Evaluating the Effectiveness of Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) in Wealth Creation for Middle-Income Salaried Employees

Retail investing in India has undergone a structural transformation over the past decade, with Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) emerging as one of the most widely adopted wealth-building mechanisms among urban wage earners. This paper investigates the extent to which SIP-based mutual fund contributions facilitate tangible financial growth for middle-income salaried workers in Pune, Maharashtra. Drawing on primary survey data gathered from one hundred respondents and analysed through chi-square goodness-of-fit tests, the study quantifies awareness levels, fund-type preferences, perceived wealth impact, and the relationship between monthly income and contribution size. Results across all four statistical hypotheses reject the null at the five-percent significance level, confirming that salaried employees possess measurably non-uniform SIP awareness, exhibit clear equity-fund preferences, widely credit SIPs with advancing their financial goals, and allocate income to SIPs in proportions that vary systematical