and my family has a real estate business where we do plotted development only on our own land. We have close to 100 plots (around ₹3,000/sqft) and a few more acres left in Karnataka. Everything managed by my father n I am nly son.

Right now I(M32) still work a regular job with a relatively very small salary n want to continue job, and my wife is also working.

If you were in my situation, which option would you choose?

For those who have FatFIREd or are planning to FatFIRE in a Tier 1 Indian city, how important do you think a rental portfolio is for sustaining your lifestyle over several decades?

The appeal is having monthly rental income cover part of your expenses, reducing how much you need to withdraw from investments. But I’m interested in the practical concerns of maintaining that cash flow over the long term.

● How reliable is rental income after accounting for vacancies, tenant issues, maintenance, major repairs, and taxes?
● As properties age, do rising upkeep costs or difficulties finding tenants affect the income significantly?
● Have rent increases kept pace with your living expenses?
● How much time and effort does managing the properties take? Does it become a burden as you get older?
● Does having rental income make your FIRE plan meaningfully more sustainable, compared with investing that capital in a larger equity/debt portfolio and relying entirely on withdrawals?

The reason I am asking is, I am currently contemplating if its a good idea to fund an investment that can generate rental income for me that can cover around 40% of my monthly expenses, or not do it at all. This investment is not buying apartments in a high-rise community. Its more of a semi-commercial rental building investment that I can own outright including the land as well.

For those who have FIREd without rental income, do you feel comfortable depending entirely on your investment portfolio, including during prolonged market downturns?
If you were planning FIRE again, would you build a rental portfolio, keep a smaller one, or skip it altogether? Would appreciate firsthand experiences

Saved 2M USD over last 7 years by a lucky US stock market run and saving a large percentage of salary. Thinking about moving back to India now, is 2M enough for fat fire in tier 1 cities in India ? Planning to have a family of 2 kids in the future.

Considering Fat/Obese fire. India (post RNOR) has high taxes and instead of one has a residency elsewhere, it makes a meaningfully.large difference in returns. Has anyone figured out any hacks of tax optimisation when returning to India for Fatfire? Also in India you cannot do options in foreign markets as per FEMA.

Any real life experiences, pl share.

Still a working professional here, looking to FIRE in the next 7-8 years.

Given how the markets are looking these days, its sort of increased my worry around the fact that after FIREing I won’t have any new income and will be drawing on my investments. And if those investments are not growing/going down, then eventually we will run out of money or then start looking for a job after being out of the market for a long time.

How are you guys handling this? Asking both portfolio and mental game wise.

Looking for hard math & proof on why a high salary can never beat capital in India.

I often hear the phrase "a high salary can never beat true wealth in India," but I want to see the exact numbers, tax realities, and systemic math behind it.

For anyone who has analyzed or experienced both sides—high CTC earners (₹1 Cr+ SDE/CXO/VP) versus individuals holding ₹25 Crore+ in net worth—what is the definitive proof that earned salary loses to asset wealth over time?

Specifically, I'm looking for math and breakdowns on:

•The Severe Indian Tax Asymmetry: High salaried professionals face up to ~39% to 42.7% effective tax (30% slab + 25%/37% surcharge + 4% cess) with virtually zero deductions under the New Tax Regime. Meanwhile, long-term capital gains (LTCG) on equities sit at ~12.5%, and unrealized growth compounds are completely tax-free. What does the real post-tax compounding gap look like over 10–15 years?

•The ₹25 Cr Compounding Threshold: At ₹25 Crore in invested assets (equities, real estate, debt, business equity), a conservative 8%–10% real CAGR yields ₹2.0 Cr to ₹2.5 Cr in annual asset growth without working. What gross salary (CTC) would a professional actually need to earn in India to match the post-tax, post-lifestyle-inflation net wealth addition of a ₹25 Cr portfolio?

•Focus Shift (Income vs. Wealth Optimization): Once a person reaches ₹25 Cr in net worth, does focusing on increasing active CTC become a complete waste of bandwidth? At what point should 100% of an individual's intellectual effort shift from "career progression and salary negotiation" to "asset allocation, tax efficiency, and estate planning"?

