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It is no secret that women often outlive men. The global average life expectancy in 2021 was about 68.4 years for men. In contrast, this stood at 73.8 years for women. As such, it is far more important for women to begin planning for their golden years as early as possible. Perhaps realizing this, more women are getting into investing than ever before! Even better, women save about 5% more each month than men. A recent Max Life's India Retirement Index Study (IRIS 4.0) also highlighted a similar sentiment: women are increasingly taking charge of their retirement and finances. Per the study, urban Indian working women are now keeping pace with men, with 66% being confident that their current investments will guarantee a financially secure retirement life. In terms of health, 48% of urban Indian working women feel confident that they will continue to stay fit and healthy in their retirement years. Encouragingly, a whopping 68% of urban Indian women have already started investing for their retirement. Amongst their preferred investment avenues are life insurance (65%), bank FDs/RDs (45%), medical insurance (36%), and mutual funds and SIPs (14%). The awareness is not limited to women; young urban Indians are awakening to the realization that retirement planning should be kicked off as soon as possible. Per IRIS 4,0, 44% of Indians consider the right age to start planning for retirement to be before 35 years, a jump from 38% in IRIS 3.0. An overwhelming 93% of respondents aged above 50 regret delaying their retirement planning. Says Priyanka Bhatia, Co-Founder of Women on Wealth, "Women, by and large, live longer than men and may confront professional interferences, which influence retirement reserve funds essentially. Beginning in your 20s permits women to create strategies that account for longevity risks and potential income gaps. Investments like annuities and dividend-paying assets guarantee a consistent income stream post-retirement, permitting ladies to explore monetary freedom even in later years.". Not to mention, beginning early also permits individuals to take advantage of tax-efficient investments over a more drawn-out period. In India, instruments like the National Pension Scheme (NPS) offer tax benefits that develop over the long haul. By expanding these exceptions from a young age, women can grow their retirement reserve funds while reducing taxable income in each financial year. Bhatia notes that even if one is planning to retire early, it does not only mean putting something aside for your 60s. It is also about adaptability to pick semi-retirement choices, work in sectors driven by passion, or even pursue entrepreneurial ventures without financial pressure. "Beginning in your 20s allows you to amass funds that can allow for early retirement, empowering a change to lifestyle-oriented work or community contributions later in life," Bhatia signs off.

Planning for your retirement in your 20s? Here's why it is a smart move!

<keyword id="19929103" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nationalist-Congress-Party" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Nationalist Congress Party" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Nationalist Congress Party">Nationalist Congress Party</keyword> (SP) president <keyword id="19913755" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sharad-pawar" source="keywords">Sharad Pawar</keyword> on Friday hit out at the <keyword id="19909267" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Centre" source="keywords">Centre</keyword> over <keyword id="20214944" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Leader-of-Opposition" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Leader of Opposition" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Leader of Opposition">Leader of Opposition</keyword> <keyword id="19895780" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rahul-Gandhi" source="keywords">Rahul Gandhi</keyword> not being allotted a <keyword id="22807715" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="front-row-seat" source="keywords">front-row seat</keyword> at the <keyword id="22594483" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Independence-Day-event" source="keywords">Independence Day event</keyword>, accusing it of not honouring the post of LoP. Addressing party workers of the opposition bloc <keyword id="19924537" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maha-Vikas-Aghadi" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Maha Vikas Aghadi" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Maha Vikas Aghadi">Maha Vikas Aghadi</keyword>, Pawar said the threat to the <keyword id="19942019" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Constitution" source="keywords">Constitution</keyword> is still not over even if the BJP did not get majority in the Lok Sabha polls. "The Centre did not honour the post of Leader of Opposition," Pawar said. "The Leader of Opposition was made to sit in the back row," said the NCP (SP) chief. The Congress on Thursday said making Gandhi "sit in the fifth row" at the <keyword id="20069086" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="independence-day" source="keywords">Independence Day</keyword> celebrations at the Red Fort showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "pettiness" and lack of respect for democratic traditions. Pawar said that when he was the leader of the opposition during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure, his seating arrangement at the I-Day event was alongside the cabinet ministers. He recalled that when Manmohan Singh was the PM, the then LoP Sushma Swaraj was given a seat allotted to cabinet ranks. The prime minister is an institution, and so is the leader of the opposition. The prestige of the PM's post has to be maintained. Similarly, LoP's prestige is also equally important, Pawar stressed.

