New satellite images show that Russia is still building up forces in Crimea and near Ukraine, reports Reuters. However, the agency claims that it could not independently verify the latest images from Maxar technologies. The images show a base in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. As of December 13, there were hundreds of vehicles and tanks at the base. An image of the same base in October showed the base half empty. Maxar, in a statement, said, “Over the past month, our high-resolution satellite imagery has observed a number of new Russian deployments in Crimea as well as in several training areas in western Russia along the periphery of the Ukraine border.” Other Maxar images showed a build-up at the Soloti staging ground in Russia close to the Ukrainian border, with photos shot at the start of December showing a larger concentration of military hardware than in September. | ‘Putin wants to destroy our country’, says Ukrainian senior security official Several other pictures showed a continuing build-up at Yelnya, which is 160 miles north of the Ukrainian border. There was also a build-up at the Pogonovo training ground near the southern Russian city of Voronezh. Tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated in mid-November after Washington warned of a massive Russian troop build-up on Ukraine’s border. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg had offered to start talks with Russian officials year next year without setting a date to discuss the situation in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to destroy Ukraine. While speaking to AFP, he said that Moscow’s invasion could destabilise Ukraine.

He puts aside roughly Rs 10,000 per month in order to save for his daughter’s higher education and marriage. Aniket is now aiming to invest in mutual funds that will help him create roughly Rs 5.50 crore when he retires, which will be in 20 years.

In response to the question of whether Aniket’s investment goal is financially feasible, Pankaj Mathpal, Founder & MD of Optima Money Managers, stated, “The investor has Rs 50,000 in cash because his monthly income of Rs 40,000 (Rs 25,000 home loan, Rs 5,000 daughter’s school fee, and Rs 10,000 for daughter’s future) is spent on home loan EMIs, child school fees, and future planning. The investing vehicle must be equities mutual funds because the time horizon is 20 years and the investment goal is high at Rs 5.5 crore. The investor must remember the mutual fund’s 15 X 15 X 15 rule, which states that by following this mutual fund SIP guideline, one can become a crorepati.”

According to Pankaj Mathpal, using the 15 X 15 X 15 mutual fund formula, one can expect a 15% mutual fund return after investing for 15 years. However, if one invests Rs 15,000 every month for 15 years, one can accumulate Rs 1 crore. In Aniket’s instance, though, the time horizon is 20 years. As a result, the investor can create a pun in this SIP rule by changing it to the mutual fund’s 20 X 15 X 15 rule. Even if this is done, the maturity amount will only be roughly Rs 2 crore, according to the SIP calculator.

Amit Gupta, MD of SAG Infotech, advised on the SIP step-up plan “With an increase in income, the monthly SIP amount should be increased. Because the investor has a 20-year time horizon, a regular Rs 15,000 monthly SIP won’t be enough to reach the Rs 5.5 crore investment target. The investor should choose a 15% annual step-up rate. If he continues to do so for the following 20 years, an investor who starts a mutual fund SIP today with a monthly investment of Rs 15,000 will be able to accumulate roughly Rs 5.55 crore.”

When asked about mutual fund SIP plans that could assist an investor get a 15% yearly return, Pankaj Mathpal of Optima Money listed the following:

1] Nippon India Flexi Cap Fund;

2] Aditya Birla Sun Life Equity Advantage fund;

3] ICICI Prudential MNC Fund; and

4] Canara Robeco Flexi cap.