Which Savings Instrument Fits You? Quiz

A Fixed Deposit (FD) locks a lump sum at a fixed interest rate for a chosen tenure, while a Recurring Deposit (RD) lets you build the same kind of guaranteed return through fixed monthly contributions instead of a lump sum. PPF is a 15-year, government-backed scheme with tax-free returns and an 80C deduction, and a SIP is a recurring investment into market-linked mutual funds where returns aren't guaranteed but have historically outpaced fixed-return instruments over the long term.

Each of the five questions offers four options, and each option is itself a vote for FD, RD, PPF, or SIP based on what that answer implies about your horizon, risk comfort, and goals. Whichever instrument collects the most votes across all five questions becomes your result, and ties are broken in favour of the instrument that best matches deliberate long-term intent.

Yes, and most financial planners recommend exactly that — using an FD or RD for near-term safety, PPF for long-term tax-free goals, and a SIP for long-term growth, rather than putting everything into one instrument. Your quiz result reflects your strongest single tendency, not a rule against diversifying.

Historically, SIPs in equity mutual funds have delivered higher average annual returns than FD, RD, or PPF over long horizons (7+ years), but they come with market risk and no guarantee. FD, RD, and PPF offer lower but guaranteed returns, with PPF currently offering the highest guaranteed rate among the three because it's backed by the government and locked in for 15 years.

Yes, PPF enjoys EEE (Exempt-Exempt-Exempt) tax status in India — your contribution qualifies for an 80C deduction, the interest earned is tax-free, and the maturity amount is also tax-free. This makes it one of the most tax-efficient long-term savings instruments available to Indian residents.

FDs typically range from 7 days to 10 years depending on the tenure you choose, RDs usually run from 6 months to 10 years, and PPF has a mandatory 15-year lock-in with partial withdrawal allowed after year 7. SIPs in open-ended mutual funds have no lock-in at all, though equity-linked savings schemes (ELSS) carry a 3-year lock-in if you want the 80C benefit.

Yes, click 'Retake quiz' on the result screen to go through all five questions again with different answers. This is useful if you're comparing how your result changes between, say, a short-term goal and a long-term one.

Yes, the quiz runs entirely in your browser and your answers are never sent to or stored on thecalcu.com servers. Your answers are only saved in the page's URL so you can bookmark or share your specific result.

For most beginners, starting with a [Fixed Deposit Calculator](/fixed-deposit-calculator-india/) or [Recurring Deposit Calculator](/recurring-deposit-calculator-india/) builds savings discipline with zero risk, before gradually adding a [SIP Calculator](/sip-calculator-india/) once you're comfortable with market exposure. PPF is worth starting early regardless of risk appetite since its 15-year lock-in rewards an early start the most.

Yes, banks revise FD and RD interest rates periodically based on RBI policy and their own liquidity needs, so the rate you lock in only applies to deposits made at that rate — existing deposits aren't affected by later rate changes. PPF's interest rate is set quarterly by the government and applies uniformly to all account holders.

You can invest a minimum of ₹500 and a maximum of ₹1,50,000 per financial year in a PPF account, which also happens to be the overall 80C deduction limit. Use the [PPF Calculator](/ppf-calculator-india/) to see how different yearly contributions compound over the full 15-year term.