Lump Sum Calculator
What a one-time investment could become, using what real funds returned, and how that compares with an FD and with spreading the money out. Free, no signup.
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FinResp analyses. You decide. This is information only, not investment advice. Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks; read all scheme related documents carefully. Past returns do not guarantee future ones. Fund figures come from the AMFI daily NAV history (Direct plan, Growth option, open-ended funds); FD rates are collected from banks' published rates and can change at any time. A one-time investment grows once a year at the effective yearly return shown; taxes, exit loads and fund costs beyond those already in the NAV are not included.
What to look at next
How it works, questions and more tools
How it works
- Enter the amount and how long. Use years and months. The example figures are only a starting point; change all of them.
- Pick a fund type and a growth case. Weaker, middle and stronger are what real funds of that type returned in our history for about the same time. Or choose My own and enter your own rate.
- Compare it. The page puts the result next to today's best fixed deposit, and shows whether putting it all in at once did better than spreading it over 12 months.
- Add a goal if you have one. See what to invest today to reach it, or how long your amount would take to reach a target.
Questions people ask
What is a lump sum investment?
Putting a whole amount into an investment on one day, instead of in instalments. A SIP spreads the money over many months; a lump sum puts it all to work at once, so the day you start matters more.
How does this lump sum calculator work?
It grows your amount at a yearly rate for the time you enter: amount × (1 + rate)^years. The rate comes from what real funds of the type you chose returned over about that time, in our AMFI history (Direct plan, Growth option), or from the rate you enter yourself. It leaves out taxes, exit loads and fund costs beyond those already in the NAV.
Where do the growth rates come from?
From real history. For each fund type we took every Direct-plan fund in the AMFI records that is still running, invested once in every month since 2013 and measured the yearly return after the time you chose. Weaker is the 10th percentile, middle the 50th and stronger the 90th. Funds that were closed or merged are missing, and the period was mostly a rising market, so the figures flatter results.
Lump sum or an FD: which is better?
Neither is better for everyone. An FD pays a rate fixed in advance; a fund's return is not fixed and can be lower, or negative. The calculator shows today's best FD next to the fund cases, and the share of real periods in which funds did better than that FD, so you can see both the upside and the risk.
Should I invest a lump sum all at once or in parts?
In our history, putting the whole amount in on day one ended with at least as much as splitting it into 12 equal monthly parts in about three of every four start months, and spreading was ahead in the rest, usually when prices fell soon after. It is a fact about the past, not a rule, and the comparison leaves out any interest the waiting cash would earn.
Is a lump sum riskier than a SIP?
A lump sum puts all your money to work on one day, so the starting point matters more. The page shows the range of what happened, from the worst to the best start, and how often a lump sum ended below what was put in over 3 years.
Are the returns guaranteed?
No. Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks. You can get back less than you put in, and past performance is not an indication of future returns.
Does it include inflation, taxes and charges?
Inflation is shown as the worth in today's money. Taxes, exit loads and any gap between a fund's return and what you earn are not included. Check the current rules or ask a tax adviser.
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