planMyFIRE logoplanMyFIRE

CAGR Calculator

CAGR works the same way whether you're measuring how fast your money grew or how fast your expenses inflated. Enter any two values and the years between them — switch between Investment growth and Expense inflation to see how your number compares to India's benchmarks.

yrs

CAGR

12.14%

₹1.0 L grew to ₹2.5 L in 8 years

Wealth multiplier

2.50×

Times your money grew

Real CAGR

+6.14%

After 6% inflation

Holding period

8 yrs

Time in market

How does your return compare?

India benchmarks: historical long-run CAGRs

FD
6.5%
Debt MF
7.0%
Balanced
9.5%
Nifty 50
12.0%
Your rate
12.1%
You beat all benchmarks, including the Nifty 50's historical 12% CAGR.

How this is calculated

CAGR formula

CAGR = (Target / Initial)^(1 / Years) − 1

The same formula applies whether Target is your portfolio's final value or your current monthly expenses — CAGR is just an annualised growth rate.

Real CAGR (investment mode)

Real CAGR = Nominal CAGR − 6% inflation

A nominal return of 9% at 6% inflation gives a real return of roughly 3%. This is the rate at which your purchasing power actually grows.

India investment benchmarks

  • Fixed Deposit — ~6.5% (current average)
  • Debt Mutual Fund — ~7% (rolling 5-year average)
  • Balanced 60:40 portfolio — ~9.5% (historical)
  • Nifty 50 — ~12% (20+ year CAGR)

India expense inflation benchmarks

  • CPI India (headline) — ~6%
  • Blended lifestyle inflation — ~7.1%
  • Healthcare — ~10% (hospital costs, specialist fees)
  • Education (private) — ~11% (tuition, coaching)

A note worth reading before you act

The FIRE math works — but equity returns are not a guarantee. Every projection on this site uses long-term historical averages as a baseline. Markets can and do deliver a decade of poor returns, and if that decade happens to be the early years of your retirement, it puts real pressure on even a well-sized corpus. This isn't a reason to not pursue FIRE. It is a reason to build in margin.

The single most effective safety net is an active income source — even a small one. Freelance work, consulting, a part-time role, rental income. If your portfolio has a bad year and returns 6% instead of 12%, ₹15,000–₹25,000 a month of outside income means you don't have to redeem units at a loss while the market is down. You simply wait.

Financial independence is worth building towards. But “retired” doesn't have to mean “never earns again.” Keep a skill that someone will pay you for. Treat your corpus target as a floor, not a finish line. The goal is resilience — not just a number.

Not financial advice. planMyFIRE is not a SEBI-registered Investment Adviser. Calculator results are estimates based on historical assumptions and are for educational purposes only. Past market returns do not guarantee future performance. Consult a SEBI-registered adviser before making investment decisions. Terms of use.

From planMyFIRE

FIRE Number Calculator

How much do you need to retire?

SWP Calculator

Will your corpus last 40 years?

FIRE Guides

India-specific articles and deep dives