Centre did not honour LoP's post: Pawar on Rahul not being allotted front-row seat at Independence Day event

Gulab Kaur to Potti Sriramalu: Unsung heroes of the Indian freedom struggle

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Megan Smyth, a 35-year-old mom, has been a single mom to triplets for 18 months. </li><li>Teaching them basic chores at a young age has been crucial for her mental health.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Megan Smyth, mom to 3-year-old triplets. It has been edited for length and clarity.Eighteen months ago, I became the sole parent of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/superfetation-pregnancy-twins-triplets-got-pregnant-while-pregnant-rare-case-2023-10">three identical triplet</a> toddlers — something I never thought I would say. Their dad is not involved in raising themI have sole custody of the boys, who are now 3. I work four days a week, which just about covers all our expenses — <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/mortgages/how-are-mortgage-rates-determined">the mortgage</a>, bills, clothes, and food — but needless to say, money is tight, and parenting three energetic boys on your own is exhausting. I spend most of my time refereeing wrestling matches.One thing I'm particularly proud of — and relieved by — is <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/british-family-raise-independent-children-japan-2024-2">how independent they are</a> now that they're 3 years old. As it's just me, I can't physically do everything for them all the time, so I've been intentional about teaching them to take care of themselves.<h2 id="3382bfbd-b1ac-4b0e-9d2d-318bb701a2bb">They know where to put dirty clothes and how to set the table</h2>For example, the boys all hang their coats up and put their shoes on the shoe rack when they come home from day care. They know to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/i-wanted-toddler-to-do-chores-like-netflix-old-enough-2022-6">put their dirty clothes in the washing basket</a> and washing machine. At dinner time, they know when it's time to set the table. They'll each take one knife, fork, spoon, plate, and cup to set their own place.Most evenings, they help tidy up their toys. They help me feed our pet fish and help me pick up after our six dogs — I don't let them touch their droppings, but they like to point them out to me so I can clean them up. They also carry their own toys and juice up to bed every night. They are very competitive, so when one does something I want them to do, I praise them, and the other two quickly follow suit.I even <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-potty-train-kids">potty trained them</a>, and they picked it up so quickly. I made sure they were ready and understood what they needed to do. I had them drink lots of juice and asked them every 20 to 30 minutes if they needed to go. I gave them huge rewards when they did something in the potty — things they wouldn't normally be allowed, like chocolate or candy; plus, I used a sticker rewards chart and lots of books, songs, and videos all about potty training and being "big boys" now. They're very independent and actually don't need me constantly. They play well by themselves, especially character-led games they make up. Being one of the triplets is like having best friends to play with all the time, which makes me feel less bad about money being so tight and not being able to afford many luxuries. <h2 id="31ddf1ee-ee48-4e51-ae01-04ebadfec186">Having triplets is so expensive</h2>It might sound obvious, but when the cost of something like theme park entry or football lessons and the uniform is multiplied by three, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/childcare-costs-without-grandparents-help-millennial-parents-boomers-2024-10">so many things are unachievable</a> on the budget we have.I worked out in their first year alone, and their expenses came to around $23,500 when you take into account three of everything — car seats, cribs, high chairs, a triplet stroller, clothes, diapers, and more. The formula cost nearly $1,570 alone. And that's not including the new house we needed to move to, as well. My mom and dad helped a lot, and my ex's mom and dad.I've been trying to decide whether it's getting better or worse because they eat more now than they did a year ago. They'll probably have two sandwiches each for lunch, for example, and that's times three. We go through two loaves of bread a week. Some weeks, I've had to borrow money from my mom for food. I try to keep the cost as low as possible, but we still spend around $105 a week on food, and that's me really scrimping on what we can get through the week with — no luxury items. It's pure survival.We scrape by. I buy most of their clothes secondhand online and sell anything they've outgrown. I hardly buy or do anything for myself, except on Friday night, when my mom takes care of the boys.Nothing can ever prepare you for having triplets or for being the sole parent of them. There isn't a lot of support. I've joined a Facebook group for triplet and quadruplet moms, and a lot of us have gotten chatting and even met up. It's been so helpful for swapping tips and tricks and for dealing with certain situations that only other triplet moms can relate to.