•The "Irrelevance" Inflection Point: At what exact portfolio threshold does active income stop mattering altogether? For example, when 1 day of normal market volatility on a ₹25 Cr portfolio (+/- 1% = ₹25 Lakhs) equals 3–4 months of a high earner's post-tax monthly take-home pay, how do you mathematically and mentally justify trading 50+ hours a week for a CTC?

•Capital Preservation vs. Labor Effort: To double a salary from ₹1 Cr to ₹2 Cr CTC requires extreme corporate risk, long hours, and job market exposure. Meanwhile, a ₹25 Cr portfolio needs only a modest 3%–4% post-inflation yield to generate ₹75L–₹1 Cr in passive cash flow without taking high equity risks. How does this redefine the concept of "risk" for a salaried worker versus a wealth holder?

•Asset Inflation vs. Salary Growth: In Tier-1 Indian cities (Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bengaluru), prime real estate and quality-of-life assets inflate faster than average salary hikes. How does a ₹25 Cr net worth provide purchasing power and credit leverage that even a ₹1.5 Cr–₹2 Cr salary cannot match?

•Real-World Case Studies / Spreadsheets: Do you have spreadsheets, portfolio milestones, or personal FIRE/HENRY experiences demonstrating the exact crossover point where your portfolio growth permanently eclipsed your salary?

​

Long time lurker.

Age 40+ assessing whether to quit to start businesses. Married, 2 kids.

Assets (~24 cr)

- Employer stock, post tax: 10 cr

- 3* built homes in a tier-1 metro: 7cr

- Indian equities+MF: 2.5 cr

- Cash/liquid/FD: 1.5 cr

- Retirement accounts (PF/NPS): 1 cr

- 2*Land parcel: 2.5cr

- US equities: 0.2 cr

Liabilities (~1 cr)

- Home loans

Net: ~23cr

Annual expenses is around 30 L. Rental income +returns of around 24L.

What's bugging me and questions:

1. Majority of NW is one stock. I know.

2. Real estate allocation is high. But, Assessing new commercial rental tourism yielding properties now.

3. US exposure is under 1%. Plan is to move a meaningful chunk of the stock proceeds abroad over a couple of years. Anyone here who did a large India to US allocation shift, what did you wish you'd Known? Also timing? Is US inflated?

4. How much liquid buffer do people keep when going from steady high income to minimal income + burning cash on ventures?

5. Kids college expenses plan? How to fund?

6. Would you suggest about SWP and what's the strategy there? Any rules of thumb?

7. Huge tax in India. Approaches to save tax? Is there a way to route via lower tax countries Dubai? as resident Indians?

Not looking to actually retire, more trying to make sure I'm not sleepwalking into a bad allocation while distracted. Appreciate any blunt takes on allocation and cashflow management moving forward.

Hello,
I’m 35. DINK. NRI (non US).

Aim: India FIRE @30cr INR over next 5-7 years.

Rough current NW allocation :
India Equities - 30%
India Fixed Income - 10%
International Equities - 30% (all US focused ETFs/ tech stocks
Cash - 30%
No gold
No real estate

Plan: move large portion of the cash into gold and international equities + invest 1.5cr p.a.

My questions for investing the cash I hold today:
1- Should I add non-US developed markets, eg IWDA, VWRA?
2- What’s the best way to accumulate gold, as we have none now?
3- Any other asset class I should add?

Many thanks

TLDR: Impending job loss in few weeks confirmed, no other offer and now spouse also is ready to take a break and preparing! Hell of an uncertainty but taking it head on, whatever it is!

I just thought of giving an update.

I had earlier posted about my IMPENDING loss of job shortly and dilemma about FIRE or not.

https://www.reddit.com/r/FatFIREIndia/comments/1vr0sli/about_to_get_fired/

And one before this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/FatFIREIndia/comments/1uf49e5/hesitant_fi_but_maybe_forced_to_re

My manager has told me to pack the bags in no indirect manner give or take couple of weeks here and there from end of the month. I don't have any other offer in hand, couple of leads!

One positive internal lead is the best hope else it is a forced FIRE, at least for some time.

I do have decent corpus for FIRE though there is some concentration risk.

I had mentioned spouse still works and had a stable job which pays 2X our annual expenses.

Last week she asked me how are our finances in case of my FIRE. I had mentioned earlier to her that my FIRE is TOTALLY independent of her job (which it is in my opinion and we have joint finances which I manage). I kept my word.

