₹1 crore won't be ₹1 crore: inflation is quietly glowing-down your goal

KitnaSIP Team·15 Jul 2026

Ask anyone their money goal and they’ll say something clean and round: “1 crore.” “2 crore.” Then they set a SIP to hit that exact number in 20 years — and walk straight into the trap. 🪤

Plot twist: the rupee you plan with isn’t the rupee you’ll spend

₹1 crore today and ₹1 crore in 20 years are not the same thing. Not even close. At 6% inflation, whatever costs ₹1 crore today will cost roughly ₹3.2 crore in 20 years.

So if you grind and actually hit ₹1 crore — congrats, you technically won… and it buys about a third of what you pictured. It’s shrinkflation, but for your entire future. 💀

This is why the number that actually matters is the real (inflation-adjusted) target. Planning against today’s price tag quietly signs you up to fall short.

How to not get got

• Pick your goal in today’s money — way easier to reason about (“I’d want the buying power of ₹1 crore”).
• Let the tool inflate it to the future number you’ll genuinely need.
• Plan the SIP against that number — not the today one.

The gap between planning for ₹1 crore vs ₹3.2 crore might look like a few thousand a month. But one plan lands you at your real goal, and the other lands you… disappointed. Different endings entirely.

Two forces, opposite directions

Inflation is inflating the target. Compounding is inflating your investments. Good planning is just making sure the second one outruns the first — and you literally cannot check that unless both are in the math. Most calculators only do one. Ours does both.

Educational information only — not investment advice. Figures are illustrative assumptions, not guarantees, and KitnaSIP does not recommend specific mutual funds. Please consult a SEBI-registered investment adviser before investing.