How much corpus can you create using Sukanya Samriddhi Account after 21 years?

• Rs 25,000 yearly – Maturity amount is Rs 11.97 lakh
• Rs 50,000 yearly – Maturity amount is Rs 23.94 lakh
• Rs 75,000 yearly – Maturity amount is Rs 35.91 lakh
• Rs 1.00 lakh yearly – Maturity amount is Rs 47.88 lakh
• Rs 1.25 lakh yearly – Maturity amount is Rs 59.85 lakh
• Rs 1.50 lakh yearly – Maturity amount is Rs 71.82 lakh

Would these amounts be enough for your daughter? It depends on each parent’s view. But mind you, these are figures after 21 years.

But even nowadays, good professional courses in India easily cost about Rs 20-25 lakh. And if you inflation-adjust these figures for the next 15-20 years, then the amount required for similar education would be a much bigger number.

So chances are that the amount accumulated via Sukanya may not be enough. Also, there is a debatable Sukanya rule which allows withdrawal up to 50% of this corpus for higher education.

Solution?

It’s actually simple, and many of you already do it.

If your daughter is still young and you still have 10+ years before her higher education expenses begin, then you need to invest some money in equities.

Sukanya, no doubt, is a solid product. But it’s a debt product which currently offers 8.2%. And many educational courses witness much higher inflation, at least in the pre-AI era. So to generate inflation-beating returns, you need to have some allocation to equities.

How much you should allocate between equity funds and Sukanya for your daughter’s future depends on your risk profile. If you aren’t conservative, then a higher allocation to equity is better, assuming your daughter is young and you have several years before her higher education starts.

A few suggestions:

If you are ultra-conservative, then just stick with 100% in Sukanya and PPF.

If you only want to take limited risk, then have 60-75% in Sukanya and/or PPF and the remaining 25-40% in equity funds.

If you are moderately aggressive or more, then 75% or more can be put into equity funds.

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My column in Economic Times Wealth (Edition 18-24 May 2026 edition) titled Passive Investing has a Noise Problem, discusses this and talks about which passive options are worth considering and which ones are best ignored. You can read the same via this link or in the image below:

I also maintain my view (voiced many times earlier) that for most investors, it’s best to take a middle path and build a portfolio with allocation to both passive and active components.

The post Passive Investing Has a Noise Problem – Economic Times Wealth (18-May-2026) appeared first on Stable Investor.

My column in Economic Times Wealth published last month (20 April 2026 edition – link), titled Started investing in your 40s-50s? Compensate for the lost years, discusses the way forward for late starters.

The post Started investing in 40s-50s? Compensate for Lost Years (Economic Times Wealth (20-Apr-2026) appeared first on Stable Investor.

To be fair, we have now seen a healthy correction in the market on the back of global as well as domestic concerns. There are also talks about recession in developed nations with even the developing ones not remaining untouched. But one thing is clear, India seems to be a better place (than many others) to remain invested in based on multiple factors.

There is no denying that the last few months have been extremely volatile and full of uncertainties. It has been tough for all investors, both small and large, you and me.

The markets have been falling like anything. Will it stop now that we are close to 15-20% down? Or can they fall more?

No one knows, to be honest. It might fall more if things go south. But remember one thing… Markets always recover. Sooner or later. Sharply or gradually. But they always do move up again.

So if markets have fallen quite a bit, then at least for the long-term investors, it should have become a lot more attractive than it was just a few months back.

Also, the more you can invest during a falling market, the more wealth you will create when things eventually turn around. It is as simple as that. Though easier said than done, it is the truth no doubt.

Be reminded that equity investing (direct or via equity mutual funds) should be done for the long term only. And in the long term, there will always be short phases when the markets will be volatile and give negative returns. This is completely normal. And you should accept it.

Because… if you want to benefit from the UPs later, then you will have to face the DOWNs every now and then. That is a fair deal, I think.

That said, if your goals are long-term and still several years away, then you can go ahead and invest more as markets have fallen now (and maybe, fall more in near future) and you get better investment prices. Or you can stagger your investment surplus going forward and not invest it in one go. That way, you can go gradual and have better peace of mind.

You can even rebalance the existing portfolio a bit if you don’t have a fresh surplus to invest.

Say at the peak of the market (around Nifty 26,373), your Equity:Debt allocation was 70:30 in favour of equity. Now with Nifty hovering around 22,000s, your asset allocation might have come down to 65-35 or near abouts. So go ahead and rebalance it back a bit. If not back to full 70:30, then a bit less if it makes you comfortable. Remember, you will never be able to perfectly time the markets. So do it in phases as that’s more practical for you.

That is about long-term investments. But if your goals are just a few years away, then ideally you shouldn’t be investing in equity funds even if it seems tempting to do so (with the potential to make a quick profit in case there is a rebound).

