Guwahati, Sept. 18 -- Investing in India has never felt more dynamic. Record SIP inflows, rising interest in mutual funds, and the growth of gold ETFs and digital assets through mobile apps show just how quickly habits are shifting. There's plenty of excitement, but also a fair bit of doubt-are these choices laying the foundation for real wealth, or just adding risk? To cut through the noise, two simple ideas can make all the difference: CAGR and NPV.

CAGR, or Compound Annual Growth Rate, is basically the "average yearly speed" of your investment. Say you put money in an index that doubles in five years. CAGR tells you the steady annual rate it would've needed to get there. It smooths out all the ups and downs into one neat number.

Take...