Why a target changes the question
Most people ask how much their savings might grow to. The more useful question runs the other way — you name the number you need and the date you need it by, and the calculator tells you what that commitment costs each month.
Two things move the answer far more than the rate of return: how long you give it, and whether you already have something working towards the goal. Add five years to the horizon and the monthly figure usually falls by more than any realistic change in returns would achieve.
Using it sensibly
- A crore in fifteen years does not buy what a crore buys today. Decide the target in today's money, then inflate it before you enter it here.
- Higher assumed returns lower the monthly figure on screen but not the risk you would have to take to earn them.
- The figure assumes you invest every month without a break. In practice, a step-up each year is easier to sustain than a large fixed amount from the start.