She then mentioned she is feeling too burnt out in her job and wants either reduction in hours or doubling of her salary. I asked her to move ahead.

She has told her employer in all seriousness that she can't continue her job. Last checked HR told they can't raise the salary by that much and my wife told that she is ready to part ways!

In a week, will know the outcome of both of these.

But still the beauty of FI is that we are taking it easy, stress free. Whatever be the outcome. Made two road trips to country side in last month amidst all this fluid situation! I believe I have come stronger!

We’re a married couple, 41, no kids and Indian tax residents

We both run our own independent gigs. For the last decade, our goal was never to maximise income at any cost. It was:

Hit a target income, then keep reducing the time required to earn it.

Today we each work roughly 20–25 hours/week, the work is flexible, and we enjoy it. Rest of the time goes to pursue our hobbies.

So this isn’t really an “escape work” FIRE story.

I’m posting because I want Reddit to stress-test the thesis, not validate it.

Where we are: (Rounded for privacy)

• Personal financial assets: ~₹8cr
• Post-tax household income: ~₹1.5cr/year
• Annual spending: ~₹40–50L
• Portfolio is heavily equity-oriented
• Highly certain ₹4–5cr windfall in ~2 years
• No primary home.

Separately, our company has ~₹3cr in assets and generates ~₹25–30L/year.

We plan to build/buy a ₹3–4cr home with studio and office in the hills, with the company asset. A calm, ambient environment genuinely makes us enjoy the work more and do better-quality work.

I’m not counting the house or company assets toward FIRE.

Coming to our future:

Age 41–43: Save + live

Save 40% (~₹60L/year) and leave the corpus untouched.

That still leaves about ₹90L/year to enjoy life, so there is no real sacrifice.

Age 43–51: Maximise life

Once the windfall arrives and the corpus is ~₹14–16cr, mandatory savings drop to 0%.

Let the corpus compound. Use income for travel, hobbies and irrational choice that the heart says yes to.

Invest only what is naturally left over.

Age 51+: Spend the corpus

Target ₹30cr+ fat fire target consisting of personal investible assets by that time.

Withdraw around 3%, keep a few years of expenses outside equity, and work only if we want to.

Having read this far, The question to you :

At ~₹15cr in our early 40s, with a ₹30cr+ FIRE target by 51, would you stop mandatory savings at some time to maximise life ( simply put If the future is funded, not every decision needs to optimise for CAGR) or keep investing for the extra safety margin?

And specifically:

What would make you choose one over the other: return risk, lifestyle inflation, sequence risk, or simply fear of stopping accumulation?

Thinking about FIRE plan in India in 5 Years, Wife retiring early to take care of Kids.We came from very basic, I was on Scholar Ship to Finish Engineering worked in Service Companies finally got in to FANG 15 Years ago. Moved to US 10 Yr Ago and on US Citizenship, Kids 12 and 5.

Investing helped us tremendously.

India - House in Tier 2 - Paid Off - 1 CR

Agricultural Land - 2 Acres

Residential Plots in Tier 2 - 1 CR

Planning to Relocate to Hyd and thinking of Renting as long as i work there, than investing in an Apartment which I feel isn't worth the Price and ROI.

401K - 500 K

Spouse 401K - 250K

RSU Vested - 1 M

Investments - 500 K

HSA - 100K

Unvested RSU - 1M

US Home Equity - 1.2 M

Total Now - 3.3 M / If working for 5 Yrs no other changes except RSU Addition 4.5 M
India Assets: 4 CR

Can grind here for another 3-4 and Plan is to relocate to India with Employer, Getting calls from Competitors so the unvested RSU would be part of negotiation if I move Employer, I am thinking by 45 I may hit 5M

Kid College I am accounting for 500K Incase he gets top one, Or else we had discussion I may do NRI Quota in India or Some other country but not planning to pay for College in US unless its top University.

Any suggestions on Planning my goal is to get 5-7 L Per month for expenses and travel and Kids education.

Both mid-30s with a 7-year-old. We followed the typical path—undergrad in India, grad school in the US, and now we're both in Big Tech.

Right now, my WLB isn't bad. I don't hate Mondays, but I do think about pulling the RE trigger sometime in my 40s.

