As soon as parents become the education sponsors of their kids, the whole idea of kids becoming their parent’s retirement plan starts evolving. This is prevalent especially in India for generations, now that, Indian parents are known to make sacrifices for their child’s education and welfare. Remember how R Madhavan’s (Farhan Qureshi) father Mr. Qureshi of 3 Idiots (Bollywood Movie) in his monologue recounts all his sacrifices? Well, most of the Indian parents are no different from him. However, this co-dependency is toxic and needs to stop because neither our children are our gold mine nor they are our savings and/or retirement plan.
Your Children are Not Your Retirement Plan but Your Responsibility, that Can Be Planned Well
Indian parents over the years especially the middle-class are known to have spent all their life savings in their child’s upbringing including funding their education. It is seen as an investment as the child is expected to pay back by sponsoring them when the parents retire. This obnoxious cycle has been repeating for generations and this is precisely the reason why Raj Malhotra (Amitabh Bachchan) from Baghban movie becomes a pity face despite serving his family so well throughout his earning days.
Now picture this, what if people like Raj Malhotra instead of making self-sacrifices throughout their life would have chosen a proper Child’s education planning for their kids and also invested a part of their earnings into their retirement corpus? What if they had allotted a specific budget to their kids’ wedding and systematically planned their retirement? Well, things would have been better and much healthier for both the parents and kids – isn’t it?
However, with only 1 in 4 Indians planning for retirement, things look bleak. No wonder, this whole concept of co-dependency has given rise to so many Raj Malhotra(s) in real life and also so many Raju(s) as well – Remember Raju Rastogi, the third Idiot of 3 Idiotsmovie who have so many responsibilities like behen ki shaadi, maa ki saari and pitaji ki dawai on him? With such heavy household duties, the guy is not just reluctant to follow his passion and purpose but all he wants is a job that can earn him enough to support his family. Unfortunately, India is a home to many such Raju(s) out there who later become dependent on their kids and the cycle goes on – making a hell of a life for both generations. And while earlier generations could somehow manage Indian parents after retirement,the current generation with drastic lifestyle changes is in no position to support retired parents. Besides, the life expectancy is on the rise and so is the medicare exigencies.
Indian Parents, it is Time to Start Planning Your Independent Retired Life
If you think planning for your retirement is difficult in your situation (whatever it might be!), let me tell you a secret, you don’t have to be rich to retire rich – all you need is systematic retirement planning. Besides, no matter how much you earn or how many kids you have to support, there is always a smart way out. Let us help you with a systematic method to plan your retirement today so that you have an independent retired life after. We are just a call away. Ring us at +91 9820926446/+91 7977061717 or mail us at chandrakant@ghanchiinvest.com to plan your happy and healthy retirement life. You can check our other financial services here.
P.S: Spending your fortune in the pretext of loving your kids isn’t loving but being foolish – a decision that is going to hurt both you and your kid’s future. The smart way is to fund your children’s need systematically while saving enough for a happy and healthy independent retired life.
