Frequently asked questions

No, never. Every result is a percentage split across broad asset classes (equities, bonds, real estate, gold, cash). Which specific product you use to fill each asset class is entirely your decision — we have no products to sell and no incentive to steer you toward one.

No. This is a free educational tool that applies a transparent, published methodology (see /methodology) to the answers you give. It is not personalized financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Consult a licensed professional for advice specific to your situation.

No. There is no account, no login, and no server-side database for your inputs. Calculations run entirely in your browser as you fill in the form — nothing is ever sent anywhere.

This is called a glide path. Money needed soon shouldn't be as exposed to short-term market swings as money you won't touch for 20+ years, so the recommended mix gradually shifts toward more stable asset classes as your goal date approaches. The calculator charts this directly under your results. See /methodology for the exact curve.

Yes. Instead of asking your age directly, it asks how many years until you'll need the money — a more precise version of the same input. Two people of very different ages with the same time horizon get the same recommended mix, since time horizon (not age itself) is what determines how much short-term volatility a plan can absorb.

Yes. Choose "Retirement" as your goal and set your years until retirement — the calculator applies the same glide-path logic used by target-date funds. It works equally well for a 401(k), IRA, or any other retirement account, since those are just tax-advantaged wrappers; the underlying equities-versus-bonds-versus-cash question is the same either way.

No — this is a live, browser-based calculator rather than a static spreadsheet, so there's no formula to maintain or break. You can still keep a copy of your result using the "Print / save as PDF" button on the calculator page.

Tools like Bankrate's popularized simple, US-focused asset allocation calculators. This one covers a fuller set of five asset classes (equities, bonds, real estate, gold, cash) instead of just stocks and bonds, charts how the mix should shift over time rather than giving a single static number, and supports 29 countries and currencies rather than just one.

Yes. The calculator supports 29 countries and their currencies — including India — for formatting and sensible defaults (like typical retirement age), and the underlying asset-class logic is universal — it doesn't depend on any one country's tax system or product landscape.

A common rule of thumb is at least once a year, or whenever an asset class drifts more than about 5 percentage points from your target. Use the "Already invested? Check your drift" section in the calculator to see this applied to your own numbers.