Financial Planning Resources

Printable-friendly personal finance checklists

Use these checklists to prepare for retirement planning, investing, budgeting, home buying, salary review, emergency funds, and goal planning.

Planning disclaimer

Planning tools and checklists are designed to help users organize financial goals and should not replace personalized financial planning advice. Verify assumptions independently and consult qualified professionals where appropriate.

Retirement Planning Checklist

  • Estimate future monthly expenses with inflation.
  • List EPF, PPF, NPS, mutual funds, deposits, and insurance.
  • Review asset allocation by age and risk comfort.
  • Plan healthcare and emergency buffers.
  • Review the corpus and SIP assumptions every year.

Investment Planning Checklist

  • Define each goal, amount, and timeline.
  • Separate emergency money from investments.
  • Match asset class with time horizon.
  • Check costs, tax, liquidity, and risk.
  • Review portfolio overlap and rebalance periodically.

Budget Planning Checklist

  • Use in-hand salary, not CTC.
  • Track essentials, goals, wants, and irregular expenses.
  • Create sinking funds for annual costs.
  • Automate savings after salary credit.
  • Review spending monthly without guilt or guesswork.

Home Buying Checklist

  • Estimate down payment and transaction costs.
  • Calculate EMI against stable income.
  • Check legal documents and lender terms.
  • Keep emergency fund separate from purchase cash.
  • Plan maintenance, insurance, interiors, and moving costs.

Salary Planning Checklist

  • Compare fixed pay, variable pay, and benefits.
  • Estimate PF, tax, insurance, and professional tax deductions.
  • Confirm reimbursement and bonus rules.
  • Budget from monthly in-hand salary.
  • Update tax declarations on time.

Emergency Fund Checklist

  • Calculate essential monthly expenses.
  • Target three to six months as a starting range.
  • Keep money accessible and relatively stable.
  • Use only for genuine emergencies.
  • Rebuild the fund after withdrawals.

Financial Goal Planning Checklist

  • Write the goal name and date.
  • Estimate future cost after inflation.
  • Map existing savings and monthly gap.
  • Choose suitable assets by timeline.
  • Review progress at least annually.