Why Achieving Crorepati Dreams in 20 Years Demands More Than a Basic SIP

Aiming for substantial wealth is a vision shared by many. Across India, we often hear that beginning a SIP (Systematic Investment Plan) in mutual funds and sticking with it consistently is the ultimate playbook for financial success. Persistence and discipline, we’re promised, are all it takes to wake up a crorepati after a couple of decades. But while that advice has merit, it’s crucial to look beyond blanket assurances and understand how significant wealth is actually built.
A Reality Check: The Shortcomings of a Static SIP
Life has a way of evolving. As the years go by, income increases, family structures shift, responsibilities multiply, and unexpected events reshape priorities. The idea that a fixed, unaltered SIP is sufficient to meet all your future financial needs is outdated. The truth is, most people who reach major money milestones don’t do it by repeating the same monthly investment for 20 years.
Take a look at this illustration:
SIP Amount | Tenure | Expected Annual Return | Final Corpus |
₹5,000 | 20 years | 12% | ₹49.45 lakh |
₹10,000 | 20 years | 12% | ₹98.9 lakh |
Even if you diligently invest ₹10,000 per month for two decades at a robust 12% annual return, you’ll just touch the ₹1 crore mark. And remember, that ₹1 crore will have a diminished value after 20 years due to inflation.
Why “Set and Forget” Doesn’t Deliver
Inflation Eats Away at Value
One rupee today will buy much less two decades from now. The purchasing power of your target corpus steadily drops with each passing year. If your investment doesn’t grow at least as quickly as inflation, your future goals could be out of reach.
Ambitions Expand with Life
Your goals today might seem achievable, but as your career progresses and your family matures, your aspirations will likely increase. Children’s educations become costlier, healthcare needs amplify, and travel expenses rise. A fixed SIP won’t keep up with these growing ambitions.
Life’s Constant Changes
Few things remain static over 20 years. Promotions, business growth, lifestyle upgradations, important life events—these all influence both your capacity to save and the future requirements you’ll need to fund. Your investments must adapt to life’s ongoing changes.
Rethinking SIPs: The Power of the Step-Up Approach
A smarter strategy is to incrementally raise your SIP contribution over time—what’s commonly called a “Step-Up SIP.” This method involves boosting your monthly SIP amount each year, often by 10% or whatever matches your annual salary increment. Many financial advisors in India encourage this approach, as it allows your investments to evolve alongside your income.
Benefits of a Step-Up SIP
- Greater Wealth Building: Increasing your SIP each year means your total investment scales up substantially over time. Compounding then works in your favor, exponentially boosting your corpus.
- Stays Aligned With Growing Costs: The additional contributions help bridge the gap created by inflation and upgrades in your lifestyle or family needs.
How Stepping Up Your SIP Transform Results
SIP Type | Monthly Start | Step-Up Per Year | Tenure | Estimated Corpus (12% p.a.) |
Fixed SIP | ₹10,000 | 0% | 20 years | ₹98.9 lakh |
Step-Up SIP | ₹10,000 | 10% | 20 years | ₹2.34 crore |
By simply increasing your SIP by 10% annually, your final corpus more than doubles, reaching ₹2.34 crore instead of just ₹98.9 lakh after 20 years. That’s the true power of compounding your discipline as well as your investment amount.
Making the Most of Your Journey
If you want to maximize the possibility of becoming a crorepati (or more), consider layering on these additional strategies:
- Diversify Your Portfolio: Relying entirely on SIPs means putting all your money into mutual funds. As your confidence grows, balance your investments by considering direct stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), pension products, or even real estate.
- Annual Portfolio Review: Re-examine your goals and financial situation every year. If your needs change or you get an unexpected bonus, adjust your investments rather than sticking to your old plan.
- Automate Your Step-Ups: Most platforms now allow you to set up an automatic annual increase to your SIP. This makes wealth-building seamless—no manual adjustments or reminders are required.
Putting It All In Perspective
Everyone wants to transform dreams into reality, but aspirations alone aren’t enough. Major goals—like amassing ₹1 crore or more—are achieved when your efforts and actions also evolve over time. Regularly stepping up your SIPs gives your dreams more fuel, better keeps pace with inflation and expanding needs, and makes sure you don’t fall short simply due to inertia.
By making your financial planning as dynamic as your life, you pave a more secure path towards your greatest aspirations. Get help from a financial planner in India. Setting and forgetting your investments is comfortable but limited. Continuously stretching your SIPs, updating strategies, and broadening your portfolio—that’s how dreams turn into reality, not just 20 years from now, but at every stage along the way.
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