Why Rs 4.33 crore is the new Rs 1 crore for Gen Z investors

Making your first crore is a major landmark. And should be celebrated. From social media to weekend YouTube binges, it’s hard to miss the avalanche of videos on “How to make your first crore”. For many young Indians in their 20s, this is the magic number. The finish line for “I’ve made it” status. I know this first-hand. Just last week, my 27-year-old cousin was beaming with excitement over his nearing Rs 1 crore investment corpus. He was already planning a low-key bash. A foreign trip with his closest friends, maybe a MacBook upgrade. “After all,” he told me, “A crore is huge. This is my ‘I’ve arrived’ moment.” And that is true. Building your first crore is a major milestone. But later that night, I did some rough math, and what I found might just rain on his celebratory parade. Rs 1 crore today ≠ Rs 1 crore tomorrow Here’s a reality check. If my cousin retires 30 years from now and inflation averages just 5 per cent annually, his Rs 1 crore will shrink in purchasing power to just Rs 23.1 lakh in today’s terms. Stretch that to 35 years? That Rs 1 crore will feel like Rs 18.1 lakh today. That’s not dream retirement money. That’s “barely cover

This article was originally published on June 23, 2025.