How much to invest monthly for a 3-year-old’s college: SSY vs equity SIP compared

Parents planning a 15-year college fund for a 3-year-old should combine Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) and equity SIPs, as a course costing Rs 30 lakh today may reach Rs 83 lakh due to 7 percent education inflation. SSY offers stable 8.2 percent returns with a Rs 1.5 lakh annual limit, potentially growing to Rs 41 lakh, but withdrawal restrictions limit access to roughly half for education. An equity SIP of Rs 15,000 monthly at 12 percent returns can build the accessible corpus. Equity carries market volatility and sequence-of-return risk, while SSY faces liquidity and inflation risks. Parents should de-risk five years before college and consider post-tax returns, with gold helping manage currency risk for overseas education.