How much of your salary should actually be invested? Plan your monthly budget, allocate across equity, debt and gold and see exactly how much wealth you're building - versus how much you're just spending.
This investment planning calculator India is built around three principles: know your surplus, allocate it deliberately and see what compounding actually does over time. Most people know they should invest - they just haven't seen the math of what happens if they don't start today.
Stocks, index funds, equity mutual funds. Historical 12-15% returns. High short-term volatility. Ideal for goals 7+ years away like retirement, children's education or wealth creation.
PPF, EPF, FDs, debt mutual funds. Returns 6-9%. Lower risk. Provides portfolio stability and liquidity for medium-term goals (3-7 years). Why FDs often fail to beat inflation is a key reason to balance with equity.
Gold, REITs, international funds. Returns 6-8%. Inflation hedge and crisis protection. Gold historically moves opposite to equities during market crashes - valuable portfolio insurance.
Here's what no other investment planning calculator page shows you - the exact 20% minimum investment by salary level and the concrete corpus it builds over 10 and 20 years at 12% equity returns:
| Monthly Salary | 20% Min Investment | 10-Year Corpus (12%) | 20-Year Corpus (12%) | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹30,000 | ₹6,000/mo | ₹13.9 Lakh | ₹59.9 Lakh | Good foundation - target 25%+ |
| ₹50,000 | ₹10,000/mo | ₹23.2 Lakh | ₹99.9 Lakh (~1 Cr) | ₹1 Crore in 20 years ✓ |
| ₹80,000 | ₹16,000/mo | ₹37.2 Lakh | ₹1.6 Crore | Comfortable wealth building |
| ₹1,00,000 | ₹20,000/mo | ₹46.5 Lakh | ₹2.0 Crore | 2 Crore retirement achievable |
| ₹1,50,000 | ₹30,000/mo | ₹69.7 Lakh | ₹3.0 Crore | Strong - consider 30% allocation |
| ₹2,00,000 | ₹40,000/mo | ₹92.9 Lakh | ₹4.0 Crore | ₹5-7 Cr realistic with step-ups |
Equity% = 100 minus your age. Here's how to apply it in India with practical SIP amounts at each life stage:
| Age | Equity % | Debt % | Other % | Key Priority | If ₹50K Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 75% | 15% | 10% | Maximize equity - time is your biggest asset | ₹7,500 eq · ₹1,500 debt · ₹1,000 other |
| 30 | 70% | 20% | 10% | Add EMI buffer to debt if buying a home | ₹7,000 eq · ₹2,000 debt · ₹1,000 other |
| 35 | 65% | 25% | 10% | Children's education 10-year horizon | ₹6,500 eq · ₹2,500 debt · ₹1,000 other |
| 40 | 60% | 30% | 10% | Retirement 20 years away - protect gains | ₹6,000 eq · ₹3,000 debt · ₹1,000 other |
| 45 | 55% | 35% | 10% | Build liquid debt for retirement corpus | ₹5,500 eq · ₹3,500 debt · ₹1,000 other |
| 50 | 50% | 40% | 10% | Capital protection - volatility hurts more now | ₹5,000 eq · ₹4,000 debt · ₹1,000 other |
The most powerful variable in any investment plan isn't return rate - it's when you start. Here's what ₹10,000/month at 12% builds if you retire at 60:
| Start Age | Years Investing | Total Invested | Corpus at 60 | Gains | What Delay Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 35 years | ₹42 Lakh | ₹6.5 Crore | ₹6.1 Crore | - |
| 30 | 30 years | ₹36 Lakh | ₹3.5 Crore | ₹3.1 Crore | ₹3 Crore less (46% loss) |
| 35 | 25 years | ₹30 Lakh | ₹1.9 Crore | ₹1.6 Crore | ₹4.6 Crore less (71% loss) |
| 40 | 20 years | ₹24 Lakh | ₹99.9 Lakh | ₹75.9 Lakh | ₹5.5 Crore less (85% loss) |
Once you have decided your monthly SIP amount, the next decision is direct vs regular plan. Both plans invest in the identical portfolio managed by the same fund manager. The only difference: regular plans embed a distributor commission of 0.5-1.5% annually in the expense ratio; direct plans do not. On a ₹10,000/month SIP at 12% gross return over 20 years: a regular plan at 11% net builds approximately ₹91 lakh; the same direct plan at 12% builds ₹99 lakh. The ₹8 lakh difference came entirely from not paying intermediary commissions. Direct plans are accessible via AMC websites, MF Central (mfcentral.com), and platforms like Zerodha Coin and Groww with zero commission. For the full analysis of how direct vs regular mutual fund returns diverge over 10, 15, and 20 years with fund-by-fund expense ratio data, the companion article shows exactly where the cost advantage is largest.
This calculator allocates your monthly surplus as regular contributions. But if you receive a bonus, inheritance, or windfall, a lumpsum investment makes different mathematical sense: it starts compounding immediately on the full amount. A ₹3 lakh lumpsum at 12% for 10 years grows to ₹9.3 lakh. The same ₹25,000/month SIP for 10 years builds ₹5.8 lakh (lower because contributions come in gradually). The case for SIP: it eliminates timing risk, builds discipline, and averages out market volatility. The case for lumpsum: maximum compounding time when you have a large sum and confidence in long-term markets. Most investors benefit from using both: SIP for regular income and lumpsum for annual bonuses. The complete comparison of SIP vs lumpsum investing across different market conditions and time horizons covers when each approach wins.
The projection in this calculator is pre-tax and nominal. A ₹1 crore corpus in 20 years is not worth ₹1 crore in today's purchasing power. At 6% inflation, it is worth approximately ₹31 lakh in today's money. Additionally, equity LTCG above ₹1.25L/year is taxed at 12.5% on redemption. To see what your projected corpus actually buys after inflation, use the inflation-adjusted real return projection on your portfolio. For the tax on equity mutual fund redemption at your corpus size, the mutual fund LTCG and STCG tax calculation shows the post-tax amount you actually receive.
This calculator helps you budget and allocate your monthly surplus. Once you know how much you can invest, the logical next step is projecting whether that amount builds the corpus you need by retirement, accounting for existing EPF, PPF, NPS savings and the 25x-30x corpus rule. The retirement corpus and SIP requirement calculation takes your monthly investment figure from this tool and shows exactly whether you are on track for your retirement age and target lifestyle.
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