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Child education and marriage
The fee will arrive on a date. Start the SIP before it.
School, college, a professional course, a degree abroad, a wedding. Each has a year attached to it. We give every goal its own SIP, sized to the cost in that year, not today's.
Plan for my child
Tell us the child's age and the goal. This opens WhatsApp with your details filled in.
What today's fees could become
Education costs have often risen faster than general prices. Here is what three typical costs look like if they grow at an assumed 10% a year.
| Goal | Cost today | In 10 years | In 15 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation (3 to 4 years) | ₹8 lakh | ₹20.7 lakh | ₹33.4 lakh |
| Professional course (engineering, medicine, MBA) | ₹25 lakh | ₹64.8 lakh | ₹1.04 crore |
| Study abroad (degree plus living) | ₹50 lakh | ₹1.30 crore | ₹2.09 crore |
Illustrative only. Costs today and the 10% education inflation are assumed figures, not quotes from any institution. Foreign costs also move with the exchange rate.
Five goals, five dates
Each one gets its own SIP and its own fund mix, because a goal 4 years away should not be invested like one 18 years away.
School
Yearly fees, books, transport. Short gaps, so mostly hybrid and debt categories.
1 to 5 years awayGraduation
A three or four year degree. Equity-led SIP early, shifted to safer categories in the last 3 years.
Usually at 17 to 18Professional course
Engineering, medicine, law or an MBA. The largest education cost for most families.
₹25 lakh today, assumed
Study abroad
Fees plus living costs, in a foreign currency. Needs a larger corpus and a currency buffer.
Plan 10+ years ahead
Marriage
Usually the longest horizon. A small SIP started early does most of the work.
20+ years awayTwo calculators, your numbers
Change the cost, years and inflation. Each result shows the monthly SIP needed and can be sent to us on WhatsApp.
Education goal
Marriage goal
Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully. Past performance may or may not be sustained in future. Returns shown are assumed rates for illustration.
Why start early
Same ₹50 lakh goal. Very different SIPs.
The goal is due when the child turns 18. The later you start, the fewer months the money has to grow, so each month has to carry more.
Monthly SIP needed for ₹50 lakh at an assumed 12% a year, for illustration. Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks.
The step-up idea
Raise the SIP when your salary rises
A flat SIP stays the same for 15 years while your income does not. A step-up SIP adds a fixed percentage every year, so the plan grows with you and the goal is reached without one large jump later.
Try the step-up calculator- Flat ₹5,000 a month, 15 years
- ₹25.2 lakh₹9 lakh invested
- ₹5,000 rising 10% a year, 15 years
- ₹43.4 lakh₹19.1 lakh invested
Both at an assumed 12% a year, for illustration. Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully. Past performance may or may not be sustained in future.
Parents who started
Shared with permission. Names shortened.
We started ₹3,000 a month when our daughter was two. Now it is two SIPs, one for college and one for later. Seeing the date and amount written down made it real.
My son wants to study abroad. They were honest that our first number was too low and showed what it takes. We raised the SIP and added a step-up of 10%.
Three years before my elder one's college, they moved most of that money out of equity. The market fell the next year and the fees were already safe.
Questions parents ask us
Anything else, send it on WhatsApp.
How much should I invest for my child's education?
Start from the cost of the course today, grow it by an assumed education inflation for the years left, then work out the monthly SIP. The education calculator above does exactly this; we then check it against what you already hold.
Should I use a child plan or mutual funds?
We keep insurance and investment separate: a term plan on the parent to protect the goal, and SIPs in suitable mutual fund categories to build it. This is usually cheaper and more flexible than a combined product.
What happens if the market falls just before the fees are due?
That is why we shift the goal money to hybrid and debt categories in the last 2 to 3 years. The money needed soon is not left in equity.
Can one SIP cover education and marriage?
It can, but we advise separate SIPs. The dates are years apart and the right fund mix is different, and separate SIPs stop one goal quietly using the other's money.
Is my child's investment in my name or theirs?
Either works. A minor's folio is held in the child's name with the parent as guardian; it becomes the child's at 18. We explain both options and the tax effect before you choose.
One SIP per goal. One plan on paper.
Send your child's age and the goal. We reply with the cost, the date and the monthly SIP.
AMFI-registered Mutual Fund Distributor. Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully. Past performance may or may not be sustained in future.