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February 28, 2026 4 min read 14 views

I’m 28, Earning ₹15 LPA. I Just Found Out I Can Retire at 45.

At 28, Rahul from Bangalore is redefining retirement with the FIRE movement. Earning ₹15 LPA, he discovers a path to financial independence by 45. Join him as he navigates investing with a purpose beyond the traditional EPF and SIPs. Can early retirement be your reality too?

By admin

If you’re in your late 20s or early 30s in India right now, "retirement" feels like a concept for your parents. It’s something that happens at 60, involves a gold watch, and feels a hundred years away.

But "FIRE" (Financial Independence, Retire Early)? That’s different. That’s about freedom.

I’m Rahul (28). I live in Bangalore, earn a decent ₹1.25L pre-tax monthly, and like most of my friends, I’ve been "investing" without a plan. A bit in EPF because my HR does it, a ₹10k SIP because a YouTube video said so, and some random stocks I bought during a bull run.

I thought retiring at 45 was a pipe dream for tech billionaires.

Then I spent 20 minutes on the In-Hand Retirement Planner. Here is exactly how the math changed my life.

1. The "Today's Value" Reality Check

My biggest mental block was inflation. I knew ₹1 Lakh today won't buy the same things in 20 years, but I didn't know how to calculate it.

I plugged in my current expenses (₹50k/month). The tool showed me that at 6% inflation, I’d actually need ₹1.35 Lakh/month in 2041 just to live the exact same lifestyle.

Seeing that number was scary. But then I hit the "Today's Value" toggle.

The planner converted all my future projections back into today’s purchasing power. Suddenly, I wasn't looking at "monopoly money" in 2045; I was looking at a plan I could understand right now.

2. The Power of the "Step-Up" (The 28-Year-Old’s Secret Weapon)

This was the game-changer. I assumed I’d be investing the same ₹20k/month forever.

The planner asked for my Salary Growth Rate (I put 10%) and enabled Step-Up SIP.

Because I’m starting at 28, even a small 8–10% annual increase in my investment amount (as my salary grows) had a massive compounding effect. By the time I’m 40, my contributions will be significantly higher without me "feeling" the pinch, because my take-home will have doubled.

The "Corpus at 45" jumped by ₹1.8 Crore just by toggling that one setting.

3. One-Click Asset Allocation (No more "What do I buy?")

I used to spend hours reading about whether I should put more in NPS or Mutual Funds.

I clicked "High Risk" in the Strategy Selector (since I’m only 28 and have time).

The tool instantly redistributed my budget:

  • Equity: 40% (for growth)
  • NPS: 25% (for tax saving + disciplined compounding)
  • EPF: 15% (the safe base)
  • Debt/FD/PPF: The rest for stability.

It even enforced the EPF cap (6.25% of salary) so I wasn't over-allocating to low-yield safe instruments while I’m young. It removed the decision fatigue. I stopped "researching" and started "planning."

4. The FIRE Mountain Visualization

This is where it got real. I entered my annual expenses and hit the FIRE calculation.

I saw a literal path—a "mountain"—with milestones:

  • Lean FIRE: (The "I can quit my job and live frugally" stage) — Age 41
  • Regular FIRE: (My current lifestyle maintained) — Age 45
  • Fat FIRE: (Luxury retirement) — Age 52

Seeing that I could hit "Regular FIRE" at 45 just by being disciplined with my current salary and a 10% annual step-up was a massive dopamine hit. It wasn't a "maybe" anymore. It was a timeline.

5. The "What-If" Game

I started playing with the numbers:

  • "What if I get a 20% hike next year and move half of it to Equity?"
  • "What if inflation stays at 7% instead of 6%?"
  • "What if I move to a Tier-2 city at 45 and reduce my expenses by 30%?"

The charts updated instantly. I wasn't looking at a static PDF report; I was looking at a living document of my future.

Why 25–35 is the "Golden Window" in India

If you’re in this age bracket, you have something a 45-year-old doesn't: Time.

A ₹10,000 SIP started at 25 is worth significantly more than a ₹25,000 SIP started at 35. But you can't see that in your head. You need to see it on a chart.

The In-Hand Retirement Planner doesn't just give you a number; it gives you a strategy.

My 3 Takeaways for anyone under 35:

  1. Stop guessing your "Number." It’s probably wrong because you’re forgetting inflation.
  2. Use the Step-Up. Your salary will grow; make sure your investments grow faster.
  3. Check your FIRE year today. You might be closer than you think, or you might need to pivot your allocation before you lose another 5 years of compounding.

Retirement isn't about being "old." It’s about being "done." And for me, "done" is now scheduled for age 45.

Calculate your own FIRE year here: https://www.in-hand.in/retirement-planner/