SIP & SWP Planners
Eight planners for money paid in monthly and drawn out monthly — the accumulation phase, the withdrawal phase, and the handover between them.
Paying in: a stream, not a sum
A systematic investment plan contributes a fixed amount every month rather than one lump. That changes the arithmetic: each instalment compounds for a different length of time, so the first payment does most of the work and the last does almost none. The SIP Calculator runs the month-by-month growth for a flat contribution, and the Step-Up SIP Calculator raises it by a set percentage each year, which is how most people actually invest as their income grows.
One payment or many?
If you already have the money, the question is whether to invest it at once or spread it. The Lump Sum Calculator projects a single investment forward and gives you the honest comparison against a monthly plan of the same total. Investing at once wins on expected return, because the money is in the market longer; spreading wins on regret, because no single entry point decides the outcome.
Drawing down is the same maths in reverse
A systematic withdrawal plan takes a fixed amount out each month while the remaining balance keeps growing. The SWP Calculator shows how long a pot lasts at a given withdrawal, and the Step-Up SWP Calculator increases the withdrawal annually to keep pace with rising costs. The number that matters is not the return — it is whether the withdrawal outruns the growth, because once it does the balance falls at an accelerating rate.
The handover is where plans break
Most planning tools cover accumulation or drawdown, not the join between them. The SIP to SWP Planner and Lump Sum to SWP Planner run both phases end to end, so the pot one produces is the pot the other spends. That is the only way to see whether a monthly contribution actually funds the retirement income it is supposed to. For a pooled fund rather than a self-managed portfolio, the Mutual Fund Planner applies an expense ratio to the same growth model.
What these projections assume
Every one of these tools grows the balance at a constant annual rate. Real markets do not: the same average return delivered in a different order produces a different outcome, and a bad first few years of drawdown does far more damage than a bad last few. Treat the output as a plan, not a forecast, and re-run it with a lower rate to see how much the plan depends on the assumption. For the underlying formulas see our finance formulas reference page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a SIP and a lump sum?＋
A lump sum puts the whole amount to work immediately, so every pound compounds for the full term. A systematic plan contributes over time, so later contributions compound for less of it. A lump sum therefore projects higher for the same total invested — its trade-off is that it commits everything at one price.
What does stepping up a SIP actually do?＋
It raises the contribution by a set percentage each year, usually to track rising income. Because the increases land early enough to compound, a modest annual step-up produces a final figure well above the same average contribution paid flat. The step-up calculators show the two side by side.
How is a withdrawal plan different from a savings plan?＋
It is the same compounding maths running in reverse, with one important asymmetry: the balance now has to survive the withdrawals. If the withdrawal rate outpaces growth the fund depletes, and the date it runs out matters far more than the average return. That depletion date is the figure to watch.
Why do the projections use a single expected return?＋
A fixed rate makes the mechanics of contribution and withdrawal legible. It is not a forecast. Real returns vary year to year, and for withdrawal plans especially, a poor run early in the term does disproportionate damage compared with the same poor run later. Treat every projection here as a shape, not a prediction.
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