Compare four investing styles — Flat SIP, Step-up SIP, Surplus Dumps, and Annual Lump Sum — side by side. Set your expected return and time horizon, then see which strategy builds the most wealth and by how much.
Try:
Time Horizon & Return
₹
%
yr
Rate is treated as CAGR · Nifty 50 ≈ 12% · FD ≈ 7% · PPF ≈ 7.1%
Numbers
1
Flat SIP
"Same amount every month, no excuses, forever."
₹
2
Step-up SIP
"I'll start small and increase it every year as my salary grows."
₹
%/yr
3
Surplus Dumps
"Monthly obligations are real. I'll invest when I have extra."
₹
mo
4
Annual Lump Sum
"Life is unpredictable. One big chunk at the start of each year."
₹
%/yr
Real Life Mix
Life isn't one strategy. Enable what actually applies to you — they all stack and compound together.
Monthly SIP
A fixed amount every month, rain or shine
₹
Annual SIP Step-up
Increase the SIP percentage every year as income grows
% / yr
Surplus Dumps
A lump sum whenever you've saved up extra cash
₹
every
mo
Annual Lump Sum
A bigger one-time investment each year (salary bonus, gift, tax savings)
₹
Annual Lump Sum Step-up
Grow the annual lump sum each year as income rises
%/yr
After 20 years — who wins?
Year-by-year growth
View
How to use
Set your expected annual return (CAGR) and time horizon in years at the top.
Enter your starting capital if you already have an existing portfolio — leave at 0 otherwise.
Adjust the monthly SIP amount for Strategy 1. Strategies 2, 3, and 4 sync to it by default.
Customize each strategy's additional parameters (step-up %, deposit frequency, etc.).
Enable or disable components in the Real Life Mix section to model your actual investing behaviour.
Read the comparison grid and insight text to see which strategy wins and by how much.
Use the Year-by-year table to track how each strategy's corpus grows over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which investment strategy is best: SIP or lump sum?
It depends on your income pattern. A monthly SIP benefits from rupee-cost averaging. A lump sum invested early captures more compounding time. The Step-up SIP often outperforms both over the long term if your salary grows steadily.
What is a Step-up SIP?
A Step-up SIP increases your monthly SIP amount by a fixed percentage every year — typically 10–15% — matching salary growth. This leads to significantly higher wealth accumulation compared to a flat SIP over long periods.
What is CAGR and how is it used here?
CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) is the steady annual return rate used to project growth. This tool derives a monthly rate from CAGR and simulates month-by-month compounding. Nifty 50 historically averages around 12% CAGR over long periods.
What is the Real Life Mix feature?
Real Life Mix lets you combine multiple investment approaches — a monthly SIP with annual step-ups, occasional surplus lump sums, and a yearly bonus deposit. This models how real investors actually behave and often beats any single pure strategy.
Why does monthly SIP often beat annual lump sum with the same total invested?
When you invest monthly, your money enters the market earlier and gets more compounding cycles. Each monthly instalment earns returns for more months than if you waited until year-end to invest a single lump sum of the same total amount.
Can I include an existing portfolio in the comparison?
Yes. Enter your current portfolio value in the Initial Capital field. All four strategies and the Real Life Mix will start from that base amount, reflecting your actual financial position.
What return rate should I use?
For equity mutual funds tracking Nifty 50, 12% is a commonly used long-term CAGR estimate. For PPF or FDs, use 7–7.5%. For a balanced portfolio, 9–10% is reasonable. Past returns do not guarantee future performance.
Did you know?
At 12% CAGR, money doubles roughly every 6 years (the Rule of 72: divide 72 by the rate). Over 30 years, ₹10,000/month becomes over ₹3.5 crore — entirely through compounding.
India's mutual fund industry crossed ₹50 lakh crore (₹50 trillion) in AUM in 2024, driven largely by SIP investors — over 9 crore SIP accounts are active as of 2025.
Warren Buffett has said that if he had to do it over again, he would simply invest in a low-cost index fund every month rather than picking individual stocks — the compounding math wins long-term.