Match the SIP to the future cost, not today's
Education inflates at 8-10% in India — faster than headline CPI. A degree that costs ₹12 lakh today will cost ₹44 lakh in 15 years at 9% inflation. The SIP needed to hit ₹44 lakh in 15 years at 12% is roughly ₹8,800/month — not ₹2,500/month, which is what a naive 'today's cost / 180 months' calculation would suggest.
Always inflate the target before back-solving the SIP. The child-education calculator does this automatically.
Glide-path the corpus in the final 2-3 years
Equity volatility in the 18 months before college admission can derail the plan. Shift the corpus from 80/20 equity-debt to 30/70 in the 3 years before the goal — a year-by-year shift via STP from equity to short-duration debt is operationally simple and emotionally easier than a one-shot rebalance.
If the goal is partly USD-denominated (study abroad), build a 15-20% buffer for exchange-rate movement.
Hold the SIP in the parent's name, not the child's
Minor mutual fund accounts have operational friction at redemption — the AMC may require the child to first convert to major before processing large redemptions. Holding the goal in a parent's name is cleaner. Tag the SIP folio explicitly with the goal name ('Riya college 2040') so it's mentally ring-fenced.
Request a callback if you'd like the full child-education plan, including scheme selection and glide-path schedule.