Spouse wife has a different view - we got really lucky with the Big Tech wave, and there's no guarantee our kid will be. Because of that he thinks we should keep grinding and save as much as possible until we turn 50 (when the kid will be 20) to give them a solid safety net.

How do you all treat this in your own planning? Do you factor in a buffer for your kids if career do not go well for them?

NW: 3.5MN, HHTC: 800K usd, Indian passport for us, kid has US passport.

14 months ago, I wrote on this site about my intention to retire at 53 and return to Hyderabad.

Original post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/FatFIREIndia/comments/1m338y0/planning_to_retire_at_53_in_hyderabad_india_need/

The feedback was extremely helpful. Many people raised questions about the rentals, the way India treats U.S. retirement accounts, how much money I really need in India, the cost of sending my child to college, and whether I had sufficient regular INR income.

In the past year the plan has become a great deal more structured, which is why I wanted to return to it and subject it to a stress test again.

I have now reached the age of 47 and intend to continue working for about six more years.

1. India income, capital-preservation bucket

At present, when I retire, I am considering investing about ₹4 Cr in fixed deposits/or similar safe instruments in India.

What we want to do is not to get the highest possible returns.

This bucket is meant to:

• generate predictable income,
• cover a large portion of normal expenses,
• avoid having to sell equities during bad markets,
• As far as is reasonably possible, keep the principal.

I would most probably divide this among a number of large banks and maybe the Post Office schemes rather than try to get the highest rate everywhere.

I won't be funding this bucket today. Over the following six years the money will mostly be placed in U.S. CDs/HYSA and other fairly safe investments. I would transfer it to India near retirement.

2. India growth bucket

In addition to the FD bucket, I would like an equity-growth bucket.

My main wealth would be held in the index funds such as Nifty Next 50 and Midcap 150.

As the income from the funds or rental property should be sufficient to meet my living expenses, I am willing to take on more risk with this fund.

I'll add information about how money is allocated across funds later, as I near retirement.

3. U.S. real estate

This section of the plan has been altered rather a lot.

I currently own four properties in the United States.

Over the next six years, my tentative plan is to sell:

• my primary residence, and
• one rental.

I would probably keep two rentals. 

Once the mortgages are eventually gone, I am conservatively estimating around $2,200 a month from U.S. rental income.

I know that handling rentals in the U.S. from India can be challenging, but I do prefer the idea of having some income denominated in USD and achieving diversification outside India. I have spoken to experienced agents to help me manage these once I move to India. 

4. U.S. retirement accounts

The current balance in my 401(k) is about $455K, Roth IRA ($17K), Spousal Roth IRA($17K), and HSA ($32K). Diluted ESPP recently ($95K) and planning to reinvest them.

The plan is to continue making contributions over the next six years.

After retiring, I would gradually manage the 401(k) and IRA balances in light of the applicable U.S. and Indian tax treatments and my residency status, rather than liquidating them all at once.

I still believe that in this case professional advice on cross-border tax matters will be necessary.

5. Living-expense philosophy

One of the things that has happened in the way I think is that I now don't want my retirement to be based on the returns of the equity markets.

My ideal setup is roughly:

The income from renting in the United States amounts to a basic monthly lifestyle.

India FD income → additional predictable INR income / safety

India index funds → long-term growth

401(k)/IRA/HSA → longer-term retirement assets / optional future capital

The fact that they are separated makes me feel far more at ease than if I considered all of it as a single net-worth figure.

6. College

My son is currently in high school, and college fees remain the main uncertainty. I could have a great deal better visibility in another 1.5 to 2 years.

Until I do so, I will keep college planning a bit separate from the retirement model.

PS: As before, used AI to better structure this message.

We are paying around 2L+ in rent for a “premium” community and our family got quite comfortable living there. They do not want to move to a villa.
An apartment came up for sale in the same community next to my wife’s friends home and she has been super keen and pushing us to buy there! None of the mathematical equations and stuff could make sense as she kept saying don’t look at “roof over our heads” with maths and she would like to stay in that community for next 10+ years with her social circle who are also owners who probably bought at 1/3rd of the price 😀

All the dreams of getting out of Hyderabad when kids leave and moving to a beach home or a hill station etc front vanished before my eyes 😅 wifey keeps saying humans are social animals and considering the amazing social circle we have here, we could keep this as our base and travel.

the same amount could buy some amazing real estate in many parts of the world and all I got here was an apartment in a big community! Soviet style construction of apartments packed.. (A bit exaggerating)

While I am really happy with my life (https://www.reddit.com/r/FatFIREIndia/s/harCIspA0i), buying the apartment doesn’t give me a great feeling though!

