Affluent and high-net-worth Indians are managing more overlapping life stages than their peers in nine other markets, according to HSBC’s latest Modern Wealth survey. Career reinvention (63%), major life purchases (51%), supporting the next generation (46%) and retirement planning (41%) are all happening simultaneously for a large share of respondents.
The study, conducted by Ipsos across 9,993 affluent and high-net-worth investors (including 1,115 in India), finds that 96% of Indian respondents have already reconsidered their financial plans to accommodate longer, more complex lives. Nearly two-thirds (60%) say they are now planning for a non-linear future rather than a traditional sequence of study-work-retire.
Retirement itself is being redefined. Seventy-eight percent expect to leave work gradually or flexibly. Portfolio careers and “encore” careers appeal to 34%, more than the 22% who still favour a clean break. The amount they believe they need for retirement has risen 6% year-on-year to $0.42 million, yet respondents have, on average, saved only 48% of that sum. Long-term healthcare (44%) and maintaining current lifestyle (37%) rank among the top new priorities driving the rethink.
Legacy is also shifting. While 41% of investors expect to leave a legacy and 34% expect to receive one (at an average age of 51), the purpose of that wealth is diverging across generations. Benefactors largely want to provide a home, safety net or support for major life moments (69%). Gen Z and Millennials, however, are more inclined to use inheritance for travel, career breaks and passion projects.
Indian families are responding by emphasising capability over pure asset transfer. Eighty-seven percent of benefactors prioritise passing on education, financial literacy and other forms of human capital, compared with 64% who prioritise foundational assets such as a home deposit. Nearly half (49%) say their main goal is to equip the next generation for full financial independence. Four in five already support children’s or grandchildren’s personal growth, while 71% fund formal learning and skills and 65% back career or entrepreneurial development.