Know the difference of SIP of Rs 10000 in 10 years | 20 Years | 30 Years

• Date : February 22,2026

Most people start investing by asking one question: “How much return will I get?”
Very few ask the more important one: “How many years should I invest in?”

Because in wealth building, time does the heavy lifting, not timing, not prediction, not even starting big. A simple SIP of ₹10,000 per month can look ordinary today—but give it time, and it quietly turns into something extraordinary.

Let’s see how.

Why Time in the market matters More Than Anything Else

You may have heard the quote attributed to Albert Einstein where he calls compounding the most powerful force in the universe. Quote aside, anyone who has stayed invested long enough knows this feeling—returns start slow, almost boring. And then suddenly, they don’t seem boring as you see result in the long run.

That’s compounding at work. When you invest regularly through a long-term SIP, your money doesn’t just earn returns. Your returns start earning returns too. And that’s when growth shifts from linear to exponential.

₹10,000 SIP: Same Amount, Very Different Outcomes

Now look at what happened when the same ₹10,000 monthly SIP was allowed to run for different time periods.

(Assuming Investment in Equity Funds and an average return of 12.62% p.a as per AMFI Best Practice Guidelines Circular No. 135/BP/109-A /2024-25, dated September 10, 2024. "Past performance may or may not be sustained in future and is not a guarantee of any future returns".Figures are for Illustrative Purposes only.")

At 10 years, the outcome feels good. You’ve invested ₹12 lakh and reached nearly ₹23 lakh. Most investors feel satisfied here and many are tempted to stop or withdraw.

But notice what happens when time increases. From 10 to 20 years, your investment only doubles—from ₹12 lakh to ₹24 lakh—but your corpus jumps by more than 4 times. And from 20 to 30 years, the invested amount increases by just ₹12 lakh more, but the final value explodes.

This is where people underestimate time in the market.

Where the Real Wealth Is Actually Built

Here’s a simple truth most investors don’t realise early enough:

• By 20 years, almost 75% of your final corpus is pure gains
• By 30 years, nearly 90% of the corpus comes from growth
• The last 10 yearscompound wealth more than doubled than the first 20 years. (From 4.13X to 9.68X)
  
  

SIPs and Rupee Cost Averaging: Quiet but Powerful

Another reason SIPs work so well over the long term is something called rupee cost averaging. It’s not flashy, but it’s incredibly effective.

When you invest a fixed amount every month:

• You buy more units when markets fall
• You buy fewer units when markets rise
• Over time, your average cost stays lower

Market volatility, instead of hurting you, starts helping you.

Nifty 50 TRI SIP Performance Across Market Cycles

Different market phases produce different returns, but SIPs keep doing their job—accumulating units.

(Note: SIP done in nifty 50 TRI, SIP amount Rs. 10000).
Source: ACE MF. Analysis done on Nifty 50 TRI data. “Past performance may or may not be sustained in future and is not a guarantee of any future returns”.

If the same total amount had been invested as a lump sum at the beginning of each period, the returns would have matched the absolute index return shown above. However, when the investment was made through a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP), the outcome was different.

The SIP returns are higher in these periods because investments were made regularly and consistently across market fluctuations. This disciplined approach allowed more units to be accumulated during market corrections, which improved the overall outcome.

That’s the power of regular and disciplined investing.

Returns fluctuate. Unit accumulation doesn’t stop. That’s the difference.

Thinking of Stopping Your SIP? Read This First

Life happens. Income changes. Expenses increase. Markets fall. And the first thing people think of stopping is their SIP.

Ask Yourself These Important Questions:

• Why did I start this SIP in the first place?
• Retirement
• Children’s education
• Wealth building 
• Have my financial needs changed?
• Has my time horizon changed?
• Has there been a real change in my risk appetite?
• Or am I reacting only to short-term market volatility?

Stopping completely breaks compounding. Adjusting keeps it alive.

The Real Cost of Stopping Early

Stopping a ₹10,000 SIP at 10 years instead of continuing to 20 years doesn’t just reduce returns—it removes the most powerful phase of growth. Compounding gets disrupted. The years where money grows the fastest are lost. And also no amount of future investing can fully recover that lost time. In investing, time once gone is gone forever.

The Discipline Framework That Actually Works

Successful SIP investors don’t do anything extraordinary. They just follow a few non-negotiables.

• Time over timing: Market timing is impossible to perfect
• Discipline: SIPs are treated like EMIs, not optional expenses
• Automation: Removes emotional decision-making
• Patience: Volatility is accepted, not feared

Add proper asset allocation—choosing the right funds, diversifying, and matching horizons—and the system works quietly in the background.

Conclusion

The biggest risk in investing isn’t market volatility.
It’s impatience. The best time to start a SIP was years ago. The next best time is today. What matters is staying invested long enough for time to do its job.

Stay invested. Stay disciplined. Your future self will quietly thank you.

FAQs

Q) Why does a 30-year SIP build much higher wealth than a 10-year SIP?
Because compounding becomes stronger with time, the longer you stay invested, the more your returns start earning returns.

Q) Is it necessary to stay invested for 20–30 years?
Longer duration increases the potential for wealth build, especially for long-term financial needs.

Q) Does market volatility affect long-term SIP results?
Short-term ups and downs may impact returns temporarily, but staying invested helps smoothen volatility over time.

Q) Can increasing my SIP amount make a difference?
Yes. Gradually increasing your SIP as income grows can significantly boost your final corpus.

Q) What is more important — amount invested or time invested?
Both matter, but time plays a crucial role. Starting early and staying consistent can make a big difference.

Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risk, Read all scheme related documents carefully.