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Compare investments honestly

The same contribution, over the same period, across SIP, PPF, Sukanya Samriddhi, FD, RD and a lumpsum. Maturity value and returns sit next to risk, lock-in and tax treatment — because a bigger number attached to more risk is not automatically the better answer, and we will not pretend otherwise by declaring a winner.

1. What are you putting in?

₹500₹2.0 L

Ten Thousand Rupees

1y30y
years
1%25%
% p.a.

Applied to market-linked options only

1%12%
% p.a.

Applied to FD and RD

2. What do you want to compare?

These numbers are not equivalent

A guaranteed return and a projected one are different kinds of number. PPF and FD pay what they promise; a market-linked projection is arithmetic on an assumption you chose, and the actual outcome can be materially lower — including a loss. The table is sorted by value only because you asked it to be, and the highest figure is usually the one carrying the most risk. Read the risk and lock-in columns before the money column.

3. Side by side

SchemeRate usedYou investMaturity valueAbsoluteAnnualisedRiskLock-inTax
🏦 FD7%₹18.0 L₹50,97,269183%7.19%No market riskUntil maturity — premature withdrawal usually carries a rate penaltyInterest taxed at your income-tax slab rate. TDS applies above the annual threshold.
📈 SIP12%₹18.0 L₹50,45,760180%12.67%HighNone, except ELSS funds (3 years)Equity: 12.5% LTCG above ₹1.25 lakh a year after 12 months. Debt: taxed at your slab rate.
🛡️ PPF7.1%government-set₹18.0 L₹32,54,56781%7.98%No market risk15 years, extendable in blocks of 5 yearsEEE: deposits qualify under Section 80C, and both the interest and the maturity amount are tax-free.
🗓️ RD7%₹18.0 L₹31,76,89376%7.18%No market riskUntil maturity — premature closure carries a penaltyInterest taxed at your income-tax slab rate. TDS applies above the annual threshold.

We do not name a winner, because there is not one. The right choice depends on when you need the money, whether you can tolerate a fall in value, and your tax position — none of which a calculator knows. Where a statutory ceiling applies, the contribution has been capped at it, which is itself part of the comparison.

How each one grows

₹0₹13.5 L₹27.0 L₹40.5 L₹54.0 LSep 2026Aug 2029Jul 2032Jun 2035May 2038Apr 2041Aug 2041
  • SIP
  • FD
  • RD
  • PPF

Market-linked lines are drawn as smooth curves because that is what a fixed assumed return produces. Real market returns are not smooth — this shape is a projection, not a forecast.

In today’s money

At 6% inflation, here is what each maturity value would actually buy.

  • 🏦 FD₹21.3 L
  • 📈 SIP₹21.1 L
  • 🛡️ PPF₹13.6 L
  • 🗓️ RD₹13.3 L
Comparing investments

How to read this comparison

The questions worth asking before you act on any of these numbers.

On almost any long horizon, a market-linked projection at a 12% assumption will show the largest number — but that is a consequence of the assumption you entered, not evidence of a better product. PPF and FD pay what they promise; equity may deliver more, less, or a loss, and it can do so precisely when you need the money. The tool deliberately does not name a winner, because the comparison depends on when you need the funds, whether you can tolerate a fall in value, and your tax position — none of which a calculator knows.

PPF and Sukanya Samriddhi both carry a statutory ceiling of ₹1.5 lakh a year. If your chosen monthly amount would exceed that, the calculator caps it — and that constraint is part of the honest comparison. A scheme you cannot put enough money into is not directly comparable with one that has no ceiling, however attractive its rate.

Absolute return is the total gain as a percentage of what you put in — simple, but it ignores time entirely, so 100% over three years and 100% over thirty look identical. XIRR is the annualised, money-weighted rate that accounts for each contribution being invested for a different length of time. For staggered contributions like a SIP or RD, XIRR is the meaningful figure. For a single lump sum held throughout, CAGR and XIRR are the same thing.

No. The maturity values are pre-tax and before costs. That matters a great deal to the comparison: PPF and Sukanya Samriddhi are EEE, so the maturity amount is tax-free, whereas FD and RD interest is taxed at your slab rate — a 7% FD returns roughly 4.9% after tax in the 30% bracket. Mutual funds also carry expense ratios and capital gains tax. The tax column in the table states each position; the arithmetic does not apply it.

Not in the main figures, but there is an 'in today's money' section that discounts each maturity value at 6% a year. It is worth looking at: a balance that grows fivefold over twenty years has not increased your purchasing power fivefold, and a return below inflation loses you money in real terms even as the balance rises.

Work through one in detail