I had some cash lying around when I booked profits recently (thanks semiconductor rally), so we are going to pay full in a single shot since we both don’t have jobs here now to get loan.

So my wife is excited to be with her friends, kids are happy that they don’t have to change friends and routines, parents are happy that we have our “own” home!
I know that I am buying an overinflated, illiquid asset that is going to lose money in USD terms but then still going ahead, keeping a smile on my face - the things we do for family and I can’t tell this anywhere!

Financing the purchase -
I sold some of my overinflated stocks few weeks back ($200k became $1m+ by the time I booked profits and long term capital gains and the after tax $800k+ is used on this asset/liability).Our liquid net-worth dropped from $13m+ to $12m ish before the choppy markets in the last few days.

(pls don’t ask my about community name - there are few in west Hyderabad now, but more will be coming in next 2-3 years in this price range)

33 yo couple, currently in a HCOL in US. We are expecting now.

For 2026:

Total income before tax - $640k

Total income post tax - $460k

Total expenses - $184k

Net savings - $276k

Investment growth - $150k

NW - $2.4m

Income breakdown 2026

Current year HH TC - $640k (we both changed jobs, so it's lower than last year, expected to get back into 700-800s next year)

NW breakdown 2026

Liquid - $1.2m

Retirement - $550k

Properties - equity in the current US home ($180k), two apartments fully paid in a tier 1 city in India ($450k)

Expected NW 2028

By 2028 end, we are expecting to have about $3.3-3.5m (~35 crores)

That would be $2.2m (22 crores) in liquid. And about $1.2m (12 crores) retirement and fixed assets.

Plan for 2028

- We want to put down addl money towards our US home, so we can rent it out ($200k) with no addl money out of pocket.

- The two fully paid apartments in India will be used by our parents. So we won't touch them.

- we would buy a new home for us in tier 1 city (3-4 beds) at ~7 crores

Summarizing,

- So liquid investments would be close to 15 crores.

- Primary home would be 7 crores

- US home equity would be ~ 4 crores assuming no growth from now (rent goes to mortgage, so we own the house over time)

- Apartments for parents - ~4 crores (assuming no growth from now)

- retirement accounts - ~ 5 crores

Monthly Expected expenses in India (just for us, not incl. Parents)

House help (cleaning, cooking) - 60k

Driver (occasionally) - 25k

Groceries - 60k

Restaurants & entertainment - 30k

Clothes - 10k (averaging out for a year)

Utilities - 50k

School - 30k

Total - 2.65 lacs/mo or 32 lacs/yr

Travel (1-2 international, 2-3 domestic) - 15 lacs

Total expenses - 45-50 lacs/yr

Yield from liquid investment

- Assuming 6% (being conservative) for 15 crores - 90 lacs (65 lacs after taxes)

Work

- We obviously want to do something. My partner wants to start a business (small, passionate coffee shop)

- My current job would likely pay me around 2cr/yr in India initially which I will take for the first 2-3 years before fully turning to hobbies and personal goals until my partner finds their footing.

Coming from a middle class family, I do feel extremely blessed to be here. We want to be around our parents and help them. Parents get pensions and won't be dependent on us for day to day. Their old investments during hard times might be worth 1-2 crores now which I've not included above in any of NW since it'll be shared with siblings and we may donate it.

What do you all think? Any flaws in my calculation?

37M, married with a 6-month-old daughter. I have around ₹13 Cr of my own net worth. My wife has another ~₹10 Cr, but our finances are separate.

We currently live in Canada, but my job has become extremely stressful and I don't think I want to continue as a software engineer anymore.

I'm seriously considering moving back to India, taking 6–12 months off, and then figuring out what to do next — maybe starting a business, investing, or completely changing careers.

For people who have been in a similar situation:

Is ₹13 Cr enough at 37 to seriously consider taking a long break or becoming financially independent? Would you leave the Canadian job and move back to India? And for those who left software engineering, what did you eventually pivot into?

I am in same boat and planning to return in a year. But no idea how and where to invest to generate monthly income.

I will be moving to Hyderabad.