Ideas on retirement!

Umnn, I'm 30, I wanna retire @ 50 and I am practically broke :)

Right, not quite, but I am far from the kind of retirement that would sustain a current cash flow for a minimum 30 years of inactive earnings. Maybe even support that one entrepreneurial (read capitalist) venture I've so longed for all these years.

Indian stocks seem to be the basis of everything, you want a insurance, put into equities (DUH!) want a retirement, same; go for those aggresive mutual funds, atleast you would afford that bowl it can be a great profit making tool on any of Mumbai's traffic signals :)

So how on earth does one go about setting up your own retirement fund? There is only one and only one way, the Warren Buffet way. How many people are able to donate a part of their retirement funds to charity, and get praised by practically every bit of public proponent on this planet? (How this benefits Hathaway is a matter of debate, maybe there's none, but wont be surprised if it does) Capitalism isnt just about making the most of opportunity, but rather I view it as a means of making the most of whatever opportunity falls upon anyone (including you). So there is my starting point, but working for an investment bank and being part of those regulatory requirements robs the sheer ecstasy of being a speculator. For good I might add, in hindsight!

In India, there are only two types of companies. One that would survive till I die, and others that wont! Tata Motors, my favourite isnt quite what I call a long term prospect, as its days' would be numbered if and when India does stops it's apathy towards being rich!

It's indeed a difficult job, hence the portfolio would have to be churned over and over again. But that's what it takes, a 5% slice of your entire portfolio as brokerage! (Damn! I should be runnign an internet trading site...what am I doing filling up blogs!)

Mutual funds do well...hahaha...what a piece of $hit. Reliance growth goes negative in a few weeks of its' grand entry. UTI failed all it's investors. Magnum is ill-liquid, and most others rip you off clean. The fund manager's have a lifestyle to maintain guys...and the fund has a lot of hungry mouths to feed. This is a no-go unless you want exposure to debt and money-markets. Go for the GILT laden ones, they are the true blue investment vehicles. Go for Reliance and ICICI bonds, they are so good at being crooks, it would take another century for India to put them on the back foot.

But the key to your retirement portfolio should be only one! Aggregation! That's what you gotta do, no negative movements, only positive growth, and making money in the bear markets, that is the appetite you need to prescibe if you wanna have a rocking retirement :)