Market returns use annual lognormal draws calibrated to the selected arithmetic-average return and volatility. The compounded typical result is lower than the arithmetic average when returns vary. The default 18% volatility is illustrative, not a forecast. The chart range is the point-by-point P10 to P90 range from 1,000 seeded paths.
Market cost basis defaults to current market value, so no existing unrealised gain is assumed unless you change it. Retirement income should be entered net of tax on receipt. Inflation-linked income is in today's purchasing power; unlinked income is fixed in nominal rupees. Additional healthcare is added to base spending and uses its own inflation rate.
The default equity-gain approximation uses a 12.5% rate and ₹1.25 lakh annual allowance. It omits cess, surcharge, holding-period lots, STT eligibility, grandfathering, loss set-offs, unused basic exemptions and other gains sharing the allowance. Fixed-income tax modes are simplified, and the EPF rate is held through the horizon without modelling statutory eligibility or every contribution-tax rule.
The capital-preservation figure is a separate steady-return illustration through age 100. Sources: official NSE Nifty 50 factsheet, Income Tax Department section 198, section 76, and retirement-benefit guidance.