Why India’s middle class may retire broke: Advisor reveals brutal financial reality
“Rich people don’t retire differently because they’re rich,” Guhaa concludes. “They’re rich because they retired differently.”
- Nov 28, 2025,
- Updated Nov 28, 2025 8:36 AM IST
A former corporate executive with a corner office, ₹45 lakh salary, and driver now skips medication to avoid burdening his family. His story isn’t rare—it’s a brutal snapshot of India’s growing retirement crisis, laid bare in a searing LinkedIn post by wealth advisor Subratta Guhaa.
Guhaa recounts the case of Rajesh, a retired VP now 68, dependent on his son, and surviving on a corpus of ₹1.2 crore. Statistically expected to live till 85, Rajesh must stretch ₹48,000 a month to cover everything—including ₹12,000 in diabetes medication.
“This is the retirement crisis no one posts about,” Guhaa warns, arguing that most Indians are planning their retirements with outdated assumptions. Rising life expectancy, skyrocketing healthcare costs, and the decline of joint families and pensions have changed the game entirely.
Guhaa dismantles three popular myths: that real estate can be liquidated smoothly, that EPF alone will suffice, and that children will provide support. “Real estate isn’t liquidity,” he notes. “And EPF may give you ₹29,000 a month. Try surviving on that in a metro.”
He urges individuals to shift mindset early, with practical targets: ₹3–4 crores for modest retirement, ₹6–10 crores for metros, and even more for higher-income families. A 30-year-old contributing just ₹5,000 a month in index funds could retire with ₹3.8 crores, he calculates—if they start now.
Guhaa also breaks down retirement readiness by generation and income bracket. For Gen Z, the focus is habit-building and compounding. Millennials are in the “danger zone,” needing to cut back lifestyle creep. Gen X must go to war on savings and possibly extend working years. For boomers, it’s about preserving what’s left—and avoiding catastrophic missteps.
His advice is structured but blunt: build three buckets (safety, growth, legacy), triple your health cover, and rebalance every year.
“Rich people don’t retire differently because they’re rich,” Guhaa concludes. “They’re rich because they retired differently.”
A former corporate executive with a corner office, ₹45 lakh salary, and driver now skips medication to avoid burdening his family. His story isn’t rare—it’s a brutal snapshot of India’s growing retirement crisis, laid bare in a searing LinkedIn post by wealth advisor Subratta Guhaa.
Guhaa recounts the case of Rajesh, a retired VP now 68, dependent on his son, and surviving on a corpus of ₹1.2 crore. Statistically expected to live till 85, Rajesh must stretch ₹48,000 a month to cover everything—including ₹12,000 in diabetes medication.
“This is the retirement crisis no one posts about,” Guhaa warns, arguing that most Indians are planning their retirements with outdated assumptions. Rising life expectancy, skyrocketing healthcare costs, and the decline of joint families and pensions have changed the game entirely.
Guhaa dismantles three popular myths: that real estate can be liquidated smoothly, that EPF alone will suffice, and that children will provide support. “Real estate isn’t liquidity,” he notes. “And EPF may give you ₹29,000 a month. Try surviving on that in a metro.”
He urges individuals to shift mindset early, with practical targets: ₹3–4 crores for modest retirement, ₹6–10 crores for metros, and even more for higher-income families. A 30-year-old contributing just ₹5,000 a month in index funds could retire with ₹3.8 crores, he calculates—if they start now.
Guhaa also breaks down retirement readiness by generation and income bracket. For Gen Z, the focus is habit-building and compounding. Millennials are in the “danger zone,” needing to cut back lifestyle creep. Gen X must go to war on savings and possibly extend working years. For boomers, it’s about preserving what’s left—and avoiding catastrophic missteps.
His advice is structured but blunt: build three buckets (safety, growth, legacy), triple your health cover, and rebalance every year.
“Rich people don’t retire differently because they’re rich,” Guhaa concludes. “They’re rich because they retired differently.”