Illustrative example, not a real customer. "Ananya" is a sample profile we created and entered into FinPlann on 4 October 2026. Every number below is what the planner, the Return to India planner and the AI Action Plan actually produced for these inputs. Change the inputs and the results change, so treat this as a walk-through of the method, not a template for your own decisions.
The profile
Ananya is 34, works in Seattle on an H-1B visa, and plans to move back to Hyderabad with her family in 2028. She has one child. Her money sits on both sides:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Take-home salary | $14,500 a month |
| Rent from her Hyderabad flat | ₹25,000 a month |
| Spending in Seattle (rent, daycare, living, trips to India) | About $7,500 a month |
| 401(k) | $140,000 |
| US index ETFs and US savings | $85,000 and $25,000 |
| Indian mutual funds, NRE FD, old EPF | ₹18 lakh, ₹6 lakh, ₹7.5 lakh |
| Hyderabad flat (rented out) | ₹85 lakh value, ₹32 lakh home loan left (EMI ₹38,000) |
| Running SIP | ₹30,000 a month into an Indian flexi cap fund |
| Life cover | US employer cover worth about ₹2.9 crore; no health or critical-illness cover in India |
| Goals | Emergency fund (2027), car and setup on return (2028), daughter's UG education (2041), retirement corpus (2052) |
In the planner her country of residence is set to the United States. Dollar amounts were converted at the rates FinPlann used that day (about ₹96 per dollar).
What the planner showed
- Financial health score: 68 out of 100 ("On Track"). Full marks for savings, emergency fund and goals; 0/20 for SIP coverage, because her running SIP isn't linked to any goal; 8/20 for insurance.
- Net worth: ₹3.25 crore. Monthly surplus: ₹6.61 lakh at today's US income and costs. Emergency fund: 17.1 months of expenses.
- Goal gaps at future cost: emergency fund ₹15.9 lakh, car and setup ₹16.9 lakh, daughter's education ₹1.27 crore (₹40 lakh today, 8% education inflation to 2041), retirement ₹13.6 crore.
Insurance, sized for an NRI
Because she lives abroad, FinPlann sizes her life cover on what her family would need in India, not on a multiple of her US salary. With a family living cost in India of ₹2 lakh a month:
- Recommended term cover: ₹4.8 crore = ₹24 lakh a year × 12 years of support + ₹32 lakh home loan + ₹1.6 crore of non-retirement goals. Against ₹2.9 crore of existing cover, the gap is ₹1.9 crore.
- Health cover: ₹20 lakh family floater recommended; she has none in India.
- Critical illness: ₹72 lakh recommended (three years of Indian living costs); she has none.
Could her savings support the family after the move?
In the planner's "Will your money last?" section, Ananya set her move year to 2028. From that year the projection switches from Seattle costs to her family's India living cost of ₹2 lakh a month (in today's money, rising with inflation). Even assuming she earns just enough in India to cover the family's costs and saves nothing more after the move, work becomes optional at 52 (in 2044) instead of 64 if she kept Seattle costs, and her money lasts through age 90 with about ₹1.68 crore left.
We then used the Return to India planner as a harder stress test: if Ananya moved in two years and stopped working, could her savings alone pay for the family's life in India?
- Inputs: $250,000 of US assets (401(k), ETFs, cash) with 10% set aside for tax on cashing out, $4,000 a month saved until the move, ₹31.5 lakh of Indian savings, family spending of ₹2 lakh a month in today's money. Assumed returns: 7% a year abroad, 11% in India, 6% Indian inflation, and the rupee weakening 3.5% a year.
- Result: about ₹3.96 crore at the move, supporting ₹1.32 lakh a month against the ₹2.25 lakh a month she would need by then. Shortfall: ₹2.78 crore against a target corpus of ₹6.74 crore.
In other words, she can move back comfortably if she works in India, but her savings are not yet enough to retire on.
What the AI Action Plan recommended
The plan had seven recommendations. Five of the most important, in its own words where quoted:
- Pause Indian mutual fund SIPs. As a US resident her Indian funds are PFICs, "triggering punitive tax rates and mandatory Form 8621 filings each year". It suggested pausing the ₹30,000 SIP, consulting a cross-border tax adviser before selling the existing ₹18 lakh, and investing new money in US-domiciled funds.
- Close the ₹1.9 crore life cover gap with an additional term plan available to NRIs.
- Buy health cover of at least ₹20 lakh, plus critical-illness cover.
- Start a dedicated investment for her daughter's education, about ₹27,000–30,000 a month, through a US-domiciled fund while she lives in the US.
- Put excess US cash to work. With 18 months of expenses already in cash and an NRE FD, it suggested moving ₹15–18 lakh of surplus cash into a short-duration option while keeping a 6–9 month reserve.
What changes the picture
| Change | Result in FinPlann |
|---|---|
| Buy the recommended cover (term top-up, health and critical illness) | Health score rises from 68 to 80 ("Excellent"); insurance pillar from 8/20 to 20/20 |
| Save $6,000 a month instead of $4,000 until the move | Shortfall falls from ₹2.78 crore to ₹2.32 crore |
| Save $6,000 a month and move a year later (2029) | Shortfall falls to ₹1.56 crore; savings support ₹1.86 lakh a month |
What this example doesn't tell you
- It is one set of assumptions. Returns, exchange rates and tax will differ from these figures.
- PFIC and the timing of 401(k) withdrawals depend on her exact dates and status; the planner flags them, but decisions need a cross-border tax adviser. See PFIC tax on Indian mutual funds and 401(k) and IRA after moving back.
- Her RNOR window after the move can keep foreign income outside Indian tax for a few years; see RNOR status explained.
Run your own numbers
Start with the free Return to India planner and the residential status calculator, then work through the moving-back checklist. The demo planner shows the full workspace with sample data.
Illustrative example created by FinPlann. Not a real customer, and not personal financial, tax or investment advice.