I know you might not feel great at this time with markets falling, negative news flowing around, and your mutual fund portfolio suffering losses. But this is exactly the time to stick to your financial plan. Also, don’t stop investing for your financial goals. When markets fall, you may feel that they should stop investing fresh money to contain your losses. But that’s exactly what you shouldn’t be doing. Instead of fearing a falling market, view it as an opportunity to invest at lower levels so that your future profits increase. Invest during good as well as bad times.

The post My mutual funds are falling. I am Worried. What should I do now… (April 2026)? appeared first on Stable Investor.

Disc. – This is not investment advice, please. You are smart enough and, so, always act in line with your risk appetite and investment horizons. And if in doubt, please talk to your investment advisor.

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• PPF interest rates – No Change (remains at 7.10%) – Possible reason – I wrote this a while back. May still be applicable – Why did the PPF rate not increase?
• Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana rates – No Change (remains at 8.20%)
• Senior Citizen Savings Scheme or SCSS – No Change (remains at 8.20%)
• National Savings Certificate or NSC – No Change (remains at 7.70%)
• Monthly Income Scheme or MIS – No Change (remains at 7.40%)

You can check the historical interest rates for a few of these using the following links – PPF Interest Rate History and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana Interest Rate History

The EPF rates remain at 8.25%.

Note – Since the interest rates of RBI Floating Rate Savings Bonds 2020 (Taxable) are pegged to NSC rates, i.e. the RBI Floating Bond rates are always 0.35% above NSC rates. So with NSC rates at 7.70%, the RBI Floating Rate bond rates will also remain at 8.05% per annum for the period of Jan-Jun 2026. Read more about RBI Floating Rate Bonds interest rates Jan-Jun 2026.

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If the markets have delivered little to nothing over the past two years or so, the first instinct for most investors (and specifically new ones) is to worry, and wonder if something is broken in the markets. But that is not true. Nothing is broken. Markets always move in cycles. If there are good days, then there will be bad days. If there are good years, then there will be bad years. And the very periods which feel most disappointing, i.e. when the returns are flat-to-negative, and when your patience is being tested and is on the brink, are exactly after which the stage is being set for the next upcycle. Whether it happens tomorrow, next week, next month or next year, no one can predict that. But eventually, the pendulum of the market will oscillate to the other side. Every bust lays the groundwork for the next recovery, just as every boom carries within itself the seeds of decline. A market that has gone sideways for 1–2 years is not a market that has stopped working. Rather, it is a market that is quietly doing the most important work: rebalancing the risk-reward equation in favour of the investor. Historically, buying after a period of stagnation or negative returns, dramatically improves the odds of strong future returns. There is data to prove it if you look for it.

You can think of a flat market as a pendulum resting near the centre, or even swinging back toward value. Howard Marks refers to patience as a “time arbitrage”. And that is what you need to show now. Patience. And the willingness to wait longer. The investors who will compound wealth meaningfully over the next decade and get rich will not be the ones who sold during these down years in frustration. They will be those who put their head down, accept these down periods, and keep investing as and when possible throughout this painful period. It is always like that.

And when you think on these lines, then a consolidating/falling market is not a disappointment but precisely the setup that long-term investors should welcome. Act accordingly, please.

The post No-Return, Flat Markets Are Not a Warning. It’s an Invitation. appeared first on Stable Investor.

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But here’s the thing. When everyone is scared, and sentiment is at its worst, that is usually when the risk-reward equation becomes hugely favourable for the long-term investors. And that is the maths that long-term investors need to hold onto.

That said, and to be fair, adding money when markets are falling feels deeply uncomfortable, and almost irrational, if not scary. You will always wonder what if markets fall a little more? And if the market falls another 5-10% after you have invested, that pain aggravates enormously, more so if you are already sitting on a 15-20% correction from the top. When you have come to equity markets with expectations of getting better-than-debt and inflation-beating returns, times like the current ones can really be testing. And remember markets don’t do what you want them to do on your demand. But from whatever small experience I have in markets, it pays to stay calm and remain objective.

And it makes sense to believe things like Remember God in Good Times & Equities in Bad Times and also, that Cash + Courage + Crisis makes real Wealth, to keep yourself motivated. Easier said than done, but that is how it is.

So if your goals are long-term and still several years away, then ideally, you should be investing more as markets fall. But if your goals are just a few years away, then ideally you shouldn’t be investing in markets even if it seems tempting (to make a quick profit from a rebound). Don’t be greedy just because others are fearful. Be greedy when others are fearful, and if you don’t need the money for several more years.

Keep pushing

The post Stay Calm. And Remember God in Good Times & Equities in Bad Times. appeared first on Stable Investor.

And while you really cannot control whether you retire in a good (bull) market or a bad (bear) market, it is important to understand how ‘Sequence Of Return Risk’, can derail the retirement of overconfident retirees.

Most people don’t discuss it, or for that matter, know about it. But it is one risk that you should not ignore. More so if you are planning to retire in the next few years.

My views on – Bad Market timing Near Retirement can Derail Corpus Fast & Sequence Risk, were published in a column in Economic Times Wealth (Edition 16-22 March 2026). You can read the same via this link or in the image below:

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