New Delhi, Sept. 17 -- Like most Indians, I also believed locking my hard-earned money in fixed deposits (FD) was the safest and smartest way to let my savings grow. The returns are guaranteed, the risk is zero, and you sleep peacefully at night. Or so I believed.

Out of curiosity, I asked ChatGPT a simple question:

"If I keep Rs.10 lakh in an FD at 5% interest for 20 years, while inflation averages 6%, what happens to my money?"

The answer shook me.

On paper, my Rs.10 lakh grows to about Rs.26.5 lakh after 20 years at 5% annual interest. That looks like a win, right? Almost tripling your money without lifting a finger.

But here's the catch: with inflation at 6%, the cost of everything doubles roughly every 12 years. In 20 years, the...