Chartered Accountant and LinkedIn influencer Kanan Bahl has stirred up a conversation on financial planning with a hard-hitting post urging professionals to rethink their retirement timelines. “45 is the new 60,” Bahl wrote in a now-viral LinkedIn post, cautioning that today’s volatile job market and fast-changing technology landscape may not support traditional expectations of working until 60.
In his post, Bahl noted that while overall job opportunities may continue to grow with technological advancement, not everyone will be able to keep up. “What if you can’t adapt for any reason whatsoever?” he asked. Bahl advised people to enjoy life, but also to save aggressively and invest smartly, assuming that income may dry up by 45. “Don’t make your retirement plans as if you are going to be employed until 60,” he wrote.
‘We are spending more, saving less’
Bahl also pointed to concerning shifts in lifestyle and spending patterns. Comparing this generation with their parents, he said, “We’re living in much more uncertain time and are spending way more.” From Gen Z taking on debt to attend concerts for Instagram clout, to high earners with ₹25 lakh salaries living paycheck to paycheck, Bahl warned against unsustainable lifestyle inflation. “Don’t elevate your lifestyle expenses to such levels where you can barely save for the future,” he wrote, explaining how spending habits today can directly affect financial freedom later in life.
Smart saving, tax benefits, and discipline
As for solutions, Bahl recommended structured savings through products like the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and National Pension System (NPS), which offer tax benefits under the new regime. While these instruments restrict withdrawals, with 40% of the NPS corpus accessible only after death. Bahl argued that the lack of liquidity actually helps. “They ensure discipline and further that you don’t splurge that money,” he said, calling these tools perfect for individuals who struggle with saving consistently.