From Rs 500 SIP to Rs 1 Crore Portfolio: Reddit User Reveals 7-Year Wealth Journey From Scratch

A Reddit post by user “Ministoic” is drawing attention for laying out a seven-year investing journey, from a Rs 500 SIP to a Rs 1 crore portfolio. The user, now 27, wrote that the milestone was reached on April 27, 2026. They described himself as a 2020 computer science graduate working in the software industry, with no inheritance or windfall gains — just what they called a 'long, slightly messy journey' that began in 2019.

Note that the original poster is not a financial planner or advisor, and has just put forth their experience with investing.

According to the post, their first exposure to investing came during college, when a friend mentioned mutual funds. Around the same time, they had a paying internship and decided to start small.

Thay opened an account on Paytm Money and began a Rs 500 SIP in SBI Banking & Financial Services Fund, choosing it largely on past performance. There wasn't much research upfront. As the post says, the idea was to begin first and figure things out later. Tracking the investment daily became a habit. That, in turn, led to more learning — mainly through YouTube videos, including those by Pranjal Kamra and Rachana Ranade, along with books such as Rich Dad Poor Dad.

Early Experiments

In April 2019, they opened a demat account with Zerodha. The first stock purchase was Yes Bank, which has seen quite some correction in the recent times. The approach at that stage was largely experimental — buying stocks based on online suggestions and limited research. Many of those positions were never sold and remain in the portfolio, described in the post as reminders of that phase.

ALSO READ: A Simple Guide To Asset Allocation Strategies That Help Build Wealth — Which One Should You Choose?

The COVID-19 pandemic market crash is flagged in the post as a moment of missed opportunity. By then, they said that they had developed some understanding about investing during downturns but didn't have enough surplus income.

At the time, they was earning Rs 25,000 a month during an internship in Gurugram while covering rent and other expenses. Family support wasn't available either, given ongoing financial commitments at home and a generally cautious view of equity markets. They noted that while they invested what he could, the scale was limited.

A Portfolio Reset

The post describes the early mutual fund portfolio as 'chaotic,' with SIP amounts rising from Rs 500 to Rs 7,000 and multiple funds being added or removed without a clear structure.

By the end of 2020, they decided to simplify. Existing investments were exited, booking roughly Rs 40,000 - Rs 45,000 in gains, and the portfolio was rebuilt on Zerodha Coin with fewer funds and a more defined approach. The revised allocation included MAFANG ETF, a Sensex index fund, Axis Small Cap, and Parag Parikh Flexi Cap Fund.

As their salary increased from Rs 60,000 to over Rs 2 lakh per month now, the SIP amount rose alongside it. The post mentions that they had created milestone checkpoints starting at Rs 25 lakh and tracked progress in increments of Rs 5 lakh, noting observations along the way.

Currently, they invest around Rs 1.5 lakh per month. The allocation includes ICICI Value Fund, ICICI Multi Asset Fund, Axis Small Cap, and Parag Parikh Flexi Cap, with occasional exposure to ETFs such as silver and MOM30. The portfolio, they wrote, is largely equity-focused. The post also references brief experiments with intraday trading, which were discontinued after a few attempts.

Though not actual financial advice, the post highlights a preference for keeping investing 'boring and simple,' relying primarily on mutual funds and ETFs. Stocks, according to the post, were used more as a learning tool.

ALSO READ: Do You Rely On AI Tools And Finfluencers for Investment Advice? Read This

Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.