The fund moves through five stages, reducing net equity exposure from 70–90% in its early years to 10–25% as 2056 approaches, allowing investors to pursue long-term growth while progressively protecting their retirement corpus.
Edited excerpts from a chat with Harshad Borawake, Head of Research & Fund Manager, Mirae Asset Mutual Fund:
What specific retirement investing problem is Mirae Asset Life Cycle Fund 2056 designed to solve, and why should investors consider it over a conventional diversified equity fund or a balanced advantage fund?
Most investors don't have a return problem. Markets deliver strong returns over the long term. The real problem is behaviour. Investors sell in downturns, chase rallies, and fail to reduce risk as their goal gets closer.
This fund solves that with an automatic glide path over its full 30-year tenure. It reduces equity exposure in pre-defined stages. The investor doesn't need to do anything.
A conventional diversified equity fund stays almost fully in equity, no matter how close the goal is. So it stays volatile even in the final years. A balanced advantage fund does change its allocation. But it does so based on valuations, not on how close the goal is. It does not glide.
This fund combines both. It uses a valuation-led framework plus a structural glide path that reduces risk as 2056 approaches.
How was the 2056 target date selected, and what investor profile or retirement-age assumptions underpin this roughly 30-year horizon?
SEBI introduced Life Cycle Funds this year, with fixed maturities of 5 to 30 years. Mirae Asset chose the longest tenure of 30 years. It suits long-term goals like retirement, estate planning or a child's marriage. The mutual fund space had not addressed this gap before.
2056 is about 30 years from launch. It suits an investor in their early-to-mid forties who plans to retire around 60.
A single fund with a fixed maturity also saves tax. Investors don't need to switch manually from aggressive to conservative funds. Rebalancing happens inside the scheme. Tax applies only on redemption or maturity.
Retirement planning usually assumes people live into their mid-to-late eighties. That means 20–25 years of retirement. So the fund suits even a 40-year-old investor. They get about 20 years of equity-heavy growth, followed by a decade of conservative allocation. An SWP option is available for regular income.
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Can you explain the fund's glide path in practical terms? What will be its equity, debt and other asset allocations at different stages of the investment journey?
The fund moves through five stages. Net equity falls from 70–90% at the start to 10–25% in the final years:
- Growth (2026–2041): 70–90%
- Growth Moderation (2041–2046): 65–80%
- Balanced (2046–2051): 50–65%
- Conservation (2051–2053): 35–50%
- Preservation (2053–2056): 10–25%
For the first 20 years, debt follows a roll-down strategy in G-Secs/SDLs. After that, it is actively managed. Corporate bonds rated AA and above are added based on the fund manager's interest rate view.
Arbitrage builds from zero to about 50% by 2056 for tax efficiency. Commodities make up 10%. About 5% stays in gold throughout. The other 5% is managed tactically across gold, silver and InvITs.
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What is the rationale for continuing to hold meaningful equity exposure as the target date approaches, given the risk of a sharp market correction close to retirement?
The fund keeps at least 65% in "equity including arbitrage" until maturity. This keeps its equity-oriented tax status. But arbitrage is hedged and market-neutral. So actual directional equity exposure falls sharply, from 70–90% to just 10–25%. The headline "equity" figure is mostly a tax-efficient structure. It is not real market risk.
The remaining equity exposure is deliberate. Investors usually draw on this corpus for another two to three decades after retiring. A pure debt portfolio at retirement would lose real value to inflation. A small, limited equity allocation keeps growth going through these years. The glide path and valuation framework keep it in proportion to the time left.
For an investor with a 30-year horizon, what return assumptions and corpus expectations should realistically be used?
No single return assumption fits the full 30 years. The fund's equity allocation keeps falling, so one rate would not suit it.
Return potential follows the glide path. It is higher in the early, equity-heavy years. It moderates as the portfolio shifts to debt, arbitrage and gold. Past performance does not guarantee future returns. Investors should use scheme-specific SIP and goal-planning calculators instead of a single assumed rate.
What is the tax treatment of the fund at different stages, particularly when its asset allocation shifts from equity to debt and when investors redeem or withdraw near maturity?
Tax treatment stays the same throughout. The glide path never lets "equity including arbitrage" fall below 65%. So the scheme stays equity-oriented for tax at every stage.
Short-term gains (under 12 months) are taxed at 20%. Long-term gains are taxed at 12.5%, with a ₹1.25 lakh annual exemption. This applies whatever the equity-debt mix is at the time. Rebalancing within the fund is not taxed for the investor. Tax applies only when the investor redeems, or automatically at the fund's maturity in 2056.
Why do you think a hands-off approach in a life cycle fund works for an investor in a DIY-led world?
Easy market access in a DIY world can make investor behaviour worse. Real-time prices and constant news make it easier to sell in a downturn or chase a rally. This widens the gap between market returns and investor returns.
A hands-off structure still includes active management. The fund manages security selection and risk. Doing this on your own can be difficult or a hassle.
It also avoids a real tax cost. If you rebalance yourself between separate aggressive, moderate and conservative funds, you pay capital gains tax at every switch. A Life Cycle Fund shifts allocation within the scheme. Tax applies only on withdrawal or maturity.
Retirement is a single goal spread over decades. There is little room to fix a mistimed call. For such a goal, this hands-off, tax-efficient structure is a more efficient way to invest.
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
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