Changing Retirement Landscape in India: From Pension Reliance to Financial Independence

Retirement planning in India is evolving as traditional pension systems decline, especially given the large informal workforce lacking formal benefits. Many salaried employees remain unprepared, with nearly half lacking defined retirement plans despite expecting pensions. Financial experts emphasize redefining retirement based on financial independence rather than age, estimating that maintaining a Rs 1 lakh monthly lifestyle requires a corpus of about Rs 4.5 crore to sustain expenses and inflation over time.