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For many Indians, Rs 10 crore sounds like the ultimate retirement number. Comfortable. Safe. Even luxurious. But according to CA Nitin Kaushik, that belief could be setting people up for a rude shock. In a candid post on X, he breaks down why chasing round, impressive-looking numbers without understanding inflation can quietly derail retirement plans. His message is blunt, uncomfortable, and exactly what many working professionals need to hear before it’s too late.
CA Nitin Kaushik points out that inflation has no respect for financial milestones. What looks massive today can shrink dramatically over time. At an average inflation rate of 6–7 per cent, Rs 10 crore accumulated 30 years from now would be worth only about Rs 1.2 to Rs 1.5 crore in today’s terms. On paper, the number still looks big. In real life, its purchasing power tells a very different story.
Broken down annually, that corpus translates to roughly Rs 10–12 lakh a year before tax. That amount is meant to support a middle-class urban lifestyle for 25 to 30 years. And that’s before factoring in one of the biggest wild cards of retirement: healthcare. Medical expenses tend to rise faster than general inflation and often arrive suddenly, not gradually. What feels manageable in spreadsheets can become overwhelming in reality.
Big enough corpus later is a trap
This is where Kaushik warns against a common mindset trap. Many people tell themselves they will build a “big enough” corpus later. According to him, that belief is a dangerous lie. Inflation erodes wealth quietly over time. Lifestyle creep happens almost without notice as incomes rise. Medical costs, on the other hand, hit hard and without warning. Together, they can dismantle even well-intentioned retirement plans.
Kaushik adds that if these calculations feel unsettling, that reaction is actually healthy. Retirement planning isn’t supposed to feel comfortable or reassuring. It’s meant to force hard conversations and realistic thinking. His advice is to stop anchoring plans around round numbers that look impressive today and instead plan for how money will truly behave in the future.
The core message is clear. Retirement isn’t about chasing a headline figure like Rs ₹10 crore. It’s about understanding purchasing power, time, and real-life expenses. As CA Nitin Kaushik puts it, planning should be rooted in reality, not in numbers that only feel rich on paper.
CA Nitin Kaushik points out that inflation has no respect for financial milestones. What looks massive today can shrink dramatically over time. At an average inflation rate of 6–7 per cent, Rs 10 crore accumulated 30 years from now would be worth only about Rs 1.2 to Rs 1.5 crore in today’s terms. On paper, the number still looks big. In real life, its purchasing power tells a very different story.
Broken down annually, that corpus translates to roughly Rs 10–12 lakh a year before tax. That amount is meant to support a middle-class urban lifestyle for 25 to 30 years. And that’s before factoring in one of the biggest wild cards of retirement: healthcare. Medical expenses tend to rise faster than general inflation and often arrive suddenly, not gradually. What feels manageable in spreadsheets can become overwhelming in reality.
Big enough corpus later is a trap
This is where Kaushik warns against a common mindset trap. Many people tell themselves they will build a “big enough” corpus later. According to him, that belief is a dangerous lie. Inflation erodes wealth quietly over time. Lifestyle creep happens almost without notice as incomes rise. Medical costs, on the other hand, hit hard and without warning. Together, they can dismantle even well-intentioned retirement plans.Kaushik adds that if these calculations feel unsettling, that reaction is actually healthy. Retirement planning isn’t supposed to feel comfortable or reassuring. It’s meant to force hard conversations and realistic thinking. His advice is to stop anchoring plans around round numbers that look impressive today and instead plan for how money will truly behave in the future.
The core message is clear. Retirement isn’t about chasing a headline figure like Rs ₹10 crore. It’s about understanding purchasing power, time, and real-life expenses. As CA Nitin Kaushik puts it, planning should be rooted in reality, not in numbers that only feel rich on paper.
