Why Do Most Indians Quit SIPs Within 3 Years? Analysts Explain The Real Reason

Finance and corporate banking provide a stable and lucrative career for CAT-qualified candidates. Professionals work in banks, financial institutions, and investment firms managing portfolios, corporate loans, and risk assessment. These roles require solid analytical and decision-making abilities.

A striking pattern in India’s fast-expanding mutual fund landscape is worrying market observers. Even as systematic investment plans (SIPs) continue to attract record enrolments, industry data show that nearly 9 out of 10 retail investors discontinue their SIPs within the first three years, undermining long-term wealth creation.

Financial planners attribute this churn to a predictable cycle of emotion-driven decision-making. The initial year is marked by enthusiasm, with investors entering the market buoyed by optimism. By the second year, even a modest correction triggers anxiety, prompting many to pause or cancel their contributions. When markets rebound in the third year, these same investors return, often with a sense of missed opportunity. This loop of excitement, fear and regret, experts say, erodes the very advantage SIPs are designed to offer.

Wealth managers point out that the cost of such interruptions is far greater than most investors realise. Illustrating the impact, they explain that a monthly investment of Rs 5,000 over 20 years, earning an annualised return of 12%, can accumulate to roughly Rs 45 lakh. But halting contributions for just three years during that period could shave off nearly Rs 15 lakh from the final corpus, solely due to lost compounding.

Analysts stress that the principle of rupee-cost averaging works best during downturns, when investors accumulate more units at lower prices. Ironically, that is also when most investors choose to step back. Market strategists liken it to “switching off the engine just as the vehicle picks up speed”, arguing that the true strength of SIPs emerges when investors hold steady through volatility.

Industry experts emphasise that long-term investing hinges on discipline rather than attempts to outguess short-term market movements. Each missed instalment delays financial goals, and frequent breaks weaken the compounding effect that underpins SIP performance. Seasoned investors, they note, continue investing through market cycles, treating fluctuations as part of the normal rhythm of equity markets.

While volatility may feel unsettling, advisors reiterate that markets have historically rewarded patience. The consensus across the industry remains unchanged; wealth creation is a function of staying invested, not timing entry and exit.