I solo parent triplets and had no choice but to teach them independence. At 3, they know how to load the washing machine and set the table.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Becca Itkowitz left the US with her husband and two young sons and lived in Denmark for three years.</li><li>The boys particularly liked it as their parents and school embraced the non-helicopter culture.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Becca Itkowitz,48, from Illinois. She appeared in the new book, "<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" href="https://r.nypostlink.com/?btn_ref=org-19984c113c692001&amp;btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDanish-Secret-Happy-Kids-Independent-ebook%2Fdp%2FB0CMBNK9KN%3Ftag%3Dnypost-20%26asc_refurl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2024%2F08%2F01%2Flifestyle%2Fdanish-secret-to-happy-kids-tips-for-independent-children%2F%26asc_source%3Dweb">The Danish Secret to Happy Kids</a>," which champions Nordic parenting. Her interview with Business Insider has been edited for length and clarity.A few months after my family moved back to our native US from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-living-denmark-shares-differences-summer-break-families-2024-7">Denmark</a>, I received a phone call from the principal of my son Max's school.He had made a snowball during recess and was in trouble even though he hadn't thrown it at anybody. "It's not allowed because anything you pick up could become a weapon," the principal said.They paused, waiting for my reaction. I started laughing because I thought it was a joke. Then I realized it wasn't. "I'll have a word with Max when he gets home," I said.When we talked to him, it seemed as absurd to my then-10-year-old boy as it did to me. "This is dumb," he said. "I wasn't going to hurt anyone."We agreed that it was ridiculous that you couldn't even make a snowball or pick up a stick without being disciplined.The experience sharply contrasted how Max had been treated in school — and by us, as his parents — in Denmark, where we'd lived for three years between 2014 and 2017.There, children were actively encouraged to make outdoor shelters out of wooden logs, walk into town, or take public transport on their own.<h2 id="09de17df-2183-4a7b-8f0d-a13bd1ab92d4">Our parenting was hands-off when in Denmark</h2>They were <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/free-range-parenting-mom-lets-kids-fly-alone-2024-10">given a level of freedom </a>that nurtured a sense of adventure — a quality that gave them independence and confidence.When we moved to Denmark because of my husband's job at Lego, Max was 7, and his brother, Evan, was 5. They'd do many things for themselves, such as walking and biking to places within a safe distance.At first, we were surprised. As Americans, we were programmed to think the white van would pull up and take our kids. But then we were <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/british-family-raise-independent-children-japan-2024-2">drawn into the hands-off culture.</a> Danish kids, who don't start school until 6, are encouraged not to rely on adults from the outset. They nearly always go outside for recess, dressed for the weather. They learn to put on and remove their coats and rain boots and then put them in a locker.Several times, I'd pick up Max from school and find him and his classmates cooking bread over an open fire in the playground. The dough would be either wrapped around a stick or baked in circles on the heated bricks around the fire.When Evan was a tween, after our return to Illinois, I offered to have a fall bonfire for his friends in my backyard. People thought that the boys were going to set the neighborhood on fire. It was a complete 180 from our experience in Denmark, where the kids understood to be careful.<h2 id="d4c19ce6-2223-42f2-b6ea-e21f705da36c">Kids had fun building forts from logs in the woods</h2>Danish playgrounds were safely fenced in but set up with tunnels, nooks, and crannies to allow children to do their own thing away from the adults. They were designed to welcome play.Max enjoyed his classes because they were creative. The kids might take a box of yarn and some fabric and work together to make an outfit. Or they would be out collecting branches to build a fort in the woods near the school.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-states-pay-free-lunch-public-school-students-heres-how-2023-8">At his school, lunches </a>were served family-style. The children set the table and helped themselves from a big dish in the middle. They'd eat various cold cuts and cheeses. There would be a conversation, and they'd encourage each other to try different foods. Then they'd clean up after themselves.Eight years ago, we returned to the US. Despite the initial shock of the kids having less freedom at school, we love living here. But we're grateful we had the chance to raise our children in Denmark — at least for a while. It has set them on the path to a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/free-range-parenting-mom-lets-kids-fly-alone-2024-10">more independent future</a>.Do you have an interesting story to share with Business Insider about different parenting and educational styles outside the US? Please send details to <a target="_blank" href="mailto:jridley@insider.com">jridley@businessinsider.com</a>

