Yashika, aged 27, wanted to plan her finances. She is married to Sharan and wanted to understand how her finances were to be managed for the common family expenses and her personal expenses.

Her parents gifted Yashika gold jewels and financial assets at the time of her wedding. Sharan and Yashika currently live in a rented 2BHK apartment. Their family expenses are shared 50:50. Sharan has a rental property and pays EMI. He bought the property a couple of years ago, funded equally by his savings and a home loan. His parents gifted him car during their wedding.

Sharan favours real estate and gold as investments. Yashika wants him to close the housing loan and build financial assets. 

While Yashika is a personal branding specialist, Sharan is an automobile engineer working in the EV division of an MNC.

Their goals are listed below:

* Buy a car for Yashika next year at an estimated cost of ₹10 lakh

* Closing Sharan’s housing loan with an outstanding ₹27 lakh

* Sharan may opt for a six-month online course to develop his core skillset at ₹3 lakh, which will enhance his income. He plans to complete it in 2027

* Quarterly travel for the next three years at ₹50,000 per trip

* Buy a bike at an estimated cost of ₹4 lakh this year or next year

* International travel every year from 2028 at an estimated ₹4 lakh in the first year

* Start a family after two years and have the right plan for kids’ education.

Yashika is an aggressive risk-taker and understands financial assets. Sharan wants to have a balanced view on his investments and protect them through diversification. He is keen to close his home loan before investing in financial assets.

Our recommendations

* Both were advised to opt for a comprehensive health insurance for a sum assured of ₹25 lakh

* Sharan currently pays ₹32,000 towards his housing loan repayment. If he repays the same amount for the next 12 years, the total interest will be ₹17.45 lakh. He was advised to repay an additional ₹6 lakh for the first two years and ₹8.7 lakh in the third year to close the loan. This will save interest cost of about ₹12 lakh. His current cash flow allows him to follow such a strategy.

* Sharan and Yashika will have ₹4.4 lakh and ₹14 lakh, respectively, as annual surplus.

* Yashika’s car purchase to be funded in part with her investments and a car loan for a tenure of three years.

* Sharan and Yashika will contribute equally towards their international vacation at ₹2 lakh per annum. This will help them fund the international vacation from 2028, and will have continuous investments.

* Sharan will invest ₹1.5 lakh per annum — ₹1 lakh in equity mutual funds towards long-term wealth creation and ₹50,000 in fixed income instruments towards medium-term consumption needs. Once he completes his loan repayment, he will increase his investments.

* Sharan will use his current MF portfolio towards his course fees.

* Yashika’s portfolio will be rebalanced to suit her risk appetite with 60 per cent in equity and the rest in in fixed income allocation. Non-equity allocation will be directed towards her medium-term goals.

* Yashika will invest ₹6 lakh towards long-term wealth creation in a mix of equity and gold portfolio, and ₹2 lakh towards her medium-term goals.

* They may need to alter the bike purchase goal cost or compromise on international vacation for a year. Sharan wants to explore second-hand bike purchase options, thereby making an international vacation possible at a lower cost. This will help them manage their goals without sacrificing on their investments.

Both were keen to keep their individual portfolio choices that suit their risk profiles, while maintaining a combined long-term wealth accumulation goal. Yashika was willing to bring stability to her investments, while Sharan was keen to explore financial investments. They preferred to stay in a rental apartment to suit their lifestyle and wanted to make a decision on the house a few years later.

The author is the Principal Officer at Ploutus Asset Services LLP, a SEBI Registered Investment Advisory firm. https://ploutus.in

Published on September 26, 2026