Introduction

Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) is a popular method of investing in mutual funds. It helps the investors plan and invest at regular intervals, which also helps maintain consistent investments and encourage regular savings and investment habits.

To help you make the right decisions, a tool for estimating the returns basis your investment can be your best buddy. In this blog, we will explain the investment SIP calculator and how it can help in your financial planning.

Understanding SIP and Its Benefits

SIP or Systematic Investment Plan is a common way of investing in mutual funds. It helps you invest your money on a regular basis and reap the benefits of the power of compounding.

The period of investment (and the frequency) can be chosen based on your convenience, which can be weekly, monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or yearly. There are a lot of benefits to investing in an SIP, such as:

• Flexibility of choosing investment time
• Cost efficient
• Disciplined investing
• Rupee cost averaging and the power of compounding
• Diversification, and much more.

The Role of an Investment SIP Calculator

The SIP calculator is a tool that helps you quantify your investment returns based on the investment period, amount, number of instalments and rate of interest. This online calculator uses these parameters to predict an amount you may earn through the SIP.

It is one of the most important tools to use before you begin investing in any mutual fund SIP as the tool can help you plan your finances and adjust them based on your expected returns and budget. Since it helps in financial planning, the SIP tool is popular among new and seasoned investors alike.

This tool can come in handy for creating a robust financial plan.  For example, suppose you plan to invest a fixed amount of money for a short-term goal, like saving for a holiday trip. In that case, you can use this tool and determine your required instalment and amount to achieve your goal.

Transforming Financial Planning with an SIP Calculator

The SIP calculator primarily requires you to input three major factors that affect your returns, which are, your SIP amount, expected return percentage, and investment duration. Based on your input, the tool will predict your overall gain percentage and the return amount.

Let us consider the above example. Suppose you are planning to go on a long-awaited holiday in the coming year. Based on your research, you have estimated the expenses. Now, to save for your trip, you decide to invest in an SIP but are unsure of how much you should invest.

In this case, a SIP calculator can help you customise an investment plan based on your expected returns, budget and investment period.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using an SIP Calculator

• Go to a reliable source that provides an online SIP calculator tool.
• Enter your investment amount, for example, ₹500.
• Enter the percentage of expected returns. For example, 15%.
• Enter the duration for which you want to invest. For example, 3 years.
• After you enter all these parameters, you will get the projected overall gain% and the returns.
• If the estimated returns do not meet your goals, you can try with a higher amount or longer tenure and make a successful investment plan.

Integrating SIP Calculator into Your Financial Planning Routine

Since the SIP calculator helps you make a realistic investment plan based on your personal budget requirements, it makes a healthy practice to incorporate it into your regular investment routine.

The tool can be a great help when you have a goal-based investment plan. As explained in the example above, it shows how much you need to invest in order to achieve a goal.

The calculator can also help in tracking your investments and help you rebalance your portfolio, if needed. 

Conclusion

The SIP calculator is an important tool that helps you plan your investments and adjust according to your budget and expected returns while investing in mutual funds. It also plays an important role in inculcating a disciplined savings habit, which can take you a long way in achieving your financial goals. Moreover, this tool can also save you a lot of time and help you make informed decisions.