I raised my kids in Denmark. When we returned to the US, they were far more independent than their American peers.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Kay Eskridge has let her now 9-year-old daughter trick-or-treat without her since first grade.</li><li>She introduced her to many neighbors first and taught her safety skills, especially around traffic.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kay Eskridge, 48, a social worker and director of communications for a church in Louisville, Kentucky. It has been edited for length and clarity.My daughter, Julia, was 6 when she went trick-or-treating for the first time without me or my husband, Troy, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/halloween-through-the-years-2019-9">on Halloween</a> 2021.She's a pretty smart kid with her head screwed on. Troy, 54, and I support the kind of independence we had growing up in the 1980s. It would have been humiliating if our parents had gone trick or treating with us.So, when she was in first grade, I suggested she go with a 10-year-old girl called Johnae, the daughter of my best friend, Jonetta. They don't live in our town but attended our neighbor's campfire party, where many people were milling around, eating food, and having fun.Jonetta, a fellow social worker, was a bit unsettled. "What if somebody grabs them?" she said. We'd met as colleagues at <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-who-posed-cps-worker-charged-child-enticement-burglary-impersonating-2023-6">Child Protection Services</a>, where I'd worked for 12 years. I reminded her what we'd learned from being on the front line for so long: it's not strangers who are kidnapping kids.Of course, there is the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elizabeth-smart-kidnapped-14-now-very-protective-of-her-kids-2022-11">occasional case of stranger abduction</a>. There is no worse tragedy. But the statistics show it's far more likely to be a domestic situation — often related to a dispute over child custody.<h2 id="e0557874-ae90-426d-a0dd-4150a3b35d45">We told our kids to return by a certain time</h2>Jonetta and I were close and good at checking each other. "It's OK," I said. "Your daughter's 10 and shouldn't have to be helicoptered. Let her have some independence."So the girls left the party and trick-or-treated together. We gave them an appointed time to return before sunset because we were more nervous about distracted drivers who might not see them. They came back with the biggest smiles on their faces. Nobody had grabbed anyone. When Jonetta saw Johnae's pride, she realized it was a good decision.It was such a success that Julia and I started to plan for the following Halloween — and to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dad-lets-eight-year-old-grocery-shop-alone-foster-independence-2024-9">open up more freedoms </a>in general. I'd introduce her to people as we walked or cycled around the neighborhood. We're lucky because it's a grid of three or four streets with around 200 houses. It's almost impossible to take a wrong turn.<div type="image" title="A mom in a witch outfit with her daughter dressed as a cat for Halloween." height="1769" width="2359" msid="114783064" hostid="261" sizebytes="318398"></div>"This is Miss Dee, and she lives at Number 80," I'd tell Julia when we met a neighbor doing yard work. "You can ask Miss Dee if you need help with anything." I encouraged my daughter to strike up conversations and not be shy.It was a process with a lot of basic rules and common sense. "Is it safe to cross the street here and right now?" I'd ask Julia. "What do we need to do here?" I'd say, pointing to a stop sign. We wore brightly-colored clothing and used flashlights after dark.In 2022, Julia went trick-or-treating with two friends, one 7 and the other 8. The parent of the 7-year-old wanted to tag along, and although she was a bit disappointed, Julia went with the flow. She understood that different families have <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-mom-lived-in-denmark-compares-american-and-nordic-parenting-2024-10">different parenting styles</a>.Still, I've been encouraging other parents we know to give their children more independence. I said I was OK with the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/unsupervised-play-outdoors-kids-neighborhood-benefits-2024-5">kids playing alone in our neighborhood park</a>. "They're at a good age where I trust that, if something happened, the other one would come and get an adult," I told them.We're holding out against giving Julia a cellphone until high school. Troy is a high school teacher and has seen the addiction firsthand among the kids. Instead, Julia will grab a walkie-talkie if she goes cycling or stays in the park off-hours.Our friends are coming around to our way of thinking. Last October, the same mom who had trailed behind in 2022 was the most vocal advocate for the friend group to trick or treat without supervision. "Wow, I've made a difference," I thought.But we're not complacent. We continue to talk to Julia about personal safety and traffic precautions. As a third grader this year, she will join friends her own age — or maybe go alone. She'll leave around sunset because the dark is a big part of the scary experience.She has proven to us time and again that she can be trusted. She has earned her Halloween freedom and fun.Do you have an interesting story to share with Business Insider about your parenting style? Please send details to <a target="_blank" href="mailto:jridley@insider.com">jridley@businessinsider.com</a>.

You Searched For "independent" and got 6 results

Planning for your retirement in your 20s? Here's why it is a smart move!

Ira Alok Puranik

Centre did not honour LoP's post: Pawar on Rahul not being allotted front-row seat at Independence Day event

PTI

Gulab Kaur to Potti Sriramalu: Unsung heroes of the Indian freedom struggle

Prerna Tyagi

I solo parent triplets and had no choice but to teach them independence. At 3, they know how to load the washing machine and set the table.

MaryLou Costa

I raised my kids in Denmark. When we returned to the US, they were far more independent than their American peers.

Jane Ridley

My daughter started trick-or-treating without adults when she was 6. We wanted to give her the independence we grew up with.

Jane Ridley

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