New Delhi, Dec. 31 -- If you want to meet your financial goals over the next 12 years by investing in mutual funds, it is imperative to maintain financial discipline.

The more focused you are on your financial goals and the timeline for achieving them, the easier it is to formulate a financial plan. Here, we assume that you aim to accumulate Rs.50 lakh in the next 12 years. How much systematic investment plan (SIP) do you think you would need to do that?

Over a period of 12 years, you would need to invest anywhere between Rs.22.5 lakh and Rs.27.9 lakh, subject to the rate of return your investment earns. Here, we assume four different scenarios (for the sake of convenience), although the actual scenario could be different from any of th...