Card 1 . Same Fund For Two Goals 19 Years Apart.

RupeeCase

Education . Goal-Based Investing . 1 of 4

Friend texts on a Saturday. Which fund for my daughter's college. Then adds, and same one for my retirement, right.

Two goals. One nineteen years further out than the other. He was about to pour both into the same chart-topping smallcap. The return chart does not pick the vehicle. The shape of the goal does. And a goal has exactly three measurements.

Lever 01 . Duration

3vs 22

Years until you actually spend it. Decides how much equity risk the goal can survive.

Lever 02 . Amount

+8pct yr

The target is tomorrow's price, not today's. Inflation moves the goalpost while you save.

Lever 03 . Flexibility

Hardor soft

Can the date or the amount move. A hard date buys you less equity than a soft one.

Duration. Amount. Flexibility. Get these three down before you open a single fund factsheet. The next card maps duration to the vehicle that fits it.