Heard of 15-15-15 SIP rule? It's misleading many investors

The 15-15-15 rule is magical: invest Rs 15,000 per month, earn 15 per cent annual returns and do it for 15 years. Voila, you’ll have a corpus of Rs 1 crore. That’s the now-famous 15-15-15 rule. Simple, elegant and endlessly viral. But here’s the thing. While the math adds up, the reality doesn’t always follow the script. Let’s break down why this attractive formula might be more fantasy than fact for most investors. 1. You can control your SIP, but not your returns The rule assumes that you’ll earn 15 per cent consistently over 15 years. That’s like assuming every cricket match will end with a six on the last ball. Sure, it happens, but not often enough to bet your life savings on it. You can control two things: one, how much you invest and two, how long you stay invested. But returns? That’s beyond our control. Moreover, the markets don’t care about round numbers or neat formulas. 2. The 15 per cent pipedream Sure, some equity mutual funds have delivered above 15 per cent annualised return

This article was originally published on June 27, 2025.