Calculate the necessary initial systematic investment size to accumulate a real purchasing power of $1,000,000.
$1,000,000 is the nominal goal. At United States's 3% inflation default, $1,000,000 in 25 years has the same purchasing power as $477.61K today — that gap is exactly why this calculator solves for nominal AND real targets, not just nominal.
Two ways to reach $1,000,000: a flat SIP held constant in nominal terms (loses real value each year), or a step-up SIP that rises with inflation (keeps your real savings rate constant). The table below shows what monthly SIP is required for each path across five common horizons.
| Horizon | Flat SIP / month | Total invested (flat) | Step-up SIP / month (start) | Total invested (step-up) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 yrs | $4.84K | $580.97K | $4.33K | $595.1K |
| 15 yrs | $2.39K | $430.7K | $2.04K | $454.45K |
| 20 yrs | $1.31K | $313.44K | $1.07K | $344.33K |
| 25 yrs | $747 | $224.23K | $592 | $258.94K |
| 30 yrs | $439 | $157.94K | $339 | $193.36K |
Assumes 10% expected annual return and 3% step-up rate on the step-up column. Longer horizons let compounding do more of the work — the required monthly SIP for 30 years is typically a small fraction of the 10-year requirement, but the total invested rises because you contribute for longer.
We solve for the required initial Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) contribution:
To buy what $1,000,000 buys today in 20 years (assuming 2.5% inflation), you need a nominal corpus of $1,638,616. To achieve this at 10% expected return, you must invest $2,165 per month.
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