Goal planner
Work backwards from what you need — with the cost inflated to what it will actually be by then.
The maths
How this is calculated.
Two steps, and the first is the one most goal calculators skip. The target is inflated from what it costs today to what it will cost when you need it:
Target = C × (1 + f)ᵗ
Then the monthly instalment is solved by inverting the SIP formula — the same annuity-due, rearranged for the payment rather than the future value:
P = Target ÷ ( [ ((1 + i)ⁿ − 1) ÷ i ] × (1 + i) )
Where C is today’s cost, f is inflation, i is the monthly return and n the number of instalments.
What it assumes. Constant inflation and a constant return, neither of which holds. Aiming at today’s price is the more common error, and it is the one this avoids.
Worked example
A ₹ 20,00,000 goal, ten years out.
At 6 % inflation, something costing ₹ 20,00,000 today costs about ₹ 35,81,695 in ten years. Aiming at the original figure would leave you roughly ₹ 15 lakh short of the thing you were saving for.
Reaching the inflated target at an assumed 12 % return needs about ₹ 15,400 a month. Aiming at the un-inflated ₹ 20,00,000 would have suggested ₹ 8,600 — a number that feels achievable and quietly fails.
Questions about this calculator.
What inflation rate should I use?
It depends what you are buying. General CPI has run around 5 to 6 % in India, but education and healthcare have historically run well above that, and a car or a phone below it. Use the inflation of the thing, not of the basket.
Why inflate the target at all?
Because a goal is a thing, not a number. ₹ 20 lakh of college in 2026 is not ₹ 20 lakh of college in 2036. Planning against today’s price is the single most common way a goal plan comes up short, and it comes up short at the worst possible moment.
What if I already have some of it saved?
Grow what you already have to the target date with the lumpsum calculator, subtract that from the inflated target, and plan the monthly instalment against the remainder. A single field for existing savings is on the list for this page.
Is my input sent anywhere?
No. The calculation runs in your browser. Nothing is submitted, stored or logged.
From the team behind Finvica — the operating platform for multi-product wealth practices. See the platform