The maths
Markets rise more often than they fall, so money invested earlier usually has more time to compound — which favours lumpsum when you already have the money. SIPs win when markets fall after you start, because each instalment buys more units (rupee-cost averaging).
Behaviour matters more
- A SIP matches how most people earn — monthly — and removes the temptation to time the market.
- A lumpsum invested just before a crash is psychologically hard to hold.
- A middle path: park a lumpsum in a liquid fund and move it into equity over 6–12 months (an STP).
Check the history yourself
The market history page shows what ₹10,000 a month in NIFTY 50 would be worth for every starting year since 2007, including SIPs that began right before 2008.