Goal-based investing
“Invest for the future” is too vague to act on. “₹25 lakh for a home down payment in six years” is a plan.
Make goals specific
A usable goal has four parts: what it is, when you need it, how much it costs in today's money, and how important it is. Write each one down. Then inflate the cost to the target year using an inflation rate that fits the goal.
2 years
Holiday, ₹5 lakh
RD and liquid fund
6 years
Home down payment, ₹20 lakh
Balanced mix
15 years
Education, ₹79 lakh (inflated)
Mostly equity
30 years
Retirement
Equity, de-risking later
Match money to horizon
Short goals (under 3 years) go in safe instruments. Medium goals (3–7 years) can use a balanced mix. Long goals (7+ years) can be mostly equity. As a goal gets closer, shift its money gradually toward safety so a late market fall can't derail it.
One SIP per goal
Link each goal to its own SIP or folio. It makes progress visible and protects each goal from the others: you won't raid the education fund for a holiday if they live in different places. Track each goal in your dashboard and log contributions as you go.
Key takeaways
- 1Define what, when, how much and how important.
- 2Choose the mix by horizon; de-risk as goals approach.
- 3Give each goal its own SIP and track it.
Try it with your own numbers
Finish this lesson
Reaching the end marks it complete. You can also mark it yourself.
Educational content, not investment advice. Figures are illustrative.