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When you think about retirement, you immediately have a picture of leisure and a whole lot of time on your hands. Daydreaming aside, it is important to note that your retirement can be however you want it to be. Retirement is one of the phases of your life that requires intricate early planning and disciplined saving, such that your lifestyle does not get compromised when you retire for good. In order to do that, you should look for a stable and sustainable retirement plan that caters to your long term needs. While there are many retirement plans available that are provided by numerous service providers, it is important to choose the right one, because this concerns your potential future, and the lifestyle that comes along with it. Therefore, there are certain questions that might come to your mind. Let’s examine them one by one!
Why is early planning and saving important?
To ensure that your future is safe and you are equipped with the essentials to continue the lifestyle of your choice, it is integral to save enough while you have a steady source of income. While it may seem that your retirement years are far and you have plenty of time, it is true that time flows swiftly, and before you realise, your retirement will be imminent. Moreover, early planning and early saving is important to develop a disciplined habit that enables you to make the best decisions.
For instance, if you start early, the biggest advantage that you have is time, and the opportunity to segregate your savings, so that you do not face the burden of saving a large amount in a small time. Although it is understandable that expenses are more than savings in the younger years, it is important to realise that smart savings will help you fulfil your long term goals efficiently, and also put your retirement planning into a clearer perspective.
What is NPS?
Among the many retirement plans that are available for subscription from multiple similar service providers, NPS, or the National Pension System is among the most sustainable ones. A retirement savings plan that has been introduced by the Government of India, this is a voluntary scheme that enables you to make smart segregated savings during your work life. The motive behind this plan is to create an opportunity that provides adequate income after retirement to Indian citizens.
In the National Pension System, or the NPS, the investments are pooled together into a pension fund which are then further invested into a diversified portfolio that comprises Government Bonds, Bills, Corporate Debentures, and Shares. These investments are made by professional fund managers who are vetted by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), under approved guidelines. These investments grow and form a substantial sum over the years, which can then be withdrawn as lump-sum and monthly dividends as pension on your retirement.
Apart from providing substantial long term returns, there are several other benefits that NPS provides, which makes it one of the most sustainable retirement plans.
Benefits of NPS
Flexibility: One of the most lucrative benefits provided by the National Pension System is the flexibility that it comes with. You have the option to choose from a number of investment options, and the fund managers. You can choose your investment option according to the expected returns and monitor the growth of your portfolio. You also have the option to switch between fund managers and investment options keeping in line with the guidelines.
Tax Benefits: One of the most attractive benefits of the NPS, along with letting you make savings for your retirement, is that it also allows you to make tax redemptions letting you save more money. The National Pension System allows you to make tax redemptions of upto 2 lacs per annum as per 80CCD and 80CCD (1B).
Portability: Once you open an account with NPS, you get a Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN), which is unique and stays with you throughout your lifetime. This allows you to make your NPS account to become portable between jobs, even if your location changes. This ensures that your corpus remains constant.
Regulations: The National Pension System is regulated by the PFRDA, which is a government body, and follows transparent investment norms. Not only does it build trust, it also ensures that NPS accounts are among the lowest charging accounts in terms of maintenance, which, in the long term can lead to saving substantial amounts of money.
These benefits make the National Pension System, or the NPS, one of the most sustainable and stable retirement plans around. The smart segregated savings, coupled with long term returns and tax benefits make NPS a really worthwhile investment option. If you are looking for a suitable investment plan, you can choose to invest in NPS with KFintech, which is one of the Central Record Keeping Agencies in the country.
