Just switched from ₹45k/month to ₹1L/month — how should I start investing?
I recently switched jobs and my monthly income has gone from around ₹45k to ₹1L/month. CTC is around ₹14 LPA.
I was unemployed for around 4 months, so I don’t have much liquid cash left right now.
My current financial situation:
₹2L invested in SIPs
₹1.2L lent to family members
~₹10k cash left for expenses
Basically no proper emergency fund right now
Now that my income has increased, I want to avoid lifestyle inflation and start managing my money properly.
One thing I’m considering is building up around ₹12L in cash over time and then putting it into an FD. The idea is that if I get laid off again, I can live off that money for a long time without having to immediately go back home or depend on family. Given that I’ve already experienced a 4-month unemployment period, having this safety net feels more important to me than maximizing returns.
So I’m wondering:
Does building a ₹10–12L emergency fund/FD make sense in my situation?
Should I prioritize this before aggressively increasing my SIP?
Once I have that safety net, how much of my ₹1L monthly income would you invest?
How would you split it between index funds/SIPs, FD, PPF, etc.?
Would you keep the existing ₹2L SIP investment untouched?
Any mistakes you made after a big salary jump that I should avoid?
I’m not looking to chase crazy returns. My priority right now is financial stability and making sure another layoff doesn’t force me to move back home. Then I can focus on long-term wealth creation.
Posted Sep 12, 2026, 8:29 AM UTC