Can a Savings Plan Replace Your Income For Your Family?

Remember the time we were little and used to get pocket money from our parents? What would we do? Initially, we spent all the money that we would get on buying chocolates and other goodies. But as time passed, we started doing the smarter thing – we started saving up!

Even if the pocket money we got at that time was as less as ₹50, we would keep ₹20 aside and spend the rest. Slowly, the money that we kept aside would accumulate to a substantial amount. And we could finally afford to buy that pretty doll, comic books, battery-operated car, or that cricket set like we always wanted. We have always been taught to save up!

That simple habit of putting money aside, though innocent back then, actually laid the foundation for something much bigger- understanding the value of planning for the future.

A savings plan is any financial scheme that helps you save money or grow your finances. The money you save can be used for a considerable expense in the future, such as buying a new house, funding a child's education, marriage or a medical emergency in the family. But not all savings plans are created equal. Some can do more for your money than others, depending on your needs and goals. Let’s see what all needs to be considered before selecting a savings plan. 

What Must You Consider While Investing in Savings Plans?

It is essential to assess all the available options and finalise the plan, which is best-suited to your goals and requirements. You can speak to an insurance expert to help you out with this. Buying a savings plan is a significant investment and needs proper planning and evaluation.

Here are some factors you must take into consideration while buying a savings plan:

• Early Start: Consider this example: If you are a 20-year-old individual and your financial goal is to accumulate ₹5 Crore by the time you reach retirement age (60 years), you have to save ₹4,207 per month for the next 40 years from your income, assuming that the return rate is 12%. If you delay 25 years, you will have to save ₹7,698 (almost double the amount) for the next 35 years.
  
  Hence, if you start saving early, your money gets more time to grow exponentially. You also get a chance to explore more savings options as you can afford to take risks.

• Risk Analysis: It is essential to do a risk analysis before you invest in a savings plan. Various factors, such as age, income, financial goals, etc., play an essential role in determining the number of risks you can take. Usually, people in their 20s and 30s can opt for aggressive plans and go for a high-risk plan. Needless to say, as your age increases due to the increase in responsibilities and financial requirements, it is better to go for a more conservative option that has a money-back guarantee, although it is low on returns. Again, this is not a hard and fast rule and may vary from person to person.

• Investment Tenure: Depending on your financial goals, you must choose an appropriate tenure for your savings plan. Long-term plans always guarantee you the best returns, but it is also essential to consider any other requirements you might have.
• Features of the plan: Every savings plan has different features. For example, Financial cover for your entire life, fixed cover ranging from 5 to 35 years, allowing partial withdrawals, better tax-saving features, market performance bonus, accidental disability, critical illness coverage, demise, etc. It would be best to look for a plan that gives you maximum cover and good returns.
• Flexibility: A long-term guaranteed savings plan can give you the best returns and financial cover. But we cannot predict the future. What if some emergency comes up and you require a significant amount of the corpus you have put in your savings? The plan must be flexible enough to allow you to take care of unexpected short-term financial needs, such as a medical emergency.
• Final Goals: When you choose a savings scheme, your financial goals must be clear. You can have objectives such as creating a retirement fund, buying a new property, saving up for a child's education, or marriage, etc.
• Tax Benefits: Many savings schemes and investment plans come with additional tax benefits. They help you reduce your tax liabilities under sections 80C and 80D of the Income Tax Act. In addition to this, any payouts that you receive from your insurance policy are entirely tax-free (This is only if your premium does not exceed 10% of your Sum Assured, annually).
• Factoring Inflation: While deciding to invest in a savings plan, it is crucial to consider inflation's effect on your savings. Simply put, inflation is the price rise. It means that things will become expensive as the years pass, and the number of things you can buy with ₹1,00,000 today will be much less after 30 years.

Who Should Buy a Savings Plan?

Savings plans help accumulate your savings and help you towards a bigger goal. They are ideal for you if:

• You are a young investor.

• You are nearing retirement.

• You have a steady income.

• It would help if you accumulated wealth for the future.

• You want comprehensive coverage.

Advantages of Savings Plans

More and more people are realising the importance of life insurance and opting for various schemes to provide them with financial cover and help accumulate wealth. Reports suggest that in 2024, the insurance industry's total investments in India were over 68 trillion rupees compared to approximately 60 trillion rupees in 2023.

Investing in savings plans has the following advantages:

• Hassle-free.

• Long-term wealth accumulation.

• Tax-saving.

• Guaranteed returns to support your financial goals.

• Financial cover for the whole family.

• Tax-saving benefits.

Types of Savings Plans Available in India

Now, let us quickly look at the different types of savings plans available in India. 

• Endowment Plans: An endowment plan has dual benefits. It helps cover the insured's life and helps the policyholder save regularly over a specific period. The amount received on maturity is a lump sum amount of money that can be used for retirement, medical expenses, or a child's education. They are of two types – with profit and without profit plans.
  People who have a regular income currently, but those who need a lump sum amount after some years, are best benefited by taking an endowment policy. An endowment plan is almost risk-free and offers a steady amount of money on a fixed date as long as the premium is paid.

• Money-back Plans: Money-back plans are very similar to endowment plans. The only difference is that you get the sum assured at periodic intervals if you take a money-back plan. The advantage of taking a money-back plan is that you have the flexibility to utilise your savings at regular intervals.
  A money-back plan is one of the best guaranteed savings plans, as it assures long-term investment benefits, gives you financial cover, and offers good tax benefits.

• Unit-Linked Insurance Plans (ULIPs): A ULIP plan is much more transparent as compared to other insurance plans. These are market-linked savings plans and allow you to modify the sum assured during the policy term. They offer tax benefits at the time of investment as well as maturity. ULIPs are structured similarly to mutual funds. They pool investments with those from other investors and are managed with a specific investment objective.
  ULIPs can be classified into single/regular premium plans, guarantee/non-guaranteed plans, and life stage-based/non-life stage-based plans.
  In a ULIP insurance plan, a portion of your premium is paid to life insurance, while the remaining is used to invest in your choice of funds. ULIP plans are best if you want to invest for a longer period.

Can a Savings Plan Replace Your Income?

If the biggest worry you have is: "Who will look after my family when I am gone?", you are not alone! This is especially true if you are the sole earning member of the family. Losing a loved one affects emotional stability, and it is hard to get over the loss. To add to it, worrying about day-to-day expenses, children's education, marriage, paying off loans, etc., can put an additional emotional burden on the family.

In such situations, a good savings scheme can create a financial cushion for the family. It can help the family sustain itself during trying times. However, just a guaranteed savings plan alone cannot replace your income. Inflation is one of the primary reasons for this. As things will keep getting costlier, the buying capacity will decrease significantly.

Hence, it is essential to have a savings plan in place along with other investment plans for complete security. It is best to have a good portfolio of investments and savings plans to ensure that your family is well taken care of, even if you are not around.

We Can Help You Find the Best Insurance Solutions

At Canara HSBC Life Insurance, we bring years of experience in helping individuals and families secure their financial future. Our deep understanding of the Indian insurance landscape allows us to offer well-researched, practical, and goal-oriented solutions tailored to your needs.

Whether you're planning for your child's future, your retirement, or simply looking to grow your wealth safely, our expert advisors are here to guide you every step of the way. Talk to us today to discover the right insurance plan for your goals.