A Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) is a popular way to invest in mutual funds, as it allows investors to channelise their surplus funds steadily in their mutual fund scheme of choice. This enables an investor to not only stay committed to their long-term investment strategy but also to maximise the benefit of compounding. For the unversed, compounding grows investments exponentially over time, helping in creating substantial wealth over the years. At times, compounding yields surprising results, especially over longer periods. In this article, let's consider three scenarios to understand how time matters in compounding: a Rs 3,000 monthly SIP for 24 years, Rs 13,000 for 12 years and Rs 30,000 for 6 years.

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Can you guess the difference in the outcome in all three scenarios at an expected annualised return of 12 per cent?

SIP Return Estimates | Which one will you choose: Rs 3,000 monthly investment for 24 years, Rs 13,000 for 12 years or 30,000 for 6 years?  

Scenario 1: Rs 3,000 monthly SIP for 24 years

Calculations show that at an annualised 12 per cent return, a monthly SIP of Rs 3,000 for 24 years (288 months) will lead to a corpus of approximately Rs 50.18 lakh (a principal of Rs 8.64 lakh and an expected return of Rs 41.54 lakh). 

Scenario 2: Rs 13,000 monthly SIP for 12 years

Similarly, at the same expected return, a monthly SIP of Rs 13,000 for 12 years (144 months) will accumulate wealth to the tune of Rs 41.89 lakh, as per calculations (a principal of Rs 18.72 lakh and an expected return of Rs 23.17 lakh).

Scenario 3: Rs 30,000 monthly SIP for 6 years

Similarly, at the same expected return, a monthly SIP of Rs 30,000 for 6 years (72 months) will accumulate wealth to the tune of Rs 31.73 lakh, as per calculations (a Rs 21.60 lakh principal and an expected return of Rs 10.13 lakh).

Now, let's look at these estimates in detail (figures in rupees): 

Power of Compounding | Scenario 1

Period (in Years) Investment Return Corpus
1 36,000 2,428 38,428
2 72,000 9,730 81,730
3 1,08,000 22,523 1,30,523
4 1,44,000 41,505 1,85,505
5 1,80,000 67,459 2,47,459
6 2,16,000 1,01,271 3,17,271
7 2,52,000 1,43,937 3,95,937
8 2,88,000 1,96,580 4,84,580
9 3,24,000 2,60,465 5,84,465
10 3,60,000 3,37,017 6,97,017
11 3,96,000 4,27,844 8,23,844
12 4,32,000 5,34,757 9,66,757
13 4,68,000 6,59,793 11,27,793
14 5,04,000 8,05,254 13,09,254
15 5,40,000 9,73,728 15,13,728
16 5,76,000 11,68,135 17,44,135
17 6,12,000 13,91,762 20,03,762
18 6,48,000 16,48,318 22,96,318
19 6,84,000 19,41,976 26,25,976
20 7,20,000 22,77,444 29,97,444
21 7,56,000 26,60,023 34,16,023
22 7,92,000 30,95,688 38,87,688
23 8,28,000 35,91,172 44,19,172
24 8,64,000 41,54,061 50,18,061

Power of Compounding | Scenario 2

Period (in Years) Investment Return Corpus Corpus
1 13,000 1,56,000 10,521 1,66,521
2 13,000 3,12,000 42,162 3,54,162
3 13,000 4,68,000 97,599 5,65,599
4 13,000 6,24,000 1,79,853 8,03,853
5 13,000 7,80,000 2,92,323 10,72,323
6 13,000 9,36,000 4,38,841 13,74,841
7 13,000 10,92,000 6,23,727 17,15,727
8 13,000 12,48,000 8,51,845 20,99,845
9 13,000 14,04,000 11,28,680 25,32,680
10 13,000 15,60,000 14,60,408 30,20,408
11 13,000 17,16,000 18,53,993 35,69,993
12 13,000 18,72,000 23,17,278 41,89,278

Power of Compounding | Scenario 3

Period (in Years) Investment Return Corpus
1 3,60,000 24,280 3,84,280
2 7,20,000 97,296 8,17,296
3 10,80,000 2,25,229 13,05,229
4 14,40,000 4,15,045 18,55,045
5 18,00,000 6,74,591 24,74,591
6 21,60,000 10,12,711 31,72,711

SIP & Compounding | What is compounding and how does it work? 

For the sake of simplicity, one can understand compounding in SIPs as 'return on return', wherein initial returns get added up to the principal to boost future returns, and so on.

Compounding helps in generating returns on both the original principal and the accumulated interest gradually over time, contributing to exponential growth over longer periods. 

This approach eliminates the need for a lump sum investment, making it convenient for many individuals—especially the salaried—to invest in their preferred mutual funds. Read more